Umiak

The umiak is a traditional open boat used by Inuit and other Arctic peoples, built from a wood or whalebone frame covered with stretched animal skins, most often walrus or seal hide, and propelled by paddling or, in some regions, a small sail. Built considerably larger than the more familiar kayak, the umiak was typically paddled by several people at once, historically often women, and served as a general-purpose craft for transporting families, goods and equipment along coastal and river routes, as well as for hunting large sea mammals such as whales in some Arctic communities. Its lightweight skin-and-frame construction made it possible to build a substantial, seaworthy vessel from materials available in an environment with little accessible timber, and versions of the umiak remain in traditional use in some Arctic communities today alongside modern boats.