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Why preserve the history of Kayaking?

So why worry about preserving the past? Why preserve the Greenland Qajaq Culture? It is my belief that history has value. Amongst the many things history can teach us are skills, values, identity, and it can provide a legacy around which communities can be sustained.

Either kill me or save me

How my relationship with the water has kept me alive.

Fall fun with the Finns

There are only a few weeks left now when the water will be fluid in Minnesota. The Fall (Autumn) represents the transition from green to brown as the leaves move through the intense colors from green to reds to golden yellow before finally falling brown and withered....

Two Taiwanese neoclassical paddling enthusiasts and a carbon stick.

I first met Chungshih Sun and Henry Po Hsiang Chang for breakfast in the lobby restaurant at Hotel Novotel at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport in November, 2014. They were not hard to spot, crossing the lobby with a Greenland paddle bag across their backs was kind...

What is Greenland kayak rolling?

Technique, sport, craft or art? Greenland kayak rolling is like writing, many people do it, each for their own reason and purpose. Each person seeks to achieve a different outcome. There is a deeply personal connection, a relationship, between the paddler and their...

Bomb proofing your roll

I help a lot of people learn how to roll their kayak. Many people come to a mentoring session and leave having completed a dozen or so rolls that they never dreamed they could do successfully. Many people come back to their next session saying their rolls vanished as...

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Qajaq Rolls is dedicated to passing on the traditional art of Greenland kayaking. Greenland kayak rolling can be a relaxing, yoga-like exercise. Rolling is also a tremendously valuable self-rescue technique, and should be the go-to recovery for any serious kayaker. Greenland kayak rolls are steeped in the history of the Inuit people, whose very survival depended upon their ability to roll up and recover while hunting. But Greenland kayaking encompasses much more than just rolling, qajaq building, paddle carving, throwing the harpoon and rope gymnastics are just some of the many skills that make up this ancient subsistence culture. If you are interested in learning more about all aspects of Greenland kayaking consider supporting Qajaq USA and Qaannat Katuffiat:

Qajaq USA is a nonprofit membership organization that is officially recognized by Qaannat Kattuffiat (The Greenland Kayaking Association). Qajaq USA is committed to supporting Qaannat Kattuffiat and their efforts to preserve, study and promote the traditions and techniques of Greenland kayaking while seeking to further the appreciation and development of Greenland-style kayaking in the United States.
Please consider joining Qajaq USA and supporting the organizations efforts.

If you are looking to prepare yourself your equipment and then learn your first roll please follow this link to a series of articles put together to help people get started: Getting your first roll. Nothing beats in person training, especially one-on-one training. If you are looking for mentoring check out the Qajaq USA Events where you can become immersed in the culture of traditional paddling.

Free Guidebook and DVD

Rolling with Sticks® started as a project to document the progress I was making as I learned the different Greenland style kayak rolls. This work evolved into the water proof guidebook and DVD. The project has paid for the costs of production so I decided to make them freely available for download in English, español – Spanish and 中文 – Chinese. Please download and share them with your paddling friends, and help to promote the art of Greenland rolling.