ESKIMOS
AND THE OLDEST
KAYAKS
Eskimos invented the kayak and used it to hunt on lakes, rivers and the coastal waters of the North Polar Sea and the Bering Sea. The oldest existing specimens of kayaks are on display at the Ethnological Museum in Munich.
THE MEANING
OF THE WORD
"KAYAK"
The word "kayak" means man-ship or hunting ship. The first kayaks were built of stitched seal or walrus skin crucified over the keel of the ship. Kayaking on calm waters has been in the program of the Olympic Games since 1936.
