Wikipedia

Umiak

This article is about the traditional northern skin-covered boat. For the ice-strengthened bulk carrier, seeUmiak I.

Theumiak,umialak,umiaq,umiac,oomiac,oomiak,ongiuk,oranyak[1]is a type of open skinboat,used by theYupikandInuit,and was originally found in all coastal areas fromSiberiatoGreenland.[2][3]First used inThuletimes, it has traditionally been used in summer, for moving people and possessions to seasonal hunting grounds, and for huntingwhalesandwalrus.[2][4]Although the umiak was usually propelled by oars (women) or paddles (men), sails—sometimes made from sealintestines—were also used, and, in the 20th century,outboard motors.[4][5][6]Because the umiak has no keel, the sails cannot be used fortacking.[7]

Umiak in Barrow, Alaska

Size and construction

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Umiak frame

Like thekayak,the traditional umiak was made from adriftwoodorwhaleboneframe pegged and lashed together, sometimes with antlers or ivory, over which walrus orbearded sealskins are stretched.[8]Oil, usually from seals, would be used to coat and waterproof the seams.[2][9]A large umiak, 9.1 m (30 ft), would require that about seven skins be sewn together, stretched over the frame and allowed to dry.[10]Modern versions are essentially identical, with the exception of the use of metal bolts and screws.

The open umiak is significantly larger than the enclosed kayak, which was built to carry one or two men while hunting. Normally 9 or 10 m (30 or 33 ft), the umiak could be anywhere from 6 to 10 m (20 to 33 ft) long and 1.5 to 2 m (5 to 7 ft) wide.[2][10]Hans Egede,a Norwegian-Danish Lutheran missionary to Greenland in 1721, stated that he had seen umiaks 18 m (60 ft) long.[5]

Although an umiak could carry up to 15 passengers, its light weight and lack of a keel allows it to be carried over thedriftorshore iceto the open water by a few people.[10][11][7]A modern company which trains people to hand make umiaks says that a 7.3 m (24 ft) boat weighs about 68 kg (150 lb) compared to 340 kg (750 lb) for a modern vessel.[12]

Modern usage

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An expedition in Alaska

Although the usage of the umiak and the kayak has died out in most areas of theArcticit is still very much a part of life in the Yupik andInupiatwhaling villagesof Alaska. The boat must be hauled on a sled pulled bysnowmobileover very rough trails cut through the ice ridges to locations where there are open leads in theice pack,where it is used to catch whales.

The skin cover on an umiak will last for two or three years, as does analuminumboat used in the same way; however, replacing the skin on an umiak is much easier than repairing an aluminum boat. Additionally, thebowhead whaleis sensitive to the metallic noise from aluminum boats, and tend to move away under the ice, to avoid them.[citation needed]

InUtqiaġvik, Alaska,the process for replacing the skin of an umiak begins when the ice moves away from the shores of theArctic Oceanin July. At their first summer access to the ocean, whaling crews hunt foroogruk,the bearded seal, for suitable skins. The skins are packed into seal oil and allowed to ferment while they are stored until March. At that time the skins are scraped free of hair, sewn together with a waterproof stitch, and then stretched over the wooden frame and tied into place using the sinew fromcaribou.[3]

With a new skin on the frame, the umiak is placed out in the wind and cold, to dry. In May when the bowhead whales migrate eastward pastPoint Barrow,umiak skin boats are hauled on sleds pulled by snowmobiles out onto the ice.

Name

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Umiaks being used for transport inGreenlandin the summer of 1875, with kayaks travelling alongside.

Although it is sometimes called a "woman's boat",[11][13]modern Inuit dictionaries such asKangiryuarmiutUqauhingita NumiktittitdjutingitbyRonald Lowe,theInuinnaqtunEnglish Dictionary,andAsuilaakInuktitutLiving Dictionarytranslate umiak as boat, traditional skin boat, or any type of boat.[14][15][16]

In the Eastern Arctic, where the umiak was rarely used for hunting, it was used mainly as summer transport for women and children, while men travelled by kayak, and thus was known as a "woman's boat".[10]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Dall, p. 563
  2. ^abcdUmiakat the Canadian Encyclopedia
  3. ^abNancy Gates (November 2006).The Alaska Almanac: Facts about Alaska.Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co. pp. 216–.ISBN978-0-88240-652-7.
  4. ^abUmiaksat theCanadian Museum of Civilization
  5. ^abAdney & Chappelle p.190
  6. ^Adney & Chappelle p.179
  7. ^abPetersen, Robert (2003).Settlements, Kinship and Hunting Grounds in Traditional Greenland.Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 48.ISBN978-87-635-1261-9.
  8. ^Craig A. Doherty; Katherine M. Doherty (2008).Arctic Peoples.Infobase Publishing. pp. 35–.ISBN978-0-8160-5970-6.
  9. ^Umiak Construction,Museum of Civilization website
  10. ^abcdExamples of Umiaks,Museum of Civilization website
  11. ^abThe Women's Boatat athropolis.com
  12. ^The UmiakArchived2010-11-29 at theWayback Machineat Skinboat School
  13. ^Bodil Kaalund (1983).The Art of Greenland: Sculpture, Crafts, Painting.University of California Press. pp. 100–.ISBN978-0-520-04840-9.
  14. ^Lowe, Ronald(1983). "English-Kangiryuarmiutun".Kangiryuarmiut Uqauhingita Numiktittitdjutingit[Basic Kangiryuarmiut Eskimo Dictionary]. p. 191.ISBN0-9691597-0-6.boat umiaq
  15. ^Ohokak, Gwen; Kadlun, Mago; Harnum, Betty.Inuinnaqtun English Dictionary.Revision Mabel Ekvana Angulalik and Frank Analok. Kitikmeot Heritage Society (Nunavut Arctic College). pp. 97 & 114.umiaq boat, boat umiaq
  16. ^Asuilaak Inuktitut Living Dictionary

References

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