umiak
9.8
A large open boat made of animal skins over a wooden frame used by Inuit people
- noun
- /ˈuːmiˌæk/
:
umiak
- To hunt for seals, the team set out in their sturdy umiak crafted from animal skins.
Examples
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The Inuit people used their traditional umiak to transport goods across the Arctic ice.
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If you went back ten thousand years, our ancestors would be... mending their umiak frame... right here, just like this.
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During the summer, the villagers gathered around the large umiak for their annual celebration.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Umiak comes from an Inuit word that means 'woman's boat', because these large open boats often carried women, children, and goods. Unlike a kayak, which is a small closed hunting boat, an umiak is a big open boat made of animal skins over a wooden frame, so the name now means the large open boat used by Inuit families.
