The Inuit invented the kayak, a one person boat used for hunting and transportation, and propelled by a double-bladed paddle. Inuit and Aleut tribes used driftwood or whalebone to make a light framework, and covered it with stretched skins, made watertight with whale fat.

The Inuit hunted seals, whales, and other sea mammals, especially in the winter. In the summer they moved inland to fish and hunt. They followed great herds of caribou, killing large numbers for food and using their hides for clothing.