Greenlandic Dog Sleds II

In this second part of our series about Greenland dog sleds, we feature the East Greenland sled. The construction of dog sleds varies depending on whether they are used in North, West or East Greenland. Dog sleds used on the East coast are specially designed with ‘skis’ underneath instead of runners, which affords the necessary flexibility to navigate in deep snow and tackle the challenging terrain of high mountains. The East Greenland dog sled is constructed of polished wooden batons lashed together with cord or leather straps. If the sled was assembled with screws, the wood would quickly split. The hunter binds his equipment securely to the sled. It must be lashed so tightly that the sled can roll 180 degrees without anything falling off. The dog sled must be able to carry a lot of equipment: rifle, clothes, tent, cookware and food, along with the catch. Most hunters also bring an ice auger for hacking holes in the ice, as well as a shooting screen to hide behind as they approach a seal lying on the ice.