Introduction
This is a model of an Alutiiq /Sugpiaq bidarka made around 1877. Someone visiting Alaska collected this miniature as a souvenir. Since records of traditional Alutiiq / Sugpiaq culture are rare, this toy is valuable to anthropologists because it shows a 3-hole bidarka being used on a hunting trip.

"Bidarka" is the Russian word for the Eskimo kayak, which is a slender, watertight boat propelled by paddles like a canoe. Before the Russian traders came to Alaska, kayaks were traditionally made with one or two holes, or cockpits, in which people could sit and paddle. When the Russians established trading posts in Alaska to hunt the sea otter, they had the Alaska Native people make three-hole bidarkas. The center cockpit of these bidarkas were used to transport traders, explorers, and Russian Orthodox priests.

This model bidarka was made around 1877 with materials that were available in the area. If you were going to make a model boat, what kinds of things could you find around your house to use?