Abstract

Recent archaeological excavations carried out on the southwestern coast of Hudson Bay have resulted in the discovery of what may be the keel section (keelson) from a 7.3 meter long watercraft, possibly an umiaq. Umiaqs were large skin boats with open decks that were used for transportation and sea mammal hunting throughout the Arctic. What makes this find particularly significant is that while historic and ethnographic accounts indicate that kayaks (qayaqs) were widely used, umiaqs were not recorded for Inuit groups occupying this region, and not recalled by informants living in this century. There are, however, limited accounts by explorers who observed open-decked boats that might be umiaqs as late as the 18th century. Although the accuracy of these accounts has been questioned, the recent discovery of at least one stone umiaq stand at an archaeological site on the Maguse river during the summer of 2003 provides additional evidence for the use of umiaqs in this area. In this paper, we present a preliminary analysis of the possible umiaq part with reference to other circumpolar umiaq designs and construction techniques. In addition, we discuss the wider significance of this find for understanding the development of Caribou Inuit culture in this region.