Eskimo Model Kayak, Wood Covered With Seal Skin, Lined With Bone

What makes this model so special is that all the hunting devices are still present: spears, harpoons, spear thrower, wood float board, and bladder, paddles and other equipment used for seal hunting. Please note how well these are made in a stunning combination of wood and bone and lashed on deck under bone and sinew spear securers. Despite the kayak frame traditionally being made by the men, it was the Eskimo women who tanned the seal hides and sewed them together to make the waterproof skin of a kayak. The women would grease the seams with seal blubber and fish oil to make sure they were watertight. The outer skin had to be renewed at least every two years. It had a driftwood or bone frame. Apart from the double paddle used to propel the kayak in the water, a harpoon, spear and swimming skin was also fastened to the kayak when hunting. The harpoon and spear would be tied to the boat using leather straps and would often trail in the water besides the hunter when not in use. The swimming skin or bladder would be fastened behind the paddler tied to the harpoon to prevent a speared seal from diving away from the hunter. The main use of an Eskimo kayak was for hunting, and seals, walruses, birds and even reindeer were all hunted using kayaks at sea. Eskimo people still use kayaks to hunt from today. In the past, kayaks were even used to deliver mail to the more remote parts of Greenland. The famous ‘Eskimo Roll’ manoeuvre was developed by traditional kayak users to enable them to raise a capsized kayak in rough seas with a single stroke of their paddle.