>> One of the things that puzzles me throughout much of what I have read and heard about traditional boats has to do with the insistence that the Inuit usually had a practical reason (performance related) for any characteristic. I would suggest something different. It seems reasonable that the Inuit had aesthetic values that they expressed in the objects they made. It would seem likely that they might have shaped their end profiles etc. with an eye towards what "looked attractive" just like boat builders around the world have done for centuries. >> I think there is no doubt that the Inuit had an esthetic sense. That they may have applied that esthetic sense to their kayaks would not be surprising. I'm as yet only a short way into the book, yet is is clear that the Inuit tinkered a lot with the construction and design of their boats. Petersen shows five or six ways just to fasten the bow pieces together, some of which involve notching the pieces so they fit jigsaw fashion. He also mentions that the Inuit kayakers, like people the world over, varied in the amount of care that they gave their equipment. Some were able to make a kayak skin last three years by keeping it well oiled, whereas others, through neglect, had to replace the skin once a year. Likewise, not all Greenland kayakers were equally skilled. I seem to recall that Chapman mentions that in East Greenland in the early 30s, many kayakers could not roll at all, let alone roll in several different ways. This seems to be due at least partly to fatalism. One thing Petersen does stress over and over again is making a kayak that does not creak or a paddle that does not drip and warn the seals away. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Apr 08 2000 - 21:47:12 PDT
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