Most recently, I have been having conversations with Rob Macks of Laughing Loon Kayaks and he graciously gave me access to some pictures he took of Unangan paddles when he last visited the Smithsonian Institution. Unfortunately I can't post them without the permission of the Smithsonian so I will resort to photos I have posted before.
I haven't seen any Unangan paddles in person, nor handled them. Rob has. What he pointed out to me is that the Unangan paddles have looms that are roughly triangular with one of the corners of the triangle lining up with the ridge that runs down the center of one side of the paddle. The looms are also quite deep, commonly about 1-3/4 inches. The base of the loom's triangle lines up with the flat side of the blades. What Rob pointed out is that trying to hold the loom with the ridge of the blades facing backwards is uncomfortable because trying to paddle that way has the ridge digging into your palms.
To test the idea of the uncomfortable loom, I carved a loom section out of a piece of two by four with a dimension of 1-3/4 inch deep and 1-1/4 inch wide and roughly triangular with rounded edges so it became more egg-like than triangular in cross section.
Well, the loom seems a little more comfortable held as shown in the photo below, but not all that uncomfortable the other way around either. What might be more of an issue, and I have noticed this with one paddle that I made is that a loom with a 1-3/4 inch by 1-1/4 inch cross section is that a loom with these proportions limits how far you can rotate it in your hands to get the right blade angle for efficient paddling.
I will be making a paddle with a loom that is an accurate replica of the Smithsonian type paddles to test this hypothesis. The idea is that the triangular loom shape will orient the paddle in a favorable way when held flat side back and an unfavorable way when held ridge side back.
None of this is conclusive of course, but I suspect that a lot of the dispute about how Unangan paddlers held their paddles has to do with opinions based on Unangan style paddles that aren't very close replicas of the originals. How you hold a paddle has a lot to do with what is comfortable for you and that has a lot to do with how the paddle was carved and also with how the blades were carved. Some fairly subtle variations in construction of both loom and blade can easily bias use of the paddle either ridge or flat side towards the back. And as I noticed with my own Unangan style paddles is that I can use them either flat or ridged side back and both ways work although flat side back typically generates more thrust.
Another thing I noticed while looking at Rob Macks' photos of paddles is that on some of them the ridge on the blade was not sharp but rather about a half inch wide and flat. This type of paddle looked like the basis for the one with the groove down the spine.
One of the paddles in the Smithsonian was also quite long, 8' 6" according to Rob. It falls into the category of extra long paddles that Jeffrey Dickrell, historian of Unangan kayaks has reported seeing in some historical photos.
So there you have it. All in all, I suspect that Unangan paddles varied a bit from place to place and from paddler to paddler. I also suspect that once Russians pressed Unangan paddlers into hunting sea otters for them, paddle and kayak styles became more homogenized than they were before the arrival of the Russians.
6 comments:
Well, I didn’t see a way to enter any search terms here, but this is interesting. I have two Aleut paddles, each with a double-ridged side and a flat side. The loom -- on my spec -- is an oval, so the paddle is very comfortable in either orientation.
95% of the time, I use the ridged side of the blade as the power face, and this feels really powerful. Haven’t GPS’d it, but it feels a lot faster than the flat side, although perhaps I’m not controlling flutter very well when using the flat face.
I definitely use the flat face for bracing and rolling, and it feels comfortably Greenlandish.
The pics are interesting, but I’m not too concerned about whatever inferences we might make from them about actual use.
I'm hoping that -- in the development and refinement of these technologies -- experientially-evaluated utility would trump any “Thou shalt” with regard to paddle usage, but maybe that’s optimistic, given the history of religious/superstitious belief there…..
Lance, I usually take my gps with me when I try out a new paddle, that is, when I can find my gps. So then I try ridge side back and flat side back in the case of the Aleut paddle and see which gives me better top speed. I do the same thing even if I don't have a gps along and in no time at all I think I know which side I prefer and then I paddle a while longer and change my mind. I usually tell people to try these paddles both ways and see which orientation they prefer.
In any case, there is no way of knowing if the Aleuts actually had a preferred way of holding their paddles unless someone finds some first hand eyewitness account of what they did and asked them why they did it one way or the other. Or maybe there never was a consensus even for the Aleuts. Who knows. Our ability to know things has limits.
Lance, I usually take my gps with me when I try out a new paddle, that is, when I can find my gps. So then I try ridge side back and flat side back in the case of the Aleut paddle and see which gives me better top speed. I do the same thing even if I don't have a gps along and in no time at all I think I know which side I prefer and then I paddle a while longer and change my mind. I usually tell people to try these paddles both ways and see which orientation they prefer.
In any case, there is no way of knowing if the Aleuts actually had a preferred way of holding their paddles unless someone finds some first hand eyewitness account of what they did and asked them why they did it one way or the other. Or maybe there never was a consensus even for the Aleuts. Who knows. Our ability to know things has limits.
The 1-3/4" high loom was only on the 8' 6" Aleut paddle I handled at the Smithsonian. This was larger than I find comfortable in hand. Must have been the Paul Bunyan of Aleuts' paddle.
The 5 other paddles I handled all had a loom height of more like 1-1/2" with a width of 1'-1/8".
This makes a big difference in how it fits an average hand.
As recreational paddlers we can play with paddles as we choose using either side as power face.
The loom shape of the Aleut paddles have been largely ignored. In the Aleut paddles I handled and the drawings of other Aleut paddles I've seen, the looms are of a triangular or egg shape. This shape is an important feature, indexing blade orientation.
In dynamic waters, like the Bering sea, where rough seas and bad conditions are routine, a paddler's life depended on instinctive reactions.
If you're a whitewater paddler you know you never change your grip and you index the blade angle on your loom, so you can roll blindly.
Wolfgang you said, "To test the idea of the uncomfortable loom, I carved a loom section out of a piece of two by four with a dimension of 1-3/4 inch deep and 1-1/4 inch wide and roughly triangular with rounded edges so it became more egg-like than triangular in cross section."
First, I said this size is not common. 1-1/2" x 1-1/8" was the common size of 5 of the paddles I handled. Second, you rounded the shape to more like and egg.
Then you said, "Well, the loom seems a little more comfortable held as shown in the photo below, (flat blade as power face) but not all that uncomfortable the other way around either."
"a little more comfortable" can make a big difference in a tool you use all day every day, don't you agree?
The main point I am trying to make is the spine side crest of the triangular loom acts as a "index" to the blade angle. A small indexing ridge is a common feature on higher quality paddles today.
An indexed paddle is a very important feature especially in dynamic water conditions like the rough seas around the Aleutian Islands.
"Another thing I noticed while looking at Rob Macks' photos of paddles is that on some of them the ridge on the blade was not sharp but rather about a half inch wide and flat."
I just had an interesting experience in handling a paddle I made which has this little flat surface at the apex of the triangular loom. Holding the paddle and NOT LOOKING at the paddle, this little flat surface was very tactile and distinctive.
Again, I believe this is another clue to index the blade angles in the dark or in rough seas.
Make a paddle like this and try it in the dark!
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