The Baidarka or Aleut kayak was the watercraft created by the native Aleut (Unangan) people of the Aleutian Islands. Two types were created, one with a covered deck that was used as a hunting kayak, and another that was open and capable of carrying goods and people from one island to another.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Stierch (CC BY 4.0). Photo cropped.
The word baidarka is the Russian name used for Aleutian style sea kayak. The ancient Unangan name is iqyax.
Due to the geography and climate of the Aleutian Islands, trees and wood were in scarce supply and the people relied primarily on driftwood to create the framework of the kayak, which was covered with the skins of sea mammals.
Before the arrival of the Russians, the one-hole baidarkas (kayaks) were found in abundance, along with some two-hole boats.
The Russians later came to hunt fur-bearing animals, and the Russian influence on the design of the kayaks was significant, resulting in three-hole kayaks.
These were probably configured with the stern man paddling and guiding the craft, while the bow man was responsible for using the throwing board in the hunt, with the hunt boss in the middle directing the hunt.
However, the later three-hole baidarkas were not of as fine quality as the earlier designs. Some characteristics of these early kayaks are described in the words of Veniaminov from the island of Atka in 1840:
“…The baidarki of the present-day Aleuts are no longer as perfect as those of the former Aleut riders. At that time, in the hands of excellent riders, they were so speedy that birds could not outrun 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.”
A prominent feature of a baidarka is its forked bow (bifurcated bow).
Very lightweight and maneuverable, it was made out of seal skin sewed only by the Aleut women, over a frame made of drift wood (since no trees grow in the Aleutian Islands), bone, and sinew.
It was treated as a living being by Aleut men, and it was taboo for women to handle them once completed.
The men designed the baidarka frames to be light, fast, and flexible, tying together the wooden parts with intricate and spiritual knots braided from tough animal sinew.
Unungan women prepared sea lion skins which they sewed onto the frames with bone needles, using a waterproof stitch. While out at sea, men carried with them emergency repair kits.
For the Unungan, the sea kayaks lived as spiritual beings and were essential for their survival. From early ages, Unungan boys were trained in the use of baidarka.