Allunaariaqattaarneq. Inuit rope gymnastics.
“The rope gymnastics are useful for practicing and exercising in all seasons of the year. These techniques are excellent exercise for working and strengthening your muscles and tendons. If you want to be an excellent kayak roller and strong paddler you should practice rope gymnastics! Practicing rope gymnastics will make your body strong and flexible”.
Maligiaq Padilla, Greenland National Kayaking Champion.
Many sea kayakers are at least vaguely aware of the many Greenland kayak-rolling methods, 30 in all, which are performed at the annual Greenland National Kayaking Championship. As impressive as that number of techniques is, there is an off-the-water event at the competition, Allunaariaqattaarneq that consists of more than twice as many maneuvers, 74 in all.
Allunaariaqattaarneq, “games performed using harpoon line” (rope gymnastics), are known throughout the arctic. The rope gymnastics performed at the Greenland championship are a mix of techniques from both East and West Greenland. Rope gymnastics is an ancient Inuit form of sport, which demands and develops balance, strength, flexibility, coordination and pain tolerance. The exercises toughen the hands which may allow you to paddle long hours without developing blisters. Many of the maneuvers are extremely strenuous and painful. Performing them helps to build mental and physical toughness, qualities that were very useful for the hard life of a kayak hunter.
During competition the athletes are allowed 30 minutes to perform as many of the 74 rope maneuvers as possible. Competitors are allowed only one attempt at each maneuver, but they are permitted to perform the most difficult maneuvers first while they are still fresh. Smaller, lighter athletes dominate the rope events in Greenland. Many of the stout, heavier racers skip the event entirely. Until recently I was not aware of any foreign participants to have competed in the rope gymnastics event.
The Ropes.
The rope gymnastics setup is composed of two very different rope arrangements, which I will simply refer to as the “low ropes” and the “high ropes”. The low ropes setup is constructed with two poles spread wide, at a maximum distance of five meters (16.4 feet) apart. Two ropes, hanging side-by-side, are tied to the poles 2 meters (6.6 feet) above the ground and are allowed to sag to 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) from the ground at the center, when downward pressure is applied. It is important that the center does not sag lower than 1.4 meters or your head and upper body might strike the ground when you flip over. The high ropes setup uses two poles usually spaced closer together than for the low ropes, at least three meters (9.8 feet) apart, with either a single or dual ropes stretched very taut, 2 meters (6.6 feet) or more above the ground. You should be able to just reach up and grip the high ropes while on standing on your toes. In days of old the line used was seal-skin harpoon line tied to driftwood poles. Today 10-15 mm (3/8” — 5/8”) nylon rope is commonly used. Both three-strand and braided rope are used during rope gymnastics events in Greenland. Although braided rope is more expensive, its smoother surface is much easier on your body. If you have trees spaced conveniently apart you can set ropes very quickly. Otherwise if you install wood poles. At least 4”x 6” posts or preferable larger, are recommended for stiffness and strength, firmly cemented into place, with the long dimension of the posts parallel to the ropes. You can build a ropes setup using only three poles, with one pole sharing the load. Some rope setups in Greenland have only two poles, and the length of the rope is adjusted to suit either the high or the low rope exercises.
Qajaasaarneq: Like Rolling a Kayak.
Many Greenlanders start young to master as many of the 74 techniques as possible. One very common technique, and the technique perhaps of most interest and benefit to kayakers, is called qajaasaarneq , meaning, “like rolling a kayak.” This is performed while sitting on the low sagging ropes and the objective is to spin in a manner reminiscent of kayak rolling. You will probably find that “rolling on the ropes” feels much different and is much more difficult than rolling a kayak but I find that it teaches independent control of your upper and lower body, and builds strength and flexibility. These benefits will add power and grace to your kayak rolls.
Excerpt from Allunaariaqattaarneq. Inuit rope gymnastics. By Greg Stamer.
This article was originally published in the February 2003 issue of Sea Kayaker Magazine.
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