The baidarka or Aleutian kayak (Aleut: iqyax) is a watercraft consisting of soft skin (artificial or natural) over a flexible space frame. Without primarily vertical flex, it is not an iqyax. Its initial design was created by the Aleut people (Unangan/Unangas), the Indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands.
Aleut are surrounded by treacherous waters and have required water transportation and hunting vessels. Due to the geography and climate of the Aleutian Islands, trees and wood were in scarce supply, and the people historically relied primarily on driftwood to create the framework of their kayaks, which they covered in sea mammals skins. They developed two types of boats: a hunting kayak with a covered deck, and an open vessel for transportation and capable of carrying goods.