qajaq

Qajaq is the Inuit word for kayak... a form uniquely Inuit. Ben Pederson and I built this large museum case for a kayak that Cambridge Bay elders built during a land camp in 2009. The boat is nearly as traditionally built as the Inuit would have made it, sinew-lashed willow, with a seal skin over frame. The seal is specially shaven and then stitched with a waterproof stitch and neatly stretched over the frame. Traditionally this boat would have been used for hunting caribou in rivers in the Central Arctic. This twenty-two foot long case is climatized according to the standards of the Smithsonian Museum. It has hermetic silicate drawers that can be opened so that humidity can be adjusted as desired. It is completely urea free and designed to allow the kayak to last for decades without being perturbed by fluctuations in humidity. Perfect housing for an artifact. I did all the design and carpentry with Ben Pederson, including all layout and welding of acrylic vitrines.