THE HISTORY OF THE KAYAK AND THE ESKIMOS

THE HISTORY OF THE KAYAK AND THE ESKIMO S. Kayaks originally developed by the Eskimos They used the boats to hunt on inland lakes, rivers and coastal waters of the Arctic Ocean, North Atlantic, Bering Sea and North Pacific oceans. These first kayaks were constructed from stitched seal or other animal skins stretched over a wood or whaleboneskeleton frame. Kayaks are believed to be at least 4, 000 years old. The oldest existing kayaks are exhibited in the North America department of the State Museum in The word kayak means man s boat or hunter s boat, and native kayaks were a personal craft, each built by the man who used itwith assistance from his wife, who sewed the skinsand closely fitting his size for maximum maneuverability Bill Keefer