Museum In ‘t Houten Huis in De Rijp will have to do without their Greenland kayak for the coming month. The masterpiece of the collection has been transported to a warehouse where it will be scanned. In this way, people hope to learn more about the kayak that has been hanging there since the museum was founded in 1937 and that came into the possession of the Rijper Boon shipping family in the 17th century.
Very carefully the six meter long kayak is lifted from its handles. “Fortunately, it only weighs 16 kilos, but it is very fragile in some places,” explains kayak expert Frank Bos. Together with his colleague René van der Zwan, he is researching the vessel for the museum, which was used by Inuit, the original inhabitants of Greenland and Canada, to hunt whales.
Top piece
The men from the specialized transport company, together with the researchers, have the kayak safely on the ground in no time, to the relief of museum manager Susan Bos, daughter of researcher Frank. “We will certainly miss it, because it is really one of our masterpieces.”
“This museum piece is an important part of the history of De Rijp. We grew up through whaling, of course, and that kayak is a clear part of that. It is also on the National list of protected cultural objects and collections.”
“We know that the kayak is very old, somewhere between 1500 and 1700, but not how old exactly”
Frank Bos adds: “There are only about nine of these old kayaks left in the world and this is actually the only one that has been properly investigated. After the scan, I hope we will know even more, for example whether it is from the east or west of Greenland or eastern Canada.
“We already know that the kayak is very old, somewhere between 1500 and 1700, but not how old exactly. We also know that old techniques were used to assemble it, because there is no nail or screw in it. is made of driftwood, seal skins and tied together with whalebones.”
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The kayak has been examined and photographed on all sides before. It was then discovered that two amulets hang from the point: a pouch and a bird’s head. They are not physically accessible, which is why X-rays are now being used.
Mysterious pouch
“I’m most curious about the amulets myself,” says caretaker Susan Bos. “And very curious what’s in that bundle.” For the researchers, the technology is especially important. “And especially the connections in the points of the kayak, which are quite unique parts,” says Frank Bos.
The X-ray research is made possible by various subsidies, including from the Prince Bernhard Cultuurfonds Noord-Holland. In addition to being scanned, the kayak is also immediately preserved to return it to the best possible condition.
How did the kayak end up in De Rijp?
“The story is that the kayak was taken in 1675 by a whaling ship belonging to the Boon family,” says Frank Bos. “They were active as shipowners until about 1840 and their legacy also included the kayak. You should see it as a status symbol at that time and a sought-after collector’s item for a cabinet of curiosities.”
The last member of the Boon family, John Boon (1758-1847), was also the last shipowner in De Rijp. Because he remained childless, he bequeathed his possessions and assets to a – still existing – foundation for the benefit of the village.
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