On Sep 9, 2004, at 1:47 PM, cholst_at_bitstream.net wrote: >> 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? > > No one knows. The lanceolate shape is far more common across the Arctic > and other parts of the world than the Greenland shape, and must have > advantages of its own. Some guesses: > > * The Greenlanders were inspired by the shape of European oars... > > * A broader tip is less liable to damage from ice... > > * Greenlanders decided that shorter paddles were less cumbersome and > easier to paddle with... > > * The modern Greenland paddle is easier to use with a sliding stroke. > Of these four guesses, I think the last two are most likely... Or maybe it isn't any "better", just "different". Their paddling style evolved, the paddle evolved with it. New techniques became popular, old ones dropped away. This doesn't happen for strictly practical reasons. Like hemlines, the width and length varied with the contemporary paddling style. There is a common assumption that the current paddle is somehow "better" because it is the latest result of the ongoing evolution. Is an elephant "better" than a wholly mammoth? It is a meaningless question. They are different animals. Does the modern Inuit style paddle need to be better than an earlier example? Evolution doesn't make better things it just adapts things to suit their environment. Part of the environment of a paddle is the human mind which has a propensity towards fads and the latest styles and is very poor at quantitative evaluation. The Greenland style and Euro paddles each occupy their own niche in the human mind. Currently the Greenland takes advantage of the human tendency towards nostalgia and respect for "simpler" culture. The Euro occupies a niche that desires the "latest-greatest" technology. Often the "latest-greatest" is just the equivalent of "carbon-fiber" printed contact paper, it looks cool but doesn't do anything. It is now possible to objectively measuring things like efficiency, weight and strength, so if "the most efficient", "lightest", or "strongest" is your definition of "best" it is possible to ascertain with some accuracy which fits your criteria. But a "best" at one criterion doesn't come without some trade-offs in others, thus we can occupy ourselves with long email discussion of which is best when all that really matters is which we like better. Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks 824 Thompson St Glastonbury, CT 06033 USA Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847 http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ *************************************************************************** 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 Thu Sep 09 2004 - 12:11:05 PDT
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