Building A Kayak the Yup'ik Way

Students will find the dimension of a kayak built for them using traditional Yup'ik body measurements and plans. Students will explore proportional relationships and be introduced to some of the Yup'ik culture. This comes from Kayak Design Module from the Math in a Cultural Context Series produced by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The materials are used with the permission of the MCC office at the University. To visit their website and see all the modules that are available go to https://www.uaf.edu/mcc/mcc_resources/modules.php. Authors: Jerry Lipka, Carrie Jones, Nicolle Gilsdorf, Karen Remick, and Anthony Rickard. Materials needed: String for measuring. Yard sticks or measuring tapes. You can cut the string off to match the length of the body measure and then use the yard stick or measuring tape.

By Kurt Shepherd