From: "cholst" <cholst_at_bitstream.net> > Driftwood with (in Greenland) bone edges. But that driftwood included some > pretty large logs, and many Inuit paddles had wider, lanceolate-shaped > blades than the modern Greenland paddle, which appears to be only a few > hundred years old. I think it was John Brand that suggested that the current popular shape of the Greenland style paddle was copied from the British. The early contact with the Brits exposed them to the long oars that were used to row the gigs and such. He suggests as well that the style spread quickly, replacing other, older shapes. However, there is such scant archeological evidence that this is hard to support. It is tempting to believe such things. Fads (memetic behavior) hold a strong attraction to people and create a powerful means of shaping acceptance of a style or technology. Brand also explains the popularity of the Greenland style kayak in Britain with its association with Gino Watkins - a hero way back when. Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue May 15 2001 - 19:51:05 PDT
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