Footnotes

The size and complexity of this model umiak, incorporating totemic and mystical imagery associated with the animal and spirit world, would indicate that the present lot served a votive function, likely associated with the hunt.

Professor Jean-Loup Rousselot, former Curator of North American Ethnology at the Staatliches Museum fur Volkunderkunde in Munich, and co-author of several books on Eskimo art and culture, examined the umiak in March of 2013, at the request of the present owner. This encounter was recorded, and a transcript of the salient points, translated from the French, follows:

"A unique object, this umiak clearly comes from the Yukon-Kuskowim Delta; the paintings, the weapons, costumes and the shape of the boat correspond to this region... (I would date it) between 1800 and 1840, rather 1830, being thus most probably the most ancient known in the world... this boat would have a real votive use, distinguishing from other known examples of umiak boats; it appears that it would be the most ancient one, and in a complete state of conservation (referencing the collections of the Russian Museums in St. Petersburg, the Kunstkamera)... An exceptional and beautiful ritual object."

"The large size of the piece has it stand out of other known umiak examples, these ones featuring hunt scenes, with much shorter/smaller boats, this one being much rarer: only one or two are known, yet which do not feature/bear characters, nor are painted (as here). A painted boat is a very rare thing; in the National Museum in Tallinn (Estonia), and in the museum in Helsinki, strictly similar examples of paintings are seen on a bow and other examples.

It is very seldom that ground mammals would be painted on the side of a boat, as sea animals and terrestrial creatures would very exceptionally be mixed in a representation: such representations or decoration date 1830/1840, the boat itself could even date earlier. These animals on the sides show one or two "zoologically normal" examples, and two others are mythological monsters, with their mouth wide open to be chasing away spirits or animals which could attempt either to chase prey away or capsize the boat.

The floating line is marked on the side of the boat, as an horizontal line below which the painted the animals are hidden (as this line is approximately the boat waterline); thus these painted animals are to deal with the world below, in order to allow the boat to progress in security. This state of conservation is rare, and the painted images are clear while the upper part is smoky. Seen from above, the bow is featuring the head of an animal, the stern its tail, with insets in the wood; the other animal featured here is the walrus, another major source for the community.

A series of ancient cracks in the leather shows several shrinkages of the skin, as the wood would have dried without retracting as much; the attachment of the skin, as in real boats, was replaced. The boat has been kept in a smoky environment, be it people smoking tobacco or the fire in the house. Very seldom made in leather, as these are usually covered with intestine or bladder; here a fine thick and ancient leather. The architecture of the boat itself, its wood shell and its shape are archaic and much more ancient and thus preceding the other known examples. The wood parts are attached with leather or sinew, here leather.

Each character here is worth studying separately.

Five characters, some with truncated feet in order to fix them into to the boat shell, are placed inside the boat and are originally to the boat. The male characters are typically Yupik, generally having three fingers left, the others being cut off as a vow or tribute to the spirits or the shaman. Only one character here has fingers.

In general, within the Yupik people, whale hunting in such a boat is a highly risked activity yet can be highly profitable, thus people invest highly, cleaning every weapon and the boat itself, cleaning themselves in steam saunas, not having any sexual activity the day before leaving for hunt.

The character standing at the back or the stern of the boat would be the ship-owner himself; the boats not having any rudder, long paddles would be used allow to direct the boat as governed by the ship-owner who decides the direction and guidance of his boat. The characters' position, standing halfway up, shows that they would be invoking the whale with songs and rhythmically moving on their legs (basically without moving in the boat)

Such a group of male hunters thus figure that the prey-whale is female, and their offers, taken on board with/by the hunters, as well as the songs offered by them, are gifts to charm her.

This boat is not meant to represent the practice of hunting, but people who are praying for whale-hunting, and most probably the spirit of the whale herself; the other animal featured here is the walrus – another major source of food for the community... Yet the presence of all other animals (as painted on the side) leaves open interpretations as to which are the spirits being prayed to.

The man with three fingers would be the shaman; two dancers are also clearly featured. In the front, two seated characters with typical Yupik features, might have also held a drum. The characters here are featured in gesture, their gesture here is highly unusual as, in other boats, each character would then be featured as moving/paddling and harpooning.

A rare representation of the mask as being looked-at or invoked in a votive position, while in general characters would use such pieces or talk to them in a trade exchange with the spirits, not being adorned objects.

The totem-like pole is highly unusual, yet not meant to carry a sail (as it finally happened with Eskimo people after the second part of the 19th century, inspired by western ships)... On this pole, several animals are featured: a turtle, and seals (or walrus), though one might be a bear."