umiak

or oo·mi·ak

[ oo-mee-ak ]

noun

1. an Inuit or Yupik open boat that consists of a wooden frame covered with skins and provided with several thwarts: used for transport of goods and passengers.

umiak

/ ˈuːmɪˌæk /

noun

1. a large open boat made of stretched skins, used by Inuit Compare kayak

Word History and Origins

Origin of umiak¹

First recorded in 1760–70, umiak is from the Inuit word umiaq “women's boat”

Word History and Origins

Origin of umiak¹

C18: from Greenland Inuktitut: boat for the use of women

Example Sentences

To see if the trend extended beyond my own circle, I called Steve Brownlee, the owner of Umiak Outdoor Outfitters, a Stowe, Vt., shop that caters to paddlers.

From Washington Post

With the navigational support of Alaska Natives from Little Diomede Island in umiak boats, along with my crew and the media, I swam on, determined to succeed.

From Washington Post

"Do you know what an Umiak is?"

From BBC

Oomittuk joined the tribal council, and worked as a harpooner in his uncle’s umiak skin boat.

From The New Yorker

At this point the sole artifact in this area is a walrus-skin Iñupiaq umiak, a 34-foot boat whose frame was built around 1920 by Jonathan Onalik in Wales.

From Washington Times