James_H
And I like to roam the land
- Joined
- May 18, 2002
- Messages
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Something fascinating that's never been on my radar before now.
In 1682, a man in a "little boat" (presumed to be a kayak) was sighted off Eday in Orkney. Locals pursued him and he left the scene at speed. Two years later in 1684, another was sighted at Westray. Later a kayak was captured and sent to Edinburgh and sent to the Physicians Hall*. There's another one in Aberdeen (I wonder they're still there? @gordonrutter do you know?)
They were taken at the time to be Finnish people, hence the name, though since then have been recognised as Inuits from Canada (another Orkney-Canada connection).
Another book says they were a regular sight around this time.:
So how did they get there?
It seems unlikely that they'd be able to make it all the way from Canada to Scotland by kayak, as the distance is over 2000 miles and although they had fishing equipment, they wouldn't have been able to access fresh water for several weeks. However, of course, they may have made the journey piecemeal, stopping off at places like Greenland, Iceland and Faeroe along the way.
Wikipedia says the 'most likely' explanation is that they were escaped prisoners, the kidnapping of Inuit people for exhibition as curiosities being apparently common at the time. This raises a big question for me: where did they get their kayaks from?
Rev. James Wallace's son reckoned they'd been blown across the sea to Scotland by storms.
This Scotsman article gives the somewhat farfetched suggestion that there was actually a colony of Inuit living in Orkney since the Little Ice Age, when the sea around Greenland was unfishably icy, prompting relocation: https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/was-orkney-home-inuit-settlement-860263
Wikipedia also draws a connection between these events and the Orkney legends of the selkie and finfolk, supernatural marauders from the underwater fairyland of Finfolkaheem.
* The kayak in question is mentioned in this 1912 article, but I don't have access: could anyone with access to jstor take a look? https://www.jstor.org/stable/2843199
Another article I can't access: https://www.cambridge.org/core/jour...-the-finnmen/586208B2DE5E7CE70FA0C6F56F95332F
In 1682, a man in a "little boat" (presumed to be a kayak) was sighted off Eday in Orkney. Locals pursued him and he left the scene at speed. Two years later in 1684, another was sighted at Westray. Later a kayak was captured and sent to Edinburgh and sent to the Physicians Hall*. There's another one in Aberdeen (I wonder they're still there? @gordonrutter do you know?)
(Rev. James Wallace, Minister of Kirkwall, Description of the Isles of Orkney, 1688)Sometime about this Country are seen these Men which are called Finnmen; In the year 1682 one was seen sometime sailing, sometime Rowing up and down in his little Boat at the south end of the Isle of Eda, most of the people of the Isle flocked to see him, and when they adventured to put out a Boat with men to see if they could apprehend him, he presently fled away most swiftly: And in the year 1684, another was seen from Westra, and for a while after they got few or no Fishes; for they have this Remark here, that these Finnmen drive away the fishes from the place to which they come.
‘These Finnmen seem to be some of these people that dwell about the Fretum Davis [Davis Straits].… One of their Boats sent from Orkney to Edinburgh is to be seen in the Physitians hall, with the Oar and the Dart he makes use of for killing Fish’.
They were taken at the time to be Finnish people, hence the name, though since then have been recognised as Inuits from Canada (another Orkney-Canada connection).
Another book says they were a regular sight around this time.:
(John Brand, A Brief Description of Orkney: Zetland, Pightland-Firth & Caithness, 1701)There are frequently Finmen seen here upon the coasts, as one about a year ago on Stronsa, and another within these few months on Westra, a gentleman with many others in the isle looking on him nigh to the shore, but when any endeavour to apprehend them, they flee away most swiftly; which is very strange, that one man, sitting in his little boat, should come some hundred of leagues from their own coasts, as they reckon Finland to be from Orkney; it may be thought wonderful how they live all that time, and are able to keep the sea so long. His boat is made of seal skins or some kind of leather, he also hath a coat of leather upon him, and he sitteth in the middle of his boat, with a little oar in his hand, fishing with his lines: and when in a storm he sees the high surge of a wave approaching, he hath a way of sinking his boat, till the wave pass over, least thereby he should be overturned. The fishers here observe that these Finmen or Finland-men by their coming drive away the fishes from the coasts. One of their boats is kept as a rarity in the Physicians Hall in Edinburgh.
So how did they get there?
It seems unlikely that they'd be able to make it all the way from Canada to Scotland by kayak, as the distance is over 2000 miles and although they had fishing equipment, they wouldn't have been able to access fresh water for several weeks. However, of course, they may have made the journey piecemeal, stopping off at places like Greenland, Iceland and Faeroe along the way.
Wikipedia says the 'most likely' explanation is that they were escaped prisoners, the kidnapping of Inuit people for exhibition as curiosities being apparently common at the time. This raises a big question for me: where did they get their kayaks from?
Rev. James Wallace's son reckoned they'd been blown across the sea to Scotland by storms.
This Scotsman article gives the somewhat farfetched suggestion that there was actually a colony of Inuit living in Orkney since the Little Ice Age, when the sea around Greenland was unfishably icy, prompting relocation: https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/was-orkney-home-inuit-settlement-860263
Wikipedia also draws a connection between these events and the Orkney legends of the selkie and finfolk, supernatural marauders from the underwater fairyland of Finfolkaheem.
* The kayak in question is mentioned in this 1912 article, but I don't have access: could anyone with access to jstor take a look? https://www.jstor.org/stable/2843199
Another article I can't access: https://www.cambridge.org/core/jour...-the-finnmen/586208B2DE5E7CE70FA0C6F56F95332F