Greenlandic kayakers amaze the crowds in Montreal

MICHAEL BRADLEY
Special to Nunatsiaq News

HATLEY VILLAGE, Quebec — The Olympic Rowing Basin in Montreal and the waters off Forestville, Quebec were recently the sites of two interesting kayak rolling demonstrations.

Three young members of Greenland’s Nuuk Kayaking Club, Christian Ari Josefsen, Pavia Thobiassen, and Holger Amonsen entertained the crowds with a variety of kayak rolling and hunting techniques.

The three were dressed in waterproof suits called tuilit. These knee-length hooded shirts fasten tightly around the face and wrists, as well as around the circular opening of their traditionally made kayaks, allowing the kayaker to capsize completely and then roll back upright without getting wet or letting water into the boat.

While one man wore a tuiliq made of sealskin, the others wore ones made of neoprene rubber, which in the cold waters of Greenland is warmer.

The first part of the demonstration was a look at the boats themselves. To become a Kayak Club member in Greenland, one is required to make one’s own kayak with assistance from fellow club members. No modern fiberglass or plastic boats are permitted.

The boats demonstrated were about 16 feet in length and 18 inches wide, and specifically made for rolling. Other styles, longer and roomier, are built for either racing or hunting.

Traditionally built

They are all built using a traditional skin-on frame constructed in the old way, although the seal-skin coverings of old have been replaced with stretched and painted canvas.

The decks had several cross-lashings of bearded seal skin rope, which are used for holding various items, including the paddle. All three men used the narrow-bladed paddle seen throughout the Arctic in days gone by, rather than the wider sport paddles seen today in recreational kayaks in southern Canada and elsewhere.

Once in the water, the three men demonstrated a variety of rolls, some of which required using their paddles and others using just the arms and upper body, showing that even a kayaker who had lost his paddle can still recover from a capsize.

Following the rolling, a number of rescue techniques were shown. Here, a man unable to right his boat for some reason, may be assisted by a companion in another boat.

One method shown was by coming alongside and placing a paddle between the overturned boat and that of his rescuer. The man in the capsized boat then reached up, grabbed the paddle shaft, and pulled himself and his boat upright.

In the case where a paddler has come right out of his upturned boat, he was helped onto the rear deck of his companion’s boat, while his boat was dragged onto the front deck and emptied of water. It was then turned upright and brought alongside and the paddler got back into it none the worse for wear.

Hunting techniques

The next part of the demonstration was a series of hunting techniques. For example, one kayaker would run his boat up on the deck of another.

This provided a more stable platform on which to stand up and scout the horizon for animals, or perhaps to look for a path to take when trapped in a maze of floating ice pans out at sea.

Another hunting situation shown was when the kayak itself was used much like an avataq or float. This was used when a larger animal was harpooned as a way to tire it out.

The harpoon line coming from the animal was attached to the sealskin strap on the boat just behind the cockpit. As the wounded animal tried to escape, it would be forced to drag the upturned boat sideways through the water.

This was demonstrated by having five large men act as the animal. They pulled a line attached to a kayak sitting out in the basin to imitate an animal trying to escape.

As the men pulled, the kayaker flipped his boat onto its side, perpendicular to the line, and using his paddle, kept the boat properly positioned as it was dragged through the water by the men pulling on shore.

All five men admitted to getting tired out quite quickly trying to drag the kayak in this fashion, although it was fascinating to watch!

Finally the show ended with a series of amusing demonstrations.

The smoker’s roll

First all, three men performed the “smoker’s roll.” Her,e each rolled their kayak while managing to keep a smoking cigarette lit.

Next, they showed how even a kayaker can still stay fit by doing some push-ups on the kayak’s deck while at sea. He simply exits from his cockpit, stretches out along the deck, performs his exercises, then reseals himself inside his boat again.

Perhaps the funniest sight was when all three men turned their kayaks upside down, held their paddles in the air, and began to paddle along! What a sight to see two arms coming out of the water paddling with only the bottom of the kayak visible!

Demonstrations like these showing the ancient skills and techniques of kayaking are becoming common in Greenland today with various kayak clubs setting up competitions among themselves.

Enough villages and towns now have kayaking clubs so that national championships have been organized on an annual basis. The present champion is a 17-year-old named Maligiaq Padilla from Sisimiut.

This was the Nuuk club’s first venture to North America, and given the warm reception they received in Montreal and Forestville, they will be back.

As well, they are definitely looking for people who want to learn traditional kayaking skills and who would like to compete against them at some future date.