tour 6 of 8
Kayak clothing from Greenland
Pair of sealskin mittens (aaqqatit)
'And when I am an old lady, I want to
prepare skin, and sew
tuiliks [hooded jackets]
and sprayshirts, and all these things you use for
kayaking.' (Member of the Kayak Club Nuuk,
1999)
This pair of mittens
was made by Juliane Padilla from Sisimiut during the Kayak
Championship in Nanortalik in July 2001, and was used by her son
Maligiaq and other members of the Kayak Club
Sisimiut.
The mittens are
made of dehaired harp seal skin, and sewn with synthetic thread
imported from Canada. This thread is widely used in Greenland today
and not only for making kayak clothing. Though almost impossible to
get today, thread made of seal oesophagus is still considered to be
the best material for sewing kayak clothing, because it expands
when it gets wet, filling the holes left by the
needle.
Today, sealskin
mittens are used almost exclusively during the Championship,
especially for Eskimo rolls, when the hands get cold quickly.
However, most of the members of the kayak clubs prefer mittens made
of neoprene because they are warmer and not as stiff as those made
of sealskin. Furthermore, they need less treatment before and after
use. Therefore, neoprene mittens are used for training and
recreational paddling in almost all
clubs.
Other
Views: Juliane Padilla from Sisimiut,
sewing sealskin mittens while watching the competitions at the
Kayak Championship in Nanortalik, July 2001.