Aleutian kayak or shift boat
Eskimos on kayaks. Drawing by P. Pavlinov from the set of postcards “Boats of the Nations of the World”
But in the next clearing
the canoe began to run aground in places
and stems of grass, reeds,
reeds around the former lake.
In the channel beyond the clearing there was depth
only half a meter or less,
and it was visible ahead,
that it is barely covered with water. –
In the next clearing we may stumble upon
on onkilons,” Goryunov said.
V. A. Obruchev “Sannikov’s Land”
the canoe began to run aground in places
and stems of grass, reeds,
reeds around the former lake.
In the channel beyond the clearing there was depth
only half a meter or less,
and it was visible ahead,
that it is barely covered with water. –
In the next clearing we may stumble upon
on onkilons,” Goryunov said.
V. A. Obruchev “Sannikov’s Land”
People and culture. Stories about primitive ships on the pages of VO aroused the genuine interest of our readers. “Will this topic be continued?” - many ask, and the answer to this question will be the most positive - “It will be!” Just today, from the shores of northern Brazil, where people went fishing in the ocean on jangadas, we will go to the Aleutian Islands - a chain of islands that form an arc from the southwestern tip of the Alaska Peninsula to the base of the Kamchatka Peninsula. These islands are a kind of southern border of the Bering Sea, beyond which lies the great Pacific Ocean.
Kamchatka baydara on the right and Eskimo umiak on the left. Drawing by P. Pavlinov from the set of postcards “Boats of the Nations of the World”
Living conditions for humans here were more than harsh, but nevertheless people still lived here. The islands and coastlines were inhabited by peoples such as the Inuit, Yupik and Aleut. And since they lived near the water, they used boats of the most unusual and original design to hunt on inland lakes, rivers and in the coastal waters of the Arctic Ocean, North Atlantic, Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean.
Kayak with a figurine of a hunter. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The most famous swimming device of the local aborigines was the kayak or ikjax (in Aleutian), invented by the indigenous Aleuts or Unangans of the Aleutian Islands.
A kayak is also often called a kayak. But this name was given to it by Russian traders who first visited the Aleutian Islands in the 1700s.
Meanwhile, archaeological data indicate that these islands were inhabited as early as 3000 BC, and that the design of the kayak was already known to the aborigines at that time and was used by them.
Kayak with a figurine of a hunter. Linden Museum, Stuttgart
And it is clear that such a design appeared for a reason, but was caused, like many other things in the history of human society, by natural-geographical reasons.
The fact is that from ancient times the same Aleuts were surrounded by treacherous waters and needed a water transport and hunting vessel that was convenient for them. But due to the location and climate of the Aleutian Islands, wood was in short supply there, and people came up with the idea of using driftwood or even whalebone (Eastern Inuit) washed ashore by the waves for the frame of their boats, and they began to cover the frame itself with tanned skins of sea animals.
Two types of boats were invented: a kayak with a covered deck, designed for hunting (a word meaning "man's boat" or hunter's boat), and an open boat, the umiak, capable of transporting people and cargo from one island to another.
Kayak and figure of a hunter. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
So the word “kayak” in this case is the Russian name that is used for the Aleutian sea kayak. It’s just that the Aleuts themselves had a larger and more spacious canoe boat, so the diminutive suffix “ka” was added to it.
Model of a three-seater Aleutian kayak. Aleutian Collection 1876 Peabody Museum, Harvard University
Before the arrival of Russian pioneers in Alaska, there were many kayaks that had one hole in the deck, that is, only for one hunter. Although boats with two holes were also known.
Interestingly, after watching Russian settlers hunt at sea, the Aleuts improved the design of their boats, resulting in three-hole kayaks. Most likely, in such kayaks, the helmsman rowed and controlled the boat, the archer at the bow used an atlatl (spear-throwing stick) during the hunt, and the one sitting in the middle carried out observations and directly supervised the hunt.
A kayak built in the style of Nunivak Island. Arktikum collection in Rovaniemi, Finland
Here is what a certain Ivan Veniaminov from Atka Island wrote about kayaks in 1840:
“... The kayaks of modern Aleuts are no longer as perfect as those of former Aleut riders. At that time, in the hands of excellent riders, they were so fast that the birds could not overtake them. They were so narrow and sharp-keeled that they could not stand upright in the water without a rider, and so light that a seven-year-old child could easily carry them.”
Kayak kit diagram
That is, here we see all the characteristic features of Aleutian kayaks. This is primarily their agility, lightness and high speed characteristics. The very light and maneuverable kayak had a cover made of seal skin, sewn only by Aleutian women, and stretched over a frame made of driftwood (since trees do not grow on the Aleutian Islands), bone and sinew. Aleut men treated him as a living being, and it was taboo for women to handle him after finishing work.
With its set of slats, the kayak most closely resembled an airship!
The men designed the kayak frames to be light, fast and flexible, tying the wooden pieces together with intricate knots woven from durable animal sinew. Unungan women processed sea lion skins, which were then sewn to the frame with bone needles, providing a waterproof stitching. By the way, when men went to sea, they also took needles and threads with them for emergency repairs.
Each such boat was built exclusively for the physique and weight of its future owner, that is, it was a highly ergonomic design, although only for one single person. It is possible that this is why the Unungans believed that their sea kayaks contained... a living soul connected with the soul of its owner. And if so, then you should take care of them and never scold them, so that the kayak does not harbor a grudge against you!
Well, boys were taught to operate a kayak from an early age. They were not taught to swim (!), because what kind of swimming is it in constantly icy water, but they had to handle the kayak expertly.
Kayak set
Interestingly, the safety of kayaking was also ensured by special leather clothing called tuilik, the edges of which were pulled over the edge of the kayak coaming and secured to it with ties. There were also ties at the wrists and the edges of the hood. So there was no way water could get inside.
Moreover, if the kayak overturned, and the person sitting in it found himself under water, then he used the “Eskimo throw” technique, the essence of which was to return the kayak to its normal position with a sharp stroke of the oar. This was the only way to salvation, since few of the Inuit knew how to swim, and the waters in which they sailed in their boats were so cold that no swimmer could survive in them.
So capsizing the kayak was not a big deal! He was such an unusual changeling boat.
Kayak coaming. From the 1850 collection, Museum of Cultures, Helsinki
Well, sitting in their kayaks, Aleut hunters went up to fifteen miles from the coast and could stay in the harsh conditions of the polar sea for up to 18 hours!
Eskimo waterproof leather parka for kayaking. Honolulu Museum, Hawaii
Kayaking mittens
However, for such high technical perfection and unique swimming skills, the Inuit had to pay... with a nervous disorder, which even received its own name: “fear of the kayak” (kajaksvimmelhed - “dizziness from the kayak” in Danish, or kajakangst, Greenlandic: nangiarnek) or Nangiernek (Inuit language). In essence, it was something like a panic attack, characteristic primarily of the Greenlandic Inuit.
“Fear of the kayak” or “fear of the kayak” was described in the 60s, and was noted as a problem for hunters going out to sea alone. First of all, when the sun was directly overhead or shining in their eyes. This also happened in foggy or cloudy weather, when the sky was reflected in the motionless, mirror-like surface of the water, which made orientation in space difficult. Others, on the contrary, felt fear in a strong storm or wind.
The kayak that Hannes Lindemann used to cross the Atlantic in 1956. Deutsches Museum, Munich
“Kayak anxiety” is thought to have affected about 10–20% of seal hunters in Greenland, although the causes of this phenomenon have never been fully elucidated. But it is known that such a state is characterized by a loss of sense of direction, a feeling of helplessness, and even an incomprehensible feeling that his kayak is filling with water.
Many hunters were very afraid of drowning, but the feeling of fear diminished when meeting other hunters or after returning to shore. It has been proven that vigorous paddling is the most successful way for a lone seal hunter to overcome the “kayak anxiety” of the ball. That is, active physical action clearly distracted the brain from harmful thoughts that had somehow crept into it.
It is believed that today "fear of the kayak" can be considered an example of a syndrome that is associated with cultural characteristics. Nowadays it would be called a panic attack associated with agoraphobia.
This bowhead oar is 210 cm (7 ft) long and much narrower than European oars. The storm oar would be shorter
By the way, the American artist Rockwell Kent, who lived among the Eskimos, described kayaks in detail in his story “Salamin.” Anyone interested can read it. It has been translated into Russian...
Information