

-/"/- 



Eighteenth-Century Lines Drawing of a kayak, from Labrador or southern 

 Baffin Island (according to Dr. Kaj Birket-Smith of the Danish National 

 Museum). Note the long stem that is characteristic of present day kayaks from 

 Labrador. The lettering apparently reads: 



From Strait's S.°' David 



A Canoe — N.B. The sections arc 2 feet asunder from forward 



Length 2! '-6" 



Breadth 2'-i '-" 



Depth o'-8,'4" 

 [Courtesy .\ational Maritime Musi-um, Creenwuh, England.) 



migratory movement of the Eskimo. Originally the 

 2- and 3-cockpit kayaks of Russian colonial Alaska 

 had been omitted as being probably the results of 

 Russian influence. John Heath, however, bclie\ing 

 attention should be giv-en to this type, has very kindly 

 prepared for me a fine draught of such a kayak, or 

 "baidarka" (otherspellingsof this name are common); 

 this is shown on page 197. 



Although the scale drawings accurately represent 

 the form and details of construction, they necessarily 

 idealize somewhat the primitive boat design. Also, 

 in showing the hull-form, the usual method of pro- 

 jecting the "lines" of the hull was discarded as 

 unsuitable. Instead structural features have been 

 emphasized, with the result that "round"-bottom 

 kayaks appear as multichine hulls, as they properly 

 are. In view of the fluid state of design in Eskimo 

 craft it is obvious that the examples shown represent 

 the stage of development at the given date, though 

 the alteration in most designs has been so gradual that 



the representation could ser\c to illustrate with 

 reasonable accuracy a iriiial or area tyjac for a decade 

 or more. 



The Eskimos have produced two types of .skin boats 

 that have proved remarkably efficient craft for 

 small-boat navigation in .Arctic waters: an open 

 boat ranging from about 15 to appro.ximately 60 

 feet in length for carrying cargo and passengers for 

 long distances, and a small decked canoe developed 

 exclusively for hunting. With few exceptions these 

 Arctic skin boats are wholly seagoing craft. 



The open boat, called the umiak, is propelled by 

 paddles or oars or sail or, in recent years, by an 

 outljoard gasoline engine, or it may be towed. While 

 fundamentally a cargo carrier the umiak has been 

 employed by some Eskimo in whaling and in walrus 

 hunting. For these purposes a faster and more 

 developed design is used than that used only to 

 carry families, household goods, and cargo in the 

 constant Eskimo search for new hunting grounds. 



175 



