Kayak Deck Rider Stanchion
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1933
name: label: Donor Name
content: James A. Ford
notes: label: Notes
content: From card: "Miyowaghameet, Cut 19. Sec. 15 (4 ft. 11" deep). Illus. Collins, archeology of St. Law. Id., pl. 37".
label: Notes
content: A370242a illus. Fig. 16A & E; A370242b,c illus. Fig. 16C & E; A370193 illus. Fig. 16D & E, in p. 39 of Anichtchenko, Evguenia. 2017. "Reconstructing The St. Lawrence Island Kayak; From Forgotten Watercraft to a Bering Sea Maritime Network." Alaska Journal of Anthropology. 15 (1&2) : 25-48. "Three more kayak frame members were discovered at Miyowagh in proximity to the stern piece [A369827]: a complete keel middle piece (NMNH A370242-b,c; Fig. 16c), a fragment of deck rider (NMNH A370242-a; Fig. 16a), and a deck rider stanchion (NMNH A370193; Fig. 16d). All three came from cut 19, section 18, 1.85 m below the surface, and likely belonged to the same kayak. The keel was later cut in two by Collins to obtain a sample for dendrochronological analysis, the results of which have not been published or otherwise recorded. The total length of the artifact in its unaltered state was 88.3 cm. It has a triangular cross-section with a 2-cm-wide upper surface and 4.5-cm-tall sides. Both ends are fashioned into diagonal hooked scarphs. Judging from this artifact's design, the complete keel assemblage consisted of at least three pieces. The middle piece was locked in place by its hooks, which were facing downward. The joint was further secured by lashing, as evident from lashing line discolorations. Radiocarbon analysis of this keel piece yielded three ranges of dates: cal ad 990 to 1045 (cal bp 960 to 905), cal ad 1095 to 1120 (cal bp 855 to 830), and cal ad 1140 to 1145 (cal bp 810 to 805) (Table 2) [p. 37]. The Miyowagh deck rider is a carefully crafted wooden timber. Judging from a 3-cm-tall stanchion with two lashing holes, the fragment represents a stern end of the rider. The frame is 5 cm wide and 45 cm long, broken at both ends. In the complete kayak frame, the rider rested on the stern bottom piece and was lashed to it (Fig. 16e). However incomplete, the Miyowagh deck rider suggests two important constructional observations. First is that a section of gunwale evidently protruded behind the stern in a manner similar to the ethnographically known stern hand holes of Bering Sea, Hooper Bay, and Norton Sound vessels, and referenced by two kayak miniatures discussed [... in article]. The second is that the kayaks used in Miyowagh in the eleventh-to-twelfth century had had ridged decks, as evident from the stanchion that elevated the rider 3 cm above the gunwale. The 15-cm-high rider stanchion A370193 indicates that deck ridge had higher elevation toward the watercraft's midsection and front. Several examples of deck crosspieces from Kukulik and Ievoghiyaq support this observation (Fig. 17) [p. 40]."
label: Record Last Modified
content: 30 Jul 2020
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: St. Lawrence Island / Gambell, Bering Sea / St. Lawrence Quad, Alaska, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Archaeology
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 113610
label: USNM Number
content: A370193-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Kayak