FISHING VESSELS AND BOATS OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 
27 
13. Aleutian bidarlcas . — The Aleutian bidarka is one of the most noticeable of the 
skin boats in Alaska. Both two-hole and three-hole bidarkas are used by the Aleuts, 
as well as the single-hole canoes. The two-hole bidarka is, however, most commonly 
employed in the sea-otter and whale hunt and in the cod and halibut fishery, and may 
therefore be properly selected as the type upon which to base description. 
The frame of a bidarka is composed of light pieces of driftwood and small withes 
which are firmly lashed together with sinews so as to stiffen the whole fabric. It is 
said that recently rattan is used to some extent in the frames of bidarkas, this light, 
elastic, serviceable material being obtained for the natives by the traders on the coast. 
A strip runs the entire length of the bottom and forms a keelson or inside keel. On 
each side are generally three small strips or battens, which extend from end to end of 
the boat and divide into nearly equal sections the space between the keel at the bot- 
tom and the gunwale. The gunwale is a wider strip, which also extends from end to 
end in a similar manner. These battens are brought together and properly lashed at 
the bow, and are also sprung in at the after part and fastened to a peculiar, flat, pro- 
jecting sternpost, which is perforated with holes to receive the seizings of sinew that 
confine the ends of the strips. Inside of these battens are the ribs of the canoe, these 
being light and deftly bent to fit into their several places. It is said by Turner that, 
in preparing these for a canoe, the native often passes the strip through his mouth 
and by biting it makes the stick bend without breaking it, obtaining by this primitive 
method a result similar to that secured by a carpenter who makes saw cuts in a piece 
of wood that he desires to bend. The battens are securely held in place by the ribs 
and these assist in preventing the skin covering from being sprung in by the pressure of 
the water on the outside of the bidarka. 
The frame is covered with the untanned or green skins of the sea lion, which have 
been unhaired by a sweating process. These hides are drawn over the skeleton, deftly 
sewed, and properly secured in place while they are wet and pliable, and the entire 
boat, top and all, is covered with the exception of the two manholes, which are placed 
near the middle, in the most convenient positions for the occupants of the boat. 
“When the skins dry out, they contract and bind the frame and areas taut as the 
parchment of a well-strung bass-drum. Then the native smears the whole over with 
thick seal-oil, which keeps the water out of the pores of the skin for quite a long period 
and prevents the slackening of the taut binding of the little vessel for 24 to 30 hours 
at a single time. Then the bidarka must be hauled out and allowed to dry off in the 
wind, when it again becomes hard and tight.”* 
A canoe is reoiled whenever it is hauled out and dried, and it is never left floating 
in the water when not in actual use. The bidarka has a round, keelless bottom, flaring- 
sides, comparatively little sheer, except at the bow, where it has an abrupt upward 
curve. It is long, narrow, and has fine-lined sharp ends, its form being remarkably well 
adapted to speed, while it is known to be one of the best sea-boats in the world, under 
the skillful management of the brave and dexterous Aleuts. The stern is generally, 
if not always, nearly vertical, while the bow, on its lower and outer edge, as well as 
above, curves upward, its shape resembling somewhat that of the fore end of a- long, 
tapering Sled-runner. 
A curious feature of an Aleutian bidarka is that its bow is divided into two parts, 
* Our Arctic Province. 
