The History of Kayaking

Welcome to the very first Kayak Yak Yak!  We are hoping to create a fun, interactive and educational space for the Bush Tribe community, where we yak about the history, ecology, biology, and highlight St. Croix as a gem for eco-adventuring!  We’d also love to know what you’re curious about, so feel free to message us with topic ideas!  We’ll give you a shout out if we blog about your topic!

What better way to get started than with a little history lesson about our favorite past-time…kayaking! Nowadays, people all over the world enjoy kayaking in many different locations and climates.

So, when did kayaks first show up on St Croix?  Well, the indigenous tribes of the Caribbean invented a different kind of boat: the canoe. To learn more about the canoes used by the Taino in St Croix, click here (https://www.tainoage.com/canoe.html)

Here on St. Croix, we’re used to the warm Caribbean Sea, mostly sunny days, and tropical temperatures.  The origin of kayaking, however, began in much different conditions.  Let’s bring it back to where it all began shall we??

We can thank the Inuit and Aleut peoples for the invention of the kayak!  Both tribes resided in the Arctic, a far cry from the shores of STX!

Kayaks served two main purposes: the first being a means of transportation across frigid water and the second being an efficient and effective way to hunt.

Imagine being in the North American Arctic region 4,000 – 5,000 years ago.  You rely on the materials you have around you to build a vessel that can get you from point A to point B relatively safely and efficiently.  What are those materials?  Animal skins, whale bones, and wood.

The Inuit and Aleut tribes would use either driftwood or whale bones to create the skeleton of the kayak, then cover it with animal skins and whale fat to make it waterproof.  To help with buoyancy, they placed seal bladders filled with air strategically around the boat which also helped with maneuverability.

The word “kayak” translates to “hunter’s boat” in the Inuit language.  The vessels were light both on and off the water, maneuverable, fast, and stealthy!  Hunters could swiftly and quietly sneak up to animals in the water and on the shoreline.  Think: Arctic Ninja!

Eventually, the design made its way to Europe, and the Germans and French thought it looked neat, so they dipped their paddles in the water and gave it a try!  Kayaking became more of a sport than a necessity in Europe, but European explorers often used the boats while on expeditions of the North and South Poles.

Kayaking gained a superb amount of attention during the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936, where it made its first appearance as “Canoe-Kayak” with a flatwater race format.  As interest in kayaking evolved, so did the boats design.  Moving away from whale bones and animal skins, builders began using materials like fiberglass (1950’s) and polyethylene plastics (1980’s) which allowed for custom designs.

Today, there are SO many types of kayaks that suit all sorts of activities and interests.  From whitewater rapids to fishing to touring or surfing there is a kayak for everyone out there.  We even has some incredibly easy to use kids kayaks at Bush Tribe!

We’ll yak about kayak varieties in a future post, but for now feel free to comment or reach out to our Bush Tribe guides with any questions you might have!  Better yet, come on out and kayak with us!