page_title: Aleutian kayak
section_title: Present day
hierarchical_section_title: Aleutian kayak / Present day
caption_attribution_description: English: 2015 Fort Ross Festival, Fort Ross State Historic Park, California
context_page_description: The baidarka or Aleutian kayak was the watercraft created by the native Aleut people of the Aleutian Islands. The Aleut people were surrounded by treacherous waters and required water transportation and a hunting vessel. 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. Two types of boats 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.
context_section_description: In modern times, George Dyson is often credited with the revival of the baidarka, through his company Dyson, Baidarka & Company.  Dyson and his boats were the subject of Kenneth Brower's book The Starship and the Canoe, and Dyson himself wrote the book Baidarka in 1986. Dyson's Baidarkas are made from modern materials such as aluminium for the frame and coated polyester fabric for the skin.
  Another well known baidarka revivalist is ethnographer David Zimmerly, who has documented the history of baidarka and the people who used them.  In 1983 Zimmerly published two articles in "Small Boat Journal" that showed how to build a baidarka.
  Iqyax builders who kept the tradition of building skin-on-skeleton boats alive in the 20th century include Sergie Sovoroff.
caption: Contemporary baidarka at Fort Ross State Historic Park in 2015
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