How did the Inuit build boats?

There are a finite number of boat building techniques world-wide. The Inuit used one of the oldest, so-called “skin on frame”. read more

There are a finite number of boat building techniques world-wide. The Inuit used one of the oldest, so-called “skin on frame”. In this technique, the structural strength comes from a light-weight frame, and the water-tightness comes from a skin which is stretched over the frame. read more

The umiak, umialak, umiaq, umiac, oomiac, oomiak, ongiuk, or anyak is a type of open skin boat used by both Yupik and Inuit, and was originally found in all coastal areas from Siberia to Greenland. First arising in Thule times, it has traditionally been used in summer to move people and possessions to seasonal hunting grounds and for hunting whales and walrus. read more

The Inuit invented the kayak, a one person boat used for hunting and transportation, and propelled by a double-bladed paddle. Inuit and Aleuts used driftwood or whalebone to make a light framework, and covered it with stretched skins, made watertight with whale fat. read more