Model of open skin boat (umiak) with red painted wood frame. 14 rowers inside wearing sealskin parkas and wood hats of various styles. Painted using yellow, white, red and black pigments. Fixtures include 10 paddles and one bow. Replica of liquor flask (black) is inside boat. skin-covered open boat with hunting crew = 12 paddles, 1 steerer (captain with whaler's hat), 1 hunter at the bow with bow & arrow.
Donor:
Alaska Commercial Company, Benjamin Bristol, and Older University Collections
Collection place:
Kodiak Island, Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska
Verbatim coll. place:
Alaska; Kodiak district; Kodiak Island
Culture or time period:
Alaskan Eskimo and Koniag
Collector:
unknown
Materials:
Skin (collagenous material)
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Boats and Models (concepts)
Function:
5.7 Objects made for sale, souvenirs, models, and reproductions
Accession date:
1904
Context of use:
Made for sale. In real life, Umiaks were used for hunting whales and large sea mammals, as they were particularly noted for their carrying capacity, being able to carry up to as much as four tons and many people, living up to the name "family boat." Women are often quite involved in the navigation and occasionally pilot depending on the region (typically more common in Quebec), however this is mostly for travel as women are usually not on board for whaling or sea mammal hunting. They also stitch the skin over the frame. Sometimes umiaks are dubbed “family boats,” as they were primarily used for transportation, though they previously were used in war and of course hunting.
Department:
Native US and Canada (except California)
Dimensions:
length 61 centimeters
Comment:
References: cf. 2-19148 for similar model; cf. Collins, H.B. p. 54, fig. 68 for Kodiak Island hats.