First sighting in Europe of a kayak
Although the use of the kayak is believed to date back 4,000 years, with the word appearing in all Inuit dialects from Greenland to Alaska, it did not become familiar in Europe until the seventeenth century. Adam Olearius, a German scholar and diplomatic aide, mentioned the kayak in 1647 in an account of his travels to Russia and Persia. His book was translated in 1662, introducing English speakers to the kajakka, the little boat of Greenlanders.
First use in English of a kayak
The first time kayak was used in English was in a short unknown poem Ode written in winter published by John Scott in 1757. In the poem he describes the Polar regions where winter reigns for half a year. Those who survive there prepare the kayak and darts to catch seal. Kayak is asterisked with the explanation – “a Greenlandic fishing boat”.
The kayak and sport
Today’s kayak have little in common with the Greenlandic version. Now they are much safer and are certainly not made of seal skin pulled over the skeleton of a whale. As a result of their streamlining and their versatility, kayaking became an Olympic sport in 1936 and combined with canoeing, it has been a source of multiple gold medals for Russia, Germany and Hungary. At last summer’s London Olympics a total of sixteen gold medals were awarded.
