Kulusuk - Dog Sledge - East Greenland - 2

A close-up of the construction of the sledge. Screws, bolts and nails are inflexible so much of the construction of such sledges is held together by tied bindings. Traditionally these bindings would have been seal skin or some other similar sinew, though today heavy-duty monofilament nylon fishing line seems to perform the job just as well. The advantage of this construction is that it allows the sledge to bend and flex when going over rough surfaces such as that formed by broken up sea ice. Such bending and flexing gives more strength and resilience than a rigid construction could.