History

History has a tangible presence. Traditional ways of life, the art of storytelling and handicrafts form apart of modern society.

ANCIENT HISTORY, HISTORY AND MODERN TIMES

The first people to set foot in Greenland arrived around 4-5000 years ago from the North American continent via Canada when the sea froze in the narrow strait at Thule in northern Greenland.
No less than six different Inuit cultures have immigrated in several waves. Greenland’s population today is descended from the last immigration, the Thule culture, which arrived here in around the 9th century AD.

THE NORSE SETTLERS AND THE VIKING PERIOD IN GREENLAND

This final Inuit immigration took place at around the same time as the arrival in Greenland of the Norse settlers and Erik the Red, which was in 982 AD. This is described in detail in the Icelandic sagas.

The Norse population disappeared from Greenland in around 1500 AD for reasons that have never been fully explained – although countless well-founded theories about their disappearance still flourish today. Many of the Norse settlers’ ruins are still visible on plains and mountainsides in South Greenland and at Nuuk.

They are therefore popular destinations that attract tourists wishing to gain an insight into an exciting culture from the Viking period.

"No less than six different Inuit cultures have immigrated in several waves. "

Package Tours

Blue Ice Explorer

Traditional kayak experience - 1 day

Explore the old inuit culture by paddling in a kayak built using the traditional, greenlandic methods.

FROM €180

Greenland Tours

Hearts of the Inuit

6 days during winter in Disko Bay with Inuit settlement visit

FROM €1,365

Greenland Tours

East & West

8 days exploring Disko Bay & East Greenland with stop in Nuuk

FROM €2,365

Blue Ice Explorer

South Greenland 5 days – active

A 5-day getaway from Iceland for the active traveller with hiking around Igaliku, Qassiarsuk and Narsarsuaq.

FROM €541

TOOLS FROM THE PAST UNTIL THE PRESENT DAY

The hardy Inuit cultures have survived in Greenland by inventing and developing essential tools and implements that have been adapted and refined over generations, and which are in fact still in use today.

This applies to, for example, the qajaq – the Greenlandic sea kayak – which is perhaps the best symbol of an Arctic culture that has lived on, by and from the sea and its resources.

The ulo, which is a special, curved knife used by the women to cut up the prey the men brought home from the seal hunt, is also worthy of mention.

FROM DOGSLED TO SNOWMOBILE

Like the qajaq and the ulo, the dogsled is also a tool from the past, although it is probably the traditional appliance that is most used in today’s modern society.

Indeed, Greenland has become a modern society, where snowmobiles have in some cases replaced the sleds and where mobile phones and the Internet have become common means of communication for young and old alike.

However, some things never disappear from even the most modern cultures, and the traditional myths and legends still hold a key place in the Greenlandic consciousness.

By Visit Greenland

Behind Greenland's largest travel site is the Visit Greenland that is 100% owned by the Government of Greenland, who is responsible for marketing the country's adventures and opportunities for guests wishing to visit the world's largest island

https://visitgreenland.com