Kayak jacket of neoprene (tuiliusaq)

'Those of neoprene, - they are waterproof, they are fine. And also, we cannot go on using sealskin tuiliks and so on. They are just far too expensive. And I think if we can get tuiliks that are good - and not smelling of seal fat - we should use them.' (Member of the Kayak Club Nuuk, 1999)The idea of making kayak clothing following traditional patterns, but of a new material, neoprene, was developed in about 1992-93 by a member of the Kayak Club Nuuk and a Canadian. They contacted Brooks Wetsuits, a business in Vancouver, who manufactured a kayak jacket in neoprene following instructions from Nuuk.Although sceptical at first, when the members of the club tried out the first neoprene jacket in spring 1994, they found it to be very good, and several garments were commissioned , both by the club and for individual members. The idea caught on and today neoprene jackets (called tuiliusaq) are used in kayak clubs all along the west coast of Greenland.This example, made by Brooks Wetsuits, is one of the first of its kind. It was used by Jenseeraq Amondsen from Nuuk for practising Eskimo rolls, and for kayaking particularly in winter.