The literal meaning of the word kayak is “hunter's boat”.
Greenland kayaks were used to
hunt animals on inland water bodies. Many places where the native kayakers lived did not have fertile grounds for agricultural production. Thus they had to depend on the water for food. This led to the construction and the usage of Kayaks. Greenland kayaks were also used for
transportation. Evidence found by archaeologists show that the Kayaks are at least 4000 years old.
The Kayaks were made of
seal skin and
driftwood which was collected from the beaches. Along with driftwood the wood of fir, pine, spruce or willow was used. Utilization of iron based tools in forming the wood of the boat later substituted traditional methods which were time consuming.
The difference between a modern and
traditional kayak lies in the materials used to build the boat. Also a modern Greenland Kayak has added safety characteristics like bulkheads and hatches. The modern skin boat resembles the traditional skin boat, but the modern skin used is waterproofed canvas. The most significant difference lies in the use of the kayak. Instead of being used for hunting the Greenland Kayaks are now used for
recreation. This has resulted in a change in the design and the equipments of the kayak.
The
modern sea Kayaks emerge from two different paths:
- From the close copies of the southwest Greenland Kayaks
- From the ' Rob Roy' Kayaks
Foreign influences working on Greenland affected the native culture and the needs for kayaking. Modern tools and equipments replaced the traditional ones and the Greenland Kayaks used for hunting were replaced by the
motor boat. Also a decrease in the number of local animals led to a fall in the Greenland Kayaks. Presently, traditional kayaking survives through the efforts of
schools run in Greenland. Greenland Kayaks thus gives a picture of the history, geography, culture and tradition of
Greenland.
