Hobbies And Interests
The Alaska Flag
The Alaskan State flag was actually designed by a 13 year old from Chignik, Alaska. Bennie Benson created the familiar deep blue flag with its display of the Big Dipper in 1926, but it wasn't until 1959 that the design became the official Alaska banner. The blue represents the sky and the state flower, the forget-me-not. The single star in the upper right hand corner is Polaris, or the North Star.
The Kayak
One of the most versatile watercraft ever created, the kayak was invented by the Inuit and the Aleut people, who are the First Nations people of the Alaskan region. The word actually means "hunter's boat" and that is exactly what they were designed for. The native kayaks were built of slender lengths of wood tied together with rawhide and covered with sealskin or hides from the caribou. The paddler was protected by a waterproof sealskin coat called an "annaraaq," which was stitched to the hooped oval opening. These agile, sea worthy boats were, and still are, used to hunt seals, whales, walrus and sometimes sea birds. Born of necessity, kayaks are now one of the most popular watercraft for those wanting to get out and explore the wilderness.
The Ulu Knife
The Alaskan Ulu knife was designed by the Eskimos, or Inuit people, thousands of years ago. One specimen found by archaeologists dates back more than 3,000 years. The handle is ivory and the blade, still sharp enough to cut, is made from a piece of slate. Once Europeans introduced steel to the Eskimos they began to craft the ulus of this stronger, more versatile material. The ulu is a multi-purpose cutting tool used to skin seals, clean salmon and scrape animal hides in preparation for clothes or boat building. This knife has a distinctive shape. Rather than a long, thin blade with a handle, the ulu is made to fit in the palm of the hand. The blade is shaped like a half moon with the curved part out so that it can be rotated easily. The handle runs the length of the blade opposite the curve. It is still in use today.