Single bladed paddle

Most modern kayakers associate a single blade paddle with canoes. However, single blade paddles have been used for centuries in kayaks, especially in the western arctic, Alaska and Siberia.

Koryak, Chukchi, Aleut, Kodiak, Bering Sea, Bering Strait and Mackenzie Delta hunters used single blade paddles. Kodiak and Chugach paddlers used single blade paddles almost exclusively. Many hunters, such as the Nunivak, would use the single blade paddle from a kneeling position in their kayaks. The high and wide cockpit openings on their kayaks permitted such use. In fact, the high cockpit made a double-bladed paddle tiring to use, as the elbows had to be held high for so long. For that reason, they tended to use double-bladed paddles only for speed. Single blade paddles were also carried as spares by many. (Zimmerly).

Another variant of the single blade paddle is the hand paddle, such as those used by the Siberian Koryak people. These have been found with pointed bone attachment. Zimmerly hypothesizes that they were used as an ice scraper, however, this author (MD) would posit their use as ice picks for seal landing onto or over ice floes; I have seen modern paddlers use similar devices when winter paddling.

Drawing of a King Island Aleut single bladed paddle from David Zimmerly's site