Ethnographical collections from East Greenland. 387 



by the one end being placed under the pair of cross-straps, which 

 lie just in front of the man-hole. A holder of this kind is seen on 

 the kaiak fig. 102. It has the following use. When the man wishes 

 to let go the paddle for a moment, he drops it out into the water 

 to the left of the kaiak, so far, that the one end only reaches in 

 over the edge of the deck; the bone cap of the end is shoved in 

 under the free end of the wooden piece, so that it is jammed between 

 this and the skin-deck. The other end of the paddle rests on or in 

 the water and gives a good balance to the boat, which might other- 

 wise easily upset. A couple of interesting specimens of this implement, 

 finely ornamented, were found in use as amulets (Johan Petersen 

 coll.; see fig. 353). 



The kaiak stand is the receptacle for the harpoon line on the 

 kaiak (p. 47 and figs. 92, 94, 154). The middle figure in fig. 92 

 shows a type of kaiak stand, which is now only met with at Am- 

 massalik. It may be called the cross-shaped type and regarded as 

 -nearly obsolete (only two men still used it in 1906). Along the 

 middle line of the broad central board and the part, which slopes 

 down to the deck, runs a very thin strap, held tight by means of a 

 peculiarly shaped bone clasp. This strap is used for fastening the 

 harpoon line which is coiled up on the top of the kaiak stand 

 before use to prevent its falling off as long as it is not used. The 

 hunter takes the clasp off when he wishes to keep the line ready 

 for running out along with the harpoon. As a specimen of the 

 same type of kaiak stand, found in a grave, is present in Pfaff's 

 collection from North-west Greenland (Stockholm Riksmuseum), the 

 type must have been known on the west coast and it is nearly 

 related to the Central Eskimo type. 



Technical names: asalé (plural asaliii) kaiak stand; neewa leg of 

 kaiak stand ; qarcaaia median board ; napaliwän upright bone pegs 

 on the upper surface of the median bord and the cross-piece; saar- 

 qitaata eaa lateral peg on each leg (for supporting the shaft ends of 

 the weapons of the fore deck); paarnaar'itaa loose peg for fastening 

 the stand to cross straps on the deck. 



Uppermost in fig. 92 is seen the ordinary West Greenland form 

 of kaiak stand of the present day, as used also at Ammassalik, 

 where it has now quite replaced the other, more old-fashioned type. 

 According to Holm, this type prevailed at Ammassalik already before 

 the Europeans came there. Amdrup found remains of a kaiak stand 

 of this type at the "dead house" (fig. 98, cf. fig. 94). 



Fig. 92 c shows an intermediate form of kaiak stand. 



25* 



