”The kayak is undoubtedly the most outstanding one-man vessel to be found.”
The Norwegian polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen
Ammassalilk 1915. Kayaks are still used for Narwhale hunting - today the material is glassfibre
Together with the women’s boat (umiaq) and the dog sledge the kayak was an important craft for the survival and distribution of the Inuit from Siberia to the coast of East Greenland.
The East Greenlandic kayak is a perfect vessel for hunting the large mammals of the sea. Developed from the experience of generations and adapted to the hunting grounds of the Greenlandic Inuit. It is a testimony of an unbelievable adaptability to an arctic environment.
The East Greenlandic kayak is distinct from the West Greenlandic kayaks; it is usually longer and wider, adapted to hunting on the open sea.
Altogether the form of the kayak varies in Greenland, depending on prevailing wind-, water- and weather conditions at the intended place of use. But the fundamental principle is the same; the kayak is build after the measurement of the user to obtain the perfect balance and fitting. Therefore it is not a good idea to borrow another person’s kayak.
A well-equipped kayak includes a large number of weapons or hunting tools designed for the catch of the prey most common to the area.
The kayaks successes as a seagoing vessel were not only due to the construction as such but also to the development of suitable clothing. Many relates the Greenlandic kayak to skilful kayakers, who can perform the difficult “Eskimo roll” to rise again after capsizing.
In order to perform this breathtaking exercise, clothing, making the kayaker part of the vessel, is needed.
The kayak-anorak, with watertight seams, is lashed around the hole in the kayak and laced tightly around the head and wrists. The hunter and the vessel is now a whole and able to make the roll without a drop of water penetrating the outfit.
In this case, as in every other aspect of life in the traditional Greenland, the wellbeing of the hunter and of the whole family depended on the ability of the hunter’s wife as a skilled seamstress, who mastered the art of treating the skins and make them into warm functional clothing, protecting the family under the extreme weather and climatic conditions where life was to be maintained. A good hunter could have 2 wives, because there were so many skins to be taken care of.
To day the kayak has only limited use for hunting purposes, but is used in connection with hunting of narwhales, a shy animal, which need to be harpooned in order not to sink, before the riffle is used.
The construction is the same as the traditional kayak though the material have changed from sealskin to painted linen or glass fibre. However in the glass fibre is moulded hooks for attaching the harpoon and hunting bladder.
The kayak has gained a renaissance as a sports kayak. Many towns have every year competitions in kayaking, to maintain the knowledge and ability of the kayak hunter. It is the same type of kayak as the original one.
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