Maligiaq Johnsen Padilla (maligiɑq jonˀsn padiɬa) is a

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

er known for his skill with the

sea kayak A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak developed for the sport of paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and the ocean. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. They trade off the man ...

. In 1994, at the age of 12, he won every event in his age group at the National Kayaking Championship.

History

Born in

to an American father and Greenland Inuit mother, Juliane Padilla (née Johnsen), he was raised from age 4 in

Sisimiut Sisimiut (), formerly known as Holsteinsborg, is the capital and largest city of the Qeqqata municipality, the second-largest city in Greenland, and the largest Arctic city in North America.The term 'city' is loosely used to describe any popula ...

. Padilla's grandfather, Peter Johnsen, taught him much of what he knows. A skilled kayaker in his own right, Johnsen taught Padilla how to kayak, how to build the boats and how to hunt using a harpoon and rifle. Included in his training were open-ocean skills and traditional kayak building skills. Kayaks built by Padilla are housed at the Greenland

Sisimiut Museum Sisimiut Museum ( Greenlandic: Sisimiut Katersugaasiviat) is a museum in Sisimiut, Greenland. Located in a historical building near the harbour, specialises in Greenlandic trade, industry and shipping, with artifacts based on ten years of archaeo ...

, the Inuit Gallery of Vancouver the

Smithsonian Museum The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

in Washington DC and the Kativik Cultural Center in Nome. In 2010 Padilla moved to Alaska where he is working to revive traditional kayaking culture. He and wife Elizabeth Saagulik Hensley, an Iñupiaq attorney, have two children. Padilla is the only person in history to win four Greenland National Kayaking Championships, winning his first title at 16.

External links

SeaKayaker Magazine

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References

1982 births Living people American people of Greenlandic descent Greenlandic sportspeople Danish male canoeists Greenlandic sportsmen {{greenland-sport-stub