It’s been about 200 years since Russian colonizers demolished the last remaining examples of large Unangax̂ boats called niĝilax̂. The wooden framed boats were used in the Aleutian Islands to transport goods and people.
Now, a group of boat builders have resurrected the niĝilax̂ and returned the practice of making them to the Unangax̂ people.
The traditional design of the large skin-on-frame boat used by the Unangax̂ people was thought to be lost after Russian colonizers destroyed the last remaining examples in the 1800s, but after decades of work, the design has been restored. Now, the recreated boats are touching Alaskan waters for the first time in around 200 years.
To discuss the process and significance of the restoration, Alaska Insight host Lori Townsend is joined by Ethan Petticrew, an Unangax̂ dance instructor, teacher, and Executive Director of Cook Inlet Head Start, as well as Marc Daniels, the boat builder who facilitated the restoration project.
