Made with skins stretched over a wooden frame, kayaks are extremely fragile and like drums, they are very sensitive to fluctuations in humidity. They endure extreme conditions of use in glacial waters and over the ice in the Far North, and once in museums, can be subjected to significant variations in temperature and humidity causing distortion and cracking of both the skins and wood.
When these watercraft were in use, the skins were changed every year or two at the most. In the museums, the skins have to be protected rather than changed, since they are historical objects whose authenticity needs to be preserved.
The Canadian Museum of Civilization has only two examples of Copper Inuit kayaks. This larger kayak, collected by Diamond JENNESS sometime between 1913 and 1916, required a complete restoration of its skin in preparation for the 1993-94 Diamond JENNESS and the Inuit exhibition. It had been badly damaged by use, old repairs and storage in a temporary facility which did not have a stable environment. Thanks to a stable museum environment at 50 % relative humidity, the kayak has suffered no new damage since 1993.
By following the links below, you can see for yourself the condition that we found the kayak in before we began working on it.