Re: [Paddlewise] Re:Technology guides paddle design.

Very interesting point Gerald. I didn't know that euro paddles
were available to the eskimos but they did not adopt them.
When offered something really useful (rifles, snowmobiles,
processed foods, etc.), they adopt them quickly.

Jack

----- Original Message -----
From: Gerald Maroske <GUM_at_exmail.de>
To: <PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net>
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2001 10:06 AM
Subject: Re:[Paddlewise] Technology guides paddle design.


> Hello Jack,
>
> several european paddlers using folding kayaks and european paddles have
been among the greenland eskimo in the 1930s.
> At least more than 60 hunters of a great area attended the making of SOS
Eisberg, where european paddles were available.
> They tried our paddles, and were asked about them: They said they were
fine and fast but never adopted them.
>
> Gerald
>
>
> > When the Eskimos (or related peoples) designed their paddles,
> > what materials did they have to work with? Driftwood? Bone?
> > >From these materials you cannot build a shaft with wide blades,
> > because the blades would break. The only blades that would
> > last would be narrow (e.g., Greenland) blades. Thus I suspect
> > that the Greenland design came into being not because those
> > early folks rejected a wide blade design in favor of a narrow
> > blade, but because they did not have the materials (strong
> > glues for laminating, plastics, composites, etc - all the products
> > of technologically more advanced civilizations) needed to make
> > the narrow shaft & wide blade combination, or what is sometimes
> > called, condescendingly by some, the "white man's paddle."
> >
> > Please give some thought to this theory before you flame me
> > for my political incorrectness!
> >
> > :-)
>
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