Web Paddling: Historical 'Sites'

August-September 2001

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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By Ted Leather

Much of human history (and pre-history) involved the development of boats-for travel, fishing, exploration, warfare, etc. Being able to move about on the world's waterways was vital to the lives of ancient peoples of most cultures.

In school we learned of famous sea voyages like Columbus, Magellan, Drake and Cook, but there are also some intriguing maritime mysteries. Did ancient paddlers settle in South America? How did the Polynesians make it to Hawaii? And how much of the American coast did the Vikings explore centuries before Columbus?

Certainly the early explorers of North America relied on the paddle. In 1789 Alexander Mackenzie left Montreal in search of a passage to the Pacific. He became the first European to travel across the continent to the Pacific (on his second expedition of 1793), and then to the Arctic on the great river which now bears his name. To get a sense of wonder and scale of his trips you should visit www.johnamatt.com/mackenz.htm and click on the map.

A decade after Mackenzie, the team of Lewis and Clark also went looking for a route to the Pacific. They left St. Louis in 1804 and arrived at the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River. A good website on this expedition is www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/. You can even lead your own interactive Lewis and Clark expedition.

One of the best sites I have found on early paddling is the Canadian Museum of Civilization. They have an entire area devoted to kayaks, umiaks, bark canoes and dugout canoes: www.civilization.ca/membrs/fph/watercraft/wainteng.htm. There is detail on each of these craft, including the construction and the ancient peoples who used them. Also included is a bibliography and a weblinks section. This is a "must see" site.

Also be sure to check out the Canadian Canoe Museum's site: www.canoemuseum.net/.

Another good site is Rudy Brueggemann's Guide To Kalaallit Nunaat: www.rudyfoto.com/grl/greenlandpage.html which explores everything to do with Greenland, from the Inuit to the Vikings to Greenlandic Kayaks.

For more information on the Inuit, visit Arctic Kayaks by David W. Zimmerly: www.arctickayaks.com/

Harvey Golden, a skin boat builder, also has a site that is well worth exploring: home.pacifier.com/~qayaq/

And don't forget to check out the Feb/Mar 2000 'First Nations' issue in our on-line archives (www.WaveLength Magazine.com), if you missed it. And while you're there, check this past winter's Dec/Jan and Feb/Mar issues on wooden and skin boats.

Classroom Kayak Kit Available To promote the preservation of knowledge of traditional kayaks, the Canadian Canoe Museum has developed a national outreach education program. Educators can borrow a Classroom Kayak Kit which contains all parts and instructions to integrate the building of a Mackenzie style kayak into classroom activities. While learning about the history of the craft, students are guided through the building process. Participants work together to build the kayak from the gunwales down, learning the skills and design considerations that go into building a traditionally-styled watercraft. The building process involves experiential learning and interaction with fellow students. While building, they learn the proper terminology for the component parts and functions of the kayak. The Canadian Canoe Museum is located at 910 Monaghan Road, Peterborough Ontario. For more information about the Museum or the Classroom Kayak Kit, contact: info@canoemuseum.net Phone: (705)748-9153 Fax: (705)748-0616. Thanks to Carly King.

Ted Leather is the WaveLength Webmaster and operates Clayrose Internet Creations, an internet services company specializing in website design and management. (webmaster@WaveLength Magazine.com)