(a) Umiak model, wood frame, sinew and rawhide lashings. Skin covered, sail missing. (b, c) 2 wooden oars. Painted red.
Donor:
Alaska Commercial Company, Benjamin Bristol, and Older University Collections
Collection place:
Alaska
Verbatim coll. place:
Alaska
Culture or time period:
Alaskan Eskimo
Collector:
Rudolph Neumann
Collection date:
1898
Materials:
Paint (coating) (red), Sealskin, and Wood (plant material)
Object type:
ethnography
Accession date:
1904
Context of use:
Model. 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. Square sails of a variety of materials (b) could be hoisted on umiaks, but were most likely introduced by colonists and not traditional, and motors could be attached to the back. 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.
Second original no. = 2-6429-30. "(oars originally numbered 2-6430ab)" Native name and meaning: umiak or baidara--woman boat or family boat. cf.Sturtevant, William C. Handbook of North American Indians. Edited by Warren L. D’Azevedo, David Damas, June Helm, Robert F. Heizer, Alfonso Ortiz, Wilcomb E. Washburn, Wayne Suttles, Ives Goddard, Deward E. Walker, Raymond J. DeMallie, Raymond D. Fogelson, Douglas H. Ubelaker, and Garrick A. Bailey. Vol. 5. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1984. Arima, B. "Y. 1963. Report on an Eskimo umiak built at Ivuyivik, PQ, in the summer of 1960." National Museum of Canada, Bulletin No. 189 (Ottawa). cf. 2-2071a-k
Loans:
S1993-1994 #14: SFO Museum (March 22, 1994–September 20, 1994)