Narrow bladed paddles are not only from Greenland but all across the Arctic and the Aleutians. A narrow bladed paddle is more gentle on the body as it distributes the energy over a longer area, the wide white-water paddle puts all its area into the water almost immediately and for me stresses the joints in my body more.

A narrow long blade is easier to brace with for me with paddle orientation made easy due to the fact that my grip placement is defined by the roots of the blades where they join the shaft which is 1 1/2" x 1 1/8" .Rolling is easier for many people for the same reasons.

My first five years of sea kayaking were with wide bladed paddles , they work fine. Then after making my first SOF kayak I also made a couple of narrow bladed paddles , the wide ones don't get used anymore. Now my favorite paddle is 87" long and 3 3/8" wide at the tips. It's not about tradition for me it is what I like best.