Nordic ‘Clinker Boats’ On Heritage List

In News 

• Recently, UNESCO added the Nordic “clinker boats” to its Heritage List.
  • Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden jointly sought the UNESCO designation.
  • The designation will safeguard and preserve the boat-building techniques that drove the Viking era for future generations.

What are Nordic clinker boats?

• Nordic clinker boats are small, open, wooden boats between five and ten metres long. 
  • The term “clinker” is thought to refer to the way the boat’s wooden boards were fastened together.
• They are characterised by the use of overlapping longitudinal wooden hull planks that are sewn or riveted together.
  • Builders strengthen the boats internally by additional wooden components, mainly tall oak trees, which constitute the ribs of the vessel.
  • They stuff the gaps in between with tar or tallow mixed with animal hair, wool and moss.
• Usage :
  • They were traditionally used for fishing and to transport materials and people. 
  • Today, they are primarily used in traditional festivities, regattas and sporting events, even though about a thousand persons make a full or partial living through the production, maintenance or use of clinker boats.
  • They have allowed Northern Europeans to conduct trade, influence and wars across seas and continents for thousands of years. 

Image Courtesy: Outlook

Source: Outlook