: Maybe the reason the paddle is in the collection is it is one he really
: hated and didn't mind giving it up to the stupid european collector. Maybe
: he had some crazy idea on a new technique, maybe the technique worked,
: maybe it didn't.

Yes, that is quite possible, and is supported by discussions that I have had with John Heath. If I was going to give a paddle away, it would not be one of the few paddles that I loved (especially if I was using them for subsistence hunting), it would be that dusty, yet pristine paddle that I used several times, did not like it, warped, or became damaged, and then added it to the "timber pile". Of course, not all of the paddles in collections were given away voluntarily. A number of kayaks, paddles and the Inuit kayakers themselves, were taken through force and deception, (the whalers were notorious for this) to be exhibited "back home".

: It is fun to speculate, but you can't really draw any conclusions unless you
: see some characteristic which is consistent. And, then all you can really
: conclude is they probably had a good reason for it. You can never really
: know what the reason was.

In the case of Greenland paddles, fortunately there are still old kayak men, and a new generation of paddlers who can answer some of these questions. But as Nick suggests, some of Mr. Jensen's reasons for making his paddle as he did, probably died with him. You can play detective and choose to emulate Harvey Golden, who makes his replica kayaks and paddles as close to the original surveys as possible. Harvey can then experience much of the same sensations as the original owner, a time-machine of sorts, to answer some of these questions and generate new ones.

Greg Stamer
Orlando, Florida