I stumbled upon this trailer for the soon-to-be-released film, The Last Baidarka after somebody shared it on Facebook yesterday. It looks really interesting.

From the description:

In June of 2013 I had the wonderful opportunity to interview traditional Alaskan kayak builder Mitch Poling. I first met Mitch at the Traditional Arctic Kayak Symposium 2010 in Trinidad, CA, where he gave a presentation on the revival of the Chugach baidarka.

Mitch spent part of his childhood in Chenega, Alaska, a small village where the traditional seal-skin covered kayak (known by the Russian term "baidarka") was still being used for hunting and travel. The art of skin-on-frame kayak construction in Alaska was almost completely lost, as new technology was introduced and fishermen turned to using outboard motors and plywood boats. In 1964, a tsunami wiped out the village of Chenega and destroyed the remaining baidarkas. Fortunately, one kayak was left intact, safely stored in a museum in Cordova. Using this remaining specimen, Mitch was able to revive the practice of traditional skin-on-frame kayak construction in Prince William Sound.

Look for the full-length film to be released sometime in November.

More info: dashpointpirate.typepad.com