Since time immemorial kayaks have been one of the important tools available to Indigenous communities of the Chugach region. People trained from a young age to become proficient paddlers, navigators, and hunters. Once mastered, these handcrafted vessels were traditionally used to navigate and explore new areas and reach hunting grounds.
The boat you are looking at today is one of many that have been built at Nuuciq Spirit Camp for many decades now. At the annual regional culture camp run by Chugach Heritage Foundation, participants can learn how boats are traditionally constructed to retain this knowledge and pass this skill onto the generations to come. Participants are also taught how to launch, paddle, and travel in traditional kayaks. Due to the complexity of the kayaks, it can take years to complete a kayak.
The boat on display today was completed at Nuuciq Spirit Camp in 2016. This boat was worked on by many volunteers and apprentice builders,. Those efforts were led by master boat builder, Mitch Poling. This kayak is covered with aircraft nylon. This modern substitute for traditional materials is durable, lightweight, and easy to work with. Traditionally kayaks would have been covered with seal or sea lion skins and conditioned with rendered seal oil to ensure waterproofing.
The craftsmanship of building kayaks is a source of immense pride for the Chugach people. These vessels represent not just tools of survival, but profound connections to our ancestors, culture, and way of life. Today, thanks to the dedication and skill of countless individuals, this ancient tradition is alive and thriving, especially through the work done at Nuuciq Spirit Camp. We are deeply grateful to all those who have contributed to building these kayaks over the years, preserving this knowledge and skill for current and future generations. Chugach Heritage Foundation wants to offer a special thanks to Mitch Poling, whose passion and expertise were instrumental in revitalizing the art of kayak building, ensuring that these symbols of cultural heritage can once again be taken to the sea, just as the ancestors of the Chugach people once did. Mitch recently passed away, but Mitch’s memory will live on through the vessels he helped to bring back to life.
