Kayakman’s Equipment

Description

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Notes from DaVic Gallery:   ‘Kayakman’s Equipment’  print is complete with all the equipment that an Inuit hunter would typically use, including a double-bladed paddle, a bird spear, a harpoon for spearing larger game such as seals and belugas, and a float that prevented the game from sinking.

For most hunters a kayak was probably their first major piece of equipment, and acquiring one involved great effort. The hunter first had to kill four or five bearded seals to make the kayak covering and also collect enough wood to build the frame. Preparing the skins and sewing them onto the frame was women’s work and involved a day or more of effort by five to eight women.

An Inuk with a kayak could hunt more efficiently because he was no longer restricted to hunting seals at the edge of the icepack, and he could also hunt walrus on the islands. Successful hunters could eventually acquire enough skins to make a tent and a family boat called an umiaq.

The use of negative space creates the illusion of all equipment laying on snow.   Please refer to picture # 3 for description of each tool