KAIAKS. 331 



with a bliiul stitch, like the seams already described on the waterproof 

 boots, from the inside. These seams are nearly 2 inches wide. The 

 longitudinal seam is sewed in the same way from the outside, but 

 not so broadly lapped, with the edge turned over into a roll. There 

 are two pieces of stout thoug stretched across the deck, one forward 

 of the cockpit and the other aft, which serve to fasten articles to 

 the deck. The thong passes out through a hole in the gunwale, one- 

 half inch from the up]er edge and t&amp;gt; inches from the cockpit, on the 

 starboard side forward and on the port side aft, and is secured by 

 a knot in the end inboard. The other end passes in through a cor- 

 resixmding hole in the other gunwale and is loosely knotted to the deck 

 beams, so that the line can be slackened off or tautened up at pleasure. 

 Three feet from the bow is a becket for holding spears, etc.. fastened 

 into two little holes bored diagonally outward through the edge of the 

 gunwales. It is of two parts of seal thong, one part twisted round the 

 other, but is broken in the middle, so that only one-half of it is left. 

 The weight of this kaiak in its present dry condition is 32 pounds. 



This is about the ordinary pattern of kaiak used at Point Barrow, 

 and is a medium-sued one. These boats are made to tit the sixe of the 

 owner, a youth or small man using a much smaller and lighter kaiak 

 than a heavy adult. They are never made to carry more than one per 

 sou, and I have never heard of their being used by the women. In 

 carrying the kaiak across the land from lake to lake, it is held hori 

 zontally against the side with the bow pointing forward, by thrusting 

 the forearm into the cockpit. We never saw them carried on the head, 

 in the manner practised at Fury and Hecla Straits. 1 



In entering the canoe the man takes great care to wipe his feet clean 

 of sand and gravel, which would work down under the timbers and 

 chafe the skin. The canoe is launched in shoal water, preferably 

 alongside of a little bank, and the man steadies it by sticking down his 

 paddle on the outer side and holding it with his left hand, while he bal 

 ances himself on his right foot, and with his free hand carefully wipes 

 his left foot. He then steps with his left foot into the kaiak, and still 

 balancing himself with the help of the paddle, lifts and wipes his right 

 foot before he steps in with that. He then pushes his feet and legs fin- 

 ward under the raised deck, settles himself in a proper position for 

 trimming the boat, and shoves off. As elsewhere, the kaiak is always 

 propelled with a paddle. 



No. S924t&amp;gt; [539J, Fig. 340, is the paddle which belongs to the kaiak 

 just described. It is 7 feet long. The shaft joining the blades is 

 elliptical in section, with its greatest width at right angles to the plane 

 of the blades so to present the greatest resistance to the strain of pad 

 dling. The shape of the blade, with rounded tip and thin rounded 

 edges is admirally adapted to give the blade a clean entry into the 



Lyon, Journal, p. 233. See also Capt. Lyon s figure iu Parry s 2il Toy., pi. opposite p. . 74. 



