I just thought about how the craftsmen were extremely excited about seeing these long lost masks and thought of how I feel the same way about kayaks. When I see old traditional kayaks from my region I am totally stoked about the piece of art. I tend to flare up full of excitement as i analyze all the parts of the kayak. I can relate to how the people of Kodiak felt when they were brought back a part of their history. I also was able to connect their efforts of studying the masks to how I try to find unique aspects of older kayaks in pictures. I find myself trying to figure out the significance of special joints and ties throughout the kayak as the Kodiak people do to the assorted masks. Preservation of our cultures is a really big deal in my point of view. If its not maintained it will slowly die off and eventually be forgotten in many ways. For instance, our cultures may be written in books, but the most important aspect of culture, keeping it alive, would not be present. At that note I would like you all to know about Qayanek, a kayak preservation center in my home town of Kwigillingok. My family and I strive to keep the art of kayak building alive. We push ourselves as far back culturally as possible to raise the level of the coastal kayak authenticity. You can view our website and see for yourself how we as the craftsmen of Kodiak strive to keep our heritage and culture alive at http://qayanek.com/kwig.
