Seppo Renfors wrote:
"Floyd L. Davidson" wrote:
plane. What would Inuit do with one of them?
What would they do with one???? Plane wood. What else?
Ahhh.... now a ships rivet and chain-mail, I can understand..... they
are JEWELLERY :-)
Maybe to *you*. They would have been "raw material" to an
Eskimo during that time period. Useful for making tools...
First of all you are not able to recognise levity even when a smiley
is used. Further to that YOU have NO IDEA what they used them for.
The fact is that yes I do have a very good idea of exactly what
they used them for. And neither you nor Inger has even a hint.
None what ever, and therefor cannot scoff and sneer at ANY suggested
use. Therefor YOU cannot be taken seriously. Further to that I haven't
Well it is an interesting concept coming from you that somebody
who doesn't know anything about what something would be used for
shouldn't be taken seriously. Why are *you* posting? Why is
Inger posting? Both of you should be *asking* what the meaning
of it is, not trying to tell others.
heard anything so absurd as suggesting "chain mail" being used "for
making tools"!!
Your lack of ingenuity did not limit what they may have used it
for.
I thought someone here at an early stage spoke of the lack of wood in the
Arctic area, Greenland included.....
Sure but then deer antlers and the like can be shaped with steel
knives, axe etc - not so good with a plane.
What is this "lack of wood" business?
You are quoting... who exactly and from where? Are you saying there
were forests on Greenland - Ellesmere Island in particular?
You still haven't caught on that wood floats? And wind blows...
They've been building skin boats in the Arctic for at least a
few thousand years... with wood frames.
The "arctic" wasn't referred to - but GREENLAND was. There were no
trees on Greenland at the relevant time.
Each and every one of them with a wood frame.
Bull****! First of all provide some proof that boat building (using
WOOD) occurred on Greenland AND that is has been done "for at least
a few thousand years". You can't, can you.
Go do some very basic research on Inuit culture. In particular
the difference between Dorset and Thule technology. Among other
differences is the increased importance of wood framed skin
boats. In Greenland, look for the different uses of an umiaq
and a kayaq compared to other Inuit cultures. Of course the first
thing you'll discover is that, indeed, *all* of those skin boats
used wood frames!
Here's a quote you'll just love (emphasis added for your
benefit):
3d. ... The country looked pleasant,
with many berry-bearing plants and bushes. There was,
likewise, *plenty* *of* *drift*-*wood* *all* *along* *the* *coast*; *not* *the*
*large* *Greenland* *timber*, *but* *small* *trees* *and* *roots*, evidently
carried out of the great rivers of the Ungava by the ice. We
had, of course, fire- wood enough, without robbing the graves
of their superstitious furniture. Our Esquimaux pitched
http://www.mun.ca/rels/morav/texts/ungava/chapter8.html
And while ships nails and chain mail
might have been seen as simply raw material that could be used
to manufacture useful tools, a carpenter's plane would have been
seen for exactly what it was, a tool of considerable value.
So, where is your evidence of your claims? Please tell us all what
"tool" one can make out of a small piece of chain mail.
A carpenters plane isn't a TRADE GOODS for the several simple reasons.
Only due to lack of imagination on your part.
But the evidence is pretty clear that at least one such item did
end up with Inuit people. Somewhere between being made by a
Norwegian and coming into its current ownership, it traded hands.
We can speculate on how many times... but once is all it takes.
- It was an essential tool for any ship's carpenter on a ship.
- The steel blade may have been of use as a knife or axe, but then why
not trade those - or any piece of scrap steel?
**** happens. The Master's watch might get traded too!
You all ever heard of drift wood?
Yes..... have you heard of ship worms? "Fire wood"? Supply problems?
Water logged?
Never walked the Arctic Ocean beach, have you! And you clearly
know nothing about Eskimo cultures either.
People on the Arctic coast *don't* burn wood. It's too
precious. Do some research on "ship worms". Do some research
on "water logged" too, for that matter. (Oh, check out the
temperature of water in the Arctic Ocean whilst you learn about
ships worms.)
The point however should be clear that you are imagining you know
about circumstances that you've never experienced. As I said, I
live 400 yards from the Arctic Ocean, and you are a *fool* to tell
me there is no drift wood or that people on the Arctic Coast never
used wood as a raw material. There of course isn't a tree growing within
hundreds of miles of Barrow, but umiaqs and kayaqs here were all built
(and still are) with wood frames, just as they were from the Bering Sea
all the way to eastern Greenland.
--
FloydL. Davidson http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska)