Situated learning and intergenerational creativity through time in Greenland

The influence of skilled practice in how communities come to know and interact with the world around them is an important but under-theorized topic in archaeology as a discipline that studies artifacts. In this seminar, I will present ethnoarchaeological fieldwork conducted with a community in Greenland who build skin-on-frame kayaks and practice traditional hunting techniques as a way of exploring Inuit heritage. Kayak hunting is a difficult skill to learn, and it takes place in complex environment – it involves the development of physical fitness, social relationships, sensory awareness, and personal experience. Kayaking is also represented in the archaeological record by a variety of material signatures, and has evidently been practiced by Inuit in Greenland since their ancestors first arrived about 800 years ago. In this context, I propose that understanding the inherent creativity through which knowledge is re-grown in the experiences of each generation of kayakers allows for a more nuanced archaeological narrative of how the past unfolded in Greenland as a uniquely Inuit story.