Re: [Paddlewise] Greenland Paddle Shape

From: Nick Schade <nick_at_guillemot-kayaks.com>
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2004 11:59:39 -0400
On Sep 9, 2004, at 11:29 AM, Rcgibbert_at_aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 9/8/2004 7:02:34 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
> steve_at_brown-web.net writes:
>
>
>> Did Inuits stumble on the narrow blade because they didn't have many 
>> big
>> pieces of wood, or did they find by experience that they couldn't 
>> afford to
>> have their bodies break down at the expense of being marginally 
>> faster for a
>> few years?
>>
> I like simple: a long, narrow blade that is easy to build and does 
> most of
> what other types of blades do. Most importantly, it was part of a 
> hunting kit.
> It is quiet, it doesn't throw water around. In the event of catching 
> an animal,
> it is easy to manipulate the blade to help fill the larder, rather than
> hinder it.

How does this response explain that the long, narrow blades of the 
modern Inuit style paddle is less than about 300 years old? Before that 
they had paddles with broad and short blades. If this type of blade was 
bad, why did they develop it and use it for a long time? Did those 
earlier hunters starve to death?

http://home.pacifier.net/~qayaq/notes_on_early_greenlandic__kaya.htm

Nick Schade

Guillemot Kayaks
824 Thompson St
Glastonbury, CT 06033
USA
Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847
http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/
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Received on Thu Sep 09 2004 - 08:59:59 PDT

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