Monday, August 22, 2022

Greenland Kayaks

Very small boys learn kayaking in the cold, cold waters of Greenland. Look carefully at this photo.
You can see that the small kayak has floats on the sides —- sort of like training wheels for a kayak.

Qajaq is the Greenlandic spelling of Kayak.
Kayaking is very important to the people of Greenland.
It’s even the name of a beer!

Kayaks in a stone carving along a cliff in the town of Qaqortoq, alongside the carvings of faces and whales.

Manuvering a kayak — this guy was amazing. Note that traditional kayak paddles are long and thin.

In the small town of Nanortalik we saw a demonstration of kayak techniques, including a variety of ways to turn the kayak upside down or sideways and then right it. The modern kayakers, including this one, wear neoprene suits rather than the traditional treated skins!

Our fellow-passengers watching the kayak demonstration. Blue parkas for all of us were included
with our trip, in order to be sure we all stayed warm and dry!

Kayakers near the museum in Nuuk.


All the Greenland museums that we visited included quite a lot of material about kayaks, as the Greenlanders are responsible for much of the development of kayak technology. Kayaks were used by men, mainly for hunting seals and walrus, while larger boats (as in the illustration) were for larger groups of men, women, and children. Only by hunting could the Greenlanders obtain the meat, skins, and oil required for survival.



A traditional kayak had a wood frame covered by treated animal skins, and was custom-fit to the leg length and the waist-size of its owner. As one guide said: You can't steal a kayak! 

The hunters' clothing was made from animal skins treated to be waterproof and warm. The kayaker would paddle through incredible, cold waves to harpoon a seal and drag it or carry it on the back of the kayak to bring home meat and valuable hides. 

Every kayak trip required dangerous and daring actions, essential in the very challenging Arctic environment. It's hard to imagine the life of the traditional Greenlanders, living in near-darkness for several months a year with constant dangers from the cold and from lack of food. The fact that these Inuit and pre-Inuit peoples could have constantly inhabited Greenland for 4,000 years is really remarkable.

Blog post and photos © 2022 mae sander


 

28 comments:

My name is Erika. said...

Those kayaks are really narrow compared to many you see daily around here. They are definitely for ocean travel. I would hate to dip into the cold water without a wetsuit these days. The kayak art is fascinating also. Greenland looks so interesting. Happy new week Mae. hugs-Erika

Jackie McGuinness said...

That's great that they provide the warm jackets!

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

I have never tried kayaking only canoeing. These do look longer and skinny, too low to the water. I am not sure if I would want to be in a kayak with a walrus nearby. Amazing they can hunt from a kayak. The museum dolls and toys are cute. Take care, have a great new week!

Anne in the kitchen said...

This post is interesting, informative, and kind of made me chilly just reading it!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I have been kayaking, but I was on a very calm lake. My paddle wasn't that long, either. It was double sided like one guy used. I can only imagine have to make my living (or to feed my family) just using a kayak. This was an extremely interesting read, Mae.

LOVE the beer that was pure Greenland Kayaking. Thanks for sharing these kayak photos and stories, as well as the beer with us for T Tuesday.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Just read what you wrote about the price of a meal for two. We are used to paying around $8.00/person for lunch.

Like many restaurants in Wichita, the owner cannot get new staff, so can only stay open for breakfast and lunch. He said he used to get at least ten applications a week. Now he gets one application every two weeks. Their staff works 12 hours a day, and that includes the chef and wait staff. The same was true of the other two restaurant owners who were interviewed.


My name is Erika. said...

And have a great T day Mae.

Carola Bartz said...

These kayaks definitely look very different from our kayak and I don;t think I would feel very comfortable in it. Especially not out in the ocean or while hunting seals that I then have to get home somehow. It sounds dangerous and I agree with your last sentiment. Quite remarkable. Interesting pictures - this must have been a fascinating trip.

Sharon Madson said...

Very interesting about Greenland and the kayaks. Kayak beer! Who would have thought. Great post. Happy T Day.

Martha Eskuchen said...

Great photos. My husband and I did a cruise that stopped in Greenland years ago.
The photo of kayaks near the museum photo is a familiar scene. I still have some small Christmas ornaments I bought there to remind me of our trip.
Thanks for sharing your photos and bringing good memories to me.

Iris Flavia said...

I would not even dare in warm water, this is... respect!
Nice bottle, too, happy T-Day.

Tandy | Lavender and Lime (http://tandysinclair.com) said...

Hunting must have been a huge challenge for them. It's good they are still taking their children how to kayak.

Valerie-Jael said...

Lovely photos from Greenland. I didn't know they do so much kayaking. The kayaks here are bigger, too, a lot of people use the Rhine for Kayaking, at least when there's enough water! It was strange to see everybody dressed in blue! Happy T Day, Valerie

nwilliams6 said...

Wow, what a cool post. I learned so much and totally enjoyed the pictures. Wonderful stuff, Mae. Happy T-day1 Hugz

kwarkito said...

kayak is the perfect palindrome. the word as the object can go in both directions

Let's Art Journal said...

Fabulous! Sorry I don't have too much time to visit today but I wanted to stop by to wish you a Happy T Day! Hugs

Jeanie said...

I love it -- you can't steal a kayak! This is a fascinating post, Mae. I knew none of this, of course. I can see how a kayak ride in that territory could be pretty brisk and you sure wouldn't want to tip!

DVArtist said...

Very nice post. Greenland has certainly been a wonderful adventure. Thank you for sharing it all with us. Have a nice day.

Divers and Sundry said...

Fascinating! Thank you for sharing this information and the virtual museum visit :) Happy T Tuesday

jinxxxygirl said...

I love to kayak but with an Ocean Kayak... I couldn't imagine trying to stay upright in a kayak so narrow.. amazing.. Thank you for bringing kayaks to T Happy T day! Hugs! deb

Kate Yetter said...

So interesting. I thought that sketch on the label was funny looking until I saw the photo of the guy in the kayak. They look very similar. I guess it was the snug fitting hood that made me laugh.
Happy Tea Day,
Kate

CJ Kennedy said...

I've never been kayaking, but found your post very interesting. I like the Greenland spelling for Qajaq and the idea of training fins on the kayaks for students to learn. Happy T Day

CJ Kennedy said...

I have never been kayaking, but found the post very interesting. I like the Greenland spelling of Qajak and the idea of training wheels on the kayaks for students. Happy T Day

CJ Kennedy said...

I have never been kayaking, but found the post very interesting. I like the Greenland spelling of Qajak and the idea of training wheels on the kayaks for students. Happy T Day

CJ Kennedy said...

I have never been kayaking, but found your post very interesting. I like the Greenland spelling of Qajaq and the idea of training wheels on the boat. Happy T Day

Empire of the Cat said...

Hi Mae, Interesting post this week. I thought at first glance that the kayaks in stone were footholds for climbing up. Happy T Day Elle/EOTC xx

Jenn Jilks said...

I would like to try a kayak, but I don't think that is going to happen! I sold my canoe, too.

kwarkito said...

i think that this link could interest you. It's overvoiced in french, but easy to understand.
https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/podcasts/la-filiere