Mi-nwK-n.1 UMIAKS. 335 



ished models were made for sale. The natives are so skillful in making 

 them that it is possible that they are in the habit ot making them for 

 the children to play with. L do not, however, recollect ever seeing a 

 child with one. 



rmidkx itnd iittiniiK. The large skin-covered open boat, essentially 

 the same in model as that employed by almost all Eskimo, as well as 

 the Aleuts and some Siberian races, is the chief means of conveyance 

 by water, for traveling, hunting, and fishing. Though the women do a 

 great share of the work of navigating the boat when a single family or 

 a small party is making a journey, it is by no means considered as a 

 woman s boat, as appears to be the case among the Greenlanders and 

 eastern Eskimo generally. 1 On the contrary, women are not admitted 

 into the regularly organized whaling crews, unless the umialik can not 

 procure men enough, and in the &quot;scratch&quot; crews assembled for walrus 

 hunting or sealing there are usually at least as many men as women, 

 and the men work as hard as the women. 1 do not, however, recollect 

 that I ever saw a man pull an oar in the umiak. They appear always 

 to use paddles alone. This is interesting in connection with the Green 

 land custom mentioned by Egede in the continuation of the passage 

 just quoted : And when they first set out for the whale fishing, the men 

 sit in a very negligent posture, with their faces turned towards the 

 prow, pulling with their little ordinary paddle; but the women sit in 

 the ordinary way, with their faces towards the stern, rowing with long 

 oars.&quot; 



We were unable to bring home any specimen of these boats on ac 

 count of their size, but Fig. 342, from a photograph by Lieut. Kay, will 

 give a good idea of the framework. These, boats vary considerably in 

 size, but are usually very nearly the dimensions of an ordinary whale- 

 boat that is, about 30 feet in length, with a beam of 5 or (! feet and a 

 depth of about 2A feet. The boat resembles very much in model the 

 American fisherman s dory, having a narrow flat bottom, sharp at both 

 ends, with flaring sides, and considerable rake at stem and stern. Both 

 floor and rail have a strong sheer, fore and aft, and the gunwales ex 

 tend beyond the stem so as to meet at the bow. Both stem and stern 

 are sharp nearly to the rail, where they flare out and are cut oft square. 

 These boats are exceedingly light and buoyant, and capable of consid 

 erable speed when fully manned. They are very &quot;quick&quot; in their mo 

 tion and quite (-rank till they get down to their bearings, but beyond 

 that appear to be very stiff. 



I never heard of one being capsized, though the natives move about 

 aboard of them with perfect freedom. The frame is neatly made of pieces 

 of driftwood, which it usually takes a considerable-time to accumulate. 2 



1 For example: &quot;For they lliink it unbecoming a man t*&amp;gt; row such a boat, unless great necessity 

 requires it.&quot; Kyede, Greenland, p. 111. &quot;It would he ji scandal for a man to meddle, except the 

 greatest necessity compels him to lend a band.&quot; Crantz. vol. 1, p. 149. 



* I arl iif tin- description of the umiak frame is taken from the model (No. 5G5IM (225)1. as the writer 

 not &quot;iily bad few opportunities for careful examination of these canoes, hnt unfortunately did not 

 reali/.e at the time tJie importance of detail. 



