Magnificent Yupik Kayak - SOLD
Alaska
1800 - 1820
Length 15"
Wood, seed beads, natural pigment, seal skin.
Provenance: Private collection Seattle
One of only two examples known, this ritual kayak was hung in the men’s house to assure a good hunt. Three wood miniature kayaks were found in 2013 by Richard Knecht, the University of Scotland at the Nunallea archaeological site near the present-day village of Quinhasgak and date from 1350 to 1650 AD.
The hole in the bow is a consistent theme in Eskimo mythology and cosmology (Fienup-Riodan 1988:266). Animals fell to earth to be used by man, through a hole in the creator’s hands symbolized by the pierced thumbless hand. Another interpretation of the open hole is that the perforated hand belongs to a compassionate spirit who allows some hunted sea mammals to slip thru the hole and return safely to their underwater homes.