South Greenland Kayak, in the American Museum of Natural History. 



framework is strong, light, and neatly made. In 

 a few instances the gunwales do not flare with the 

 sides the whole length and, thus, near the stern, a 

 knuckle is formed in the skin cover, as in figure 207, 

 opposite. The exact amount of flare and deadrise 

 varies village to village. The old kayaks used in 

 eastern Greenland had more rake in the bow than 

 the examples illustrated, and also were marked by a 

 sheer almost straight from the bow to within a foot 

 or so of the stern, where it turned up sharply to a 

 high stern, as in the drawing (fig. 191, p. 203.) These 

 kayaks also had less flare and deadrise than most of 

 the southwestern Greenland models. The amount 

 of rocker in the keelson varies a good deal, that 

 shown in figure 206, opposite, appears to have been 

 about the maximum; a straight keelson does not 

 seem ever to have been used. The manholes are 

 fitted to allow use of the watertight paddling jacket; 

 the projecting rim shown at the afterside of the 

 manhole in the drawing is primarily to strengthen 

 the manhole rim, but may also serve to prevent the 

 drawstring holding the skirt of the jacket to the 

 rim from slipping over the top. This old form of 

 Greenland kayak, which has been widely described 

 and much admired, was a fast and handy hunting 

 boat; but it has become obsolete in most areas, 

 and seems to have gone out of use more rapidly on 

 the east coast than the west, where the type rep- 



resented in the drawing was built as late as 1959 

 at Umanak Fjord. 



Since the 1880's it has been gradually replaced by 

 the type shown above. The modern version has 

 the same construction as the old but, as can be seen, 

 the model has undergone much alteration. The rake 

 of the bow and stern have become much greater; 

 the sheer is now almost straight. The flare of the 

 sides has been increased and the deadri.se in the 

 bottom has been reduced. The new model is un- 

 doubtedly an improvement over the old type, being 

 faster (particularly against a headwind) and quicker 

 turning. However, it would probably be found to 

 be somewhat harder than the old model to right 

 when capsized. And although the new model is 

 more stable than the old, it is not suited for unskilled 

 users; a few American soldiers drowned during World 

 War II through rashly venturing into rough water 

 before becoming practiced in the use of these kayaks. 



The intricate arrangement of deck lashings shown 

 are required to hold weapons and accessories. 

 Just ahead of the paddler a stand or tray on low legs 

 holds the coiled harpoon line; and under the deck 

 lashings are held such weapons as the lance, darts, 

 and harpoons. Toggles of bone or ivory, often carved, 

 are used to tighten and adjust these lines. The 

 Greenland kayaks carry deck fittings and gear that 

 are far better developed than those seen in any of the 

 w-estern types. 



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