2012 H.C. Gulløv 65
Introduction
By about AD 1200, the Neo-Eskimo Thule culture
had spread as far east as Smith Sound in High Arctic
Greenland. The Thule culture’s highly developed
transport technology, consisting of large skin boats
for whale hunting and long-distance travel, kayaks
for local hunting, and dog-sleds for winter travel were
introduced to Greenland by these people. The eastward
expansion from Alaska took place in a climatic
warm period, which influenced human development
in the entire northern hemisphere and had led to a
westward expansion from Northern Europe 200 years
earlier, whereby southern Greenland was colonized
by Icelandic farmers.
It was not until the 15th century, however, that
large Thule winter villages were to be found along
the entire west coast and large parts of the east
coast of Greenland, and by that time, the Norse
were gone. This post-Norse period is coincident
with the beginning of the so-called “Little Ice Age”,
in which the Thule culture’s demographic center
moved southwards.
This historical background is the point of departure
for the following review of Thule culture
subsistence economy, as it is known through archaeological
investigation of Neo-Eskimo settlements
and grave sites in Greenland. The primary goal here
is to focus on comparative material against which to
evaluate the results obtained by the isotopic analyses
of human remains from the grave sites (Nelson
et al. 2012 [this volume]). For several of these sites,
little previous archaeological analysis has been
undertaken. That which follows is, therefore, a first
overview made entirely for the purpose of examining
the isotopic interpretations. As will become
evident, this comparison indicates that future studies
involving careful application of both traditional
archaeological and isotopic analyses could be most
fruitful.
The oldest graves with well-established ages date
to the 15th century (Grummegaard-Nielsen 1997,
Hart Hansen and Gulløv 1989). As yet, no graves
from the earliest Thule immigrants in High Arctic
North Greenland have been found, perhaps because
other burial forms (such as simple deposition of the
body on land or in the sea) were in use at the time
(Holtved 1944:147); the archaeological material
under study here thus comes from regions outside
High Arctic North Greenland and covers the approximately
three-century-long period beginning in
the 15th century and ending in the 18th century.
Geographical Distribution of the Graves
To make this archaeological analysis directly
comparable to that undertaken in the isotopic study,
the sites to be discussed below are grouped into the
same general regions as those used in that study
(Figs. 1 and 2). The archaeological information
available for these sites is summarized below.
Low Arctic West Greenland
A total of 42 individuals were examined from the
following six sites:
Inussuk, Upernavik district - three individuals.
Archaeological documentation, see Mathiassen
(1930:165–166). Comparative faunal analysis, see
Møhl (1979).
Illutalik, Disko Bay - four individuals. Archaeological
documentation, see Mathiassen (1934a:63,
67–69). No published faunal analysis.
Archaeological Commentary on the Isotopic Study of the Greenland
Thule Culture
Hans Christian Gulløv*
Abstract - An archaeological commentary is given on the results of the first isotopic study of the Greenland Thule culture.
To test the isotopic data derived from human remains from the graves, comparative archaeological data of the faunal and
artifactual material from the sites are presented. To make the two data sets comparable, the faunal material are presented in
NISP and the artifactual material are presented as technounits. The three data sets given, i.e., the isotopic, the faunal, and the
artifactual, confirm that the Inuit were heavily reliant on marine protein and resources. Exceptions are those from Northeast
Greenland, whose isotopic signatures show evidence of consumption of terrestrial protein as well, a statement confirmed
by the archaeological material, faunal as well as artifactual, showing that ca. 20% and 40% of bones as well as technounits
found on coastal and inland sites, respectively, are related to terrestrial resources. The conclusion made is that the isotopic
analyses are valid in archaeological contexts and support the archaeological material. Concerning the substantial use of
inland resources in Northeast Greenland compared with the ethnographically documented intensive caribou hunting in West
Greenland, the former region still remains most enigmatic from a cultural point of view.
Special Volume 3:65–76
Greenland Isotope Project: Diet in Norse Greenland AD 1000–AD 1450
Journal of the North Atlantic
*Ehtnographical Unit, National Museum of Denmark, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, DK-1220 Copenhagen K, Denmark; hans.
christian.gulloev@natmus.dk.
2012
66 Journal of the North Atlantic Special Volume 3
Figure 1. Place names mentioned: 1. Inussuk, 2. Nuugaarsuk, 3. Nuugaaq, 4. Illutalik, 5. Asummiut, 6. Utoqqaat, 7. Qoornoq,
8. Ameralik Fjord, 9. Illorpaat, 10. Uunartoq, 11. Ruinnæsset, 12. Southern Skjoldeunge Sound, 13. Sermilik Fjord,
14. Suukkersit, 15. Skærgårdshalvø, 16. Uunarteq, 17. Cape Harry, 18. Suess Land, 19. Dødemandsbugten, 20. Rypefjeldet,
21. Stormbugt.
2012 H.C. Gulløv 67
Nuugaaq, Disko Bay - four individuals. Archaeological
documentation, see Mathiassen (1934a:29).
No faunal analysis.
Asummiut, Sisimiut district - 23 individuals.
Archaeological documentation, see Grummesgaard-
Nielsen (1997:198–227). No faunal analysis.
Utoqqaat, Maniitsoq district - one individual.
Archaeological documentation, see Mathiassen
(1931:29). Faunal analysis, see Mathiassen
(1931:134–139).
Qoornoq, Nuuk district - two
individuals. Archaeological documentation,
see Gulløv (1983:47–
48, 1997a:338–343). Comparative
faunal analysis, see Møhl
(1982:286–290, 1997:495–501).
Sub-Arctic South Greenland
A total of five individuals from
one grave were analyzed:
Uunartoq, Nanortalik regionfi
ve individuals. Archaeological
documentation, see Mathiassen
and Holtved (1936:64). Faunal
analysis, see Mathiassen and
Holtved (1936:131–133).
Low Arctic Southeast Greenland
A total of five individuals from
three sites were analyzed:
Ruinnæsset, Skjoldungen region
- two individuals. Archaeological
documentation, see Mathiassen
(1936:43–44). Comparative
faunal analysis, see Gotfredsen et
al. (1994:46–55).
Suukkersit, Ammassalik region
- one individual. Archaeological
documentation, see Mathiassen
(1933:37). No published faunal
analysis.
Skærgårdshalvø, Kangerlussuaq
region - two individuals. Archaeological
documentation, see
Larsen (1938:22). No published
faunal analysis.
High Arctic Northeast Greenland
A total of 18 individuals from
six sites:
Uunarteq, Scoresby Sound - one
individual. Archaeological documentation,
see Amdrup (1909:314–
315). No faunal analysis.
Cape Harry, King Oscar Fjord
region - one individual. Archaeological
documentation, see Glob (1935:18). Faunal
analysis, see Glob (1935:93–97).
Suess Land, Antarctic Sound region - four individuals.
Archaeological documentation, see Glob
(1935:34). Faunal analysis, see Glob (1935:93–97).
Dødemandsbugten, Clavering Island - ten
individuals. Archaeological documentation, see
Larsen (1934:68–70). Faunal analysis, see Larsen
(1934:173–180).
Figure 2. Climatic regions in Greenland. Sites with graves mentioned: 1. Inussuk,
2. Nuugaaq, 3. Illutalik, 4. Asummiut, 5. Utoqqaat, 6. Qoornoq, 7. Uunartoq, 8.
Ruinnæsset, 9. Suukkersit, 10. Skærgårdshalvø, 11. Uunarteq, 12. Cape Harry,
13. Suess Land, 14. Dødemandsbugten, 15. Rypefjeldet, 16. Stormbugt.
68 Journal of the North Atlantic Special Volume 3
Rypefjeldet, Dove Bay - one individual. Archaeological
documentation, see Thostrup (1911:306). No
faunal analysis.
Stormbugt, Dove Bay - one individual. Archaeological
documentation, see Thostrup (1911:267). No
faunal analysis.
Dietary Composition
The 65 individuals isotopically analyzed were
derived from 16 sites in the following climatically
defined regions (Fig. 2):
Low Arctic Northwest Greenland -between Upernavik
district and Disko Bay, includes the sites Inussuk,
Illutalik, and Nuugaaq.
Low Arctic Southwest
Greenland - with winter icefree
water between Sisimiut
district and Paamiut district,
including the sites Asummiut,
Utoqqaat, and Qoornoq.
Sub Arctic South Greenland
- the Qaqortoq (Julianehåb)
district, with the single
site Uunartoq.
Low Arctic Southeast
Greenland - between Cape
Farewell and Kangerlussuaq,
includes the sites Ruinnæsset,
Suukkersit, and Skærgårdshalvø.
High Arctic Northeast
Greenland - between Scoresby
Sound and Dove Bay, includes
several sites: Uunarteq,
Cape Harry, Suess Land, Dødemandsbugten,
Rypefjeldet,
and Stormbugt.
Several of these graves are
from localities in which no
other archaeological studies
have been undertaken; for example,
construction of a local
airport at Asummiut limited
the breadth of the study. However,
for most of these localities,
it has been possible to find
in the published literature the
archaeological and zoological
information required to examine
the basis of the dietary
economy of the local Thule
culture population.
Animal species identified
from Thule culture faunal material
is divided by geographic
region and presented in
Table 1. For some geographic
areas, the faunal remains (primarily
from winter sites) were
quantified by the relative frequency
for major taxa and
presented in Table 2 below.
Percentage of faunal remains
from sea hunting (i.e., polar
Table 1. Geographical distribution of faunal remains. C.I. = Clavering Island (Larsen 1934);
K.O.F. = King Oscar Fjord region (Glob 1935); S.S. = Skjoldunge Sound (Gotfredsen et al.
1994); J.D. = Julianehåb District (Mathiassen and Holtved 1936); N.c. = Nuuk coast (Møhl
1997); N.f. = Nuuk fjord (Møhl 1982); U. = Utorqqaat (Mathiassen 1931); N. = Nuugaarsuk,
Upernavik (Møhl 1979).
NE SE S SW NW
C.I. K.O.F. S.S. J.D. N.c. N.f. U. N.
Land mammals
Caribou x x - x x x x x
Musk ox x - - - - - - -
Fox x x x x x x x -
Hare x x - x - x - -
Sea mammals
Polar bear x x x x - - x x
Walrus x x - x - - x x
Ringed seal x x x x x x x x
Harp seal x x x x x x x x
Bearded seal x x x x - - x x
Hooded seal - - x x x - - -
Harbour seal - - x x x x x x
Whales, small x x - x x - - x
Whales, large x x x x x - x x
Birds
Kittiwake - - - - x x x x
Glaucous gull - x x x x - x x
Iceland gull - - x x x x - x
Fulmar - - - - x - - x
Shearwater - - - - x - x -
Old-squaw - - - - x - - -
Cormorant - - - x x - x x
Red-breasted merganser - - - - x - x -
Razorbill - - x - - - x -
Brünnich’s murre - - x x x x x -
Puffin - - - - - - x -
Dovekie - - x - x x - -
Black guillemot - - x x x - x x
Great auk - - - - x - - -
Common eider - - - - x - x x
King eider - - - - - - x -
Mallard - - - x - x x
Red-throated diver - - x - x - - -
White-tailed eagle - - - x - - x -
Gyrfalcon - - - - x - - -
Whooper swan - - - - - - x -
Ptarmigan - x x x x x x -
Raven - - x x x x x x
Fish
Cod - - x x x - x -
Redfish - - x - - - - -
Sculpin - - x - - - x -
Greenland halibut - - x - - - - -
Halibut - - - x - - x -
Char - - x - - - - -
Shellfish
Mussels - - - - x x - -
2012 H.C. Gulløv 69
bear, walrus, seal, whale, and birds), from
land hunting (i.e., fox, hare, caribou, musk ox,
and ptarmigan), and from fishing (i.e., fish and
mussels) are presented in Figure 3.
It is clear that seal hunting is the basis
of the Thule culture dietary economy. One
possible exception is the coast of Southwest
Greenland, where the sea is ice-free in the
winter, when murres from the North arrive
in large numbers. A second exception
is Northeast Greenland, which is the only
region for which hunting of terrestrial mammals
is reflected in the published faunal
analyses (cf. Fig. 3).
Hunting and Fishing
To supplement this faunal evidence,
Table 3 below reviews the artifactual material,
which relates to hunting equipment
(both on the sea and on land) and to fishing.
Descriptions of this equipment can be done
in detail for the Thule culture, and thus each
defined object represents a “technounit” that
makes a particular contribution to the overall
implement (Gulløv 1997a:110; Oswalt 1976,
1987:82). Sea-based hunting is represented
in the archaeological record by harpoons and
bird darts and their associated equipment such
as wound plugs and throwing boards. Hunting
on land was done with bow and arrow, bola,
and gull hook. Fishing equipment included
jigs, large hooks, and leisters and their individual
parts such as sinkers and barbs. The
numbers of these technounits are given in
Table 3 for each defined region.
It would appear that the relative numbers
of artifacts associated with sea hunting are approximately
the same in each of these regions,
while the importance of fishing is slightly
higher to the south (Fig. 4). This last statement
may reflect the circumstances in the “Little Ice
Age” (17th and 18th centuries), during which
the South Greenlanders travelled northwards
to obtain baleen for fishing line, and the
Southeast Greenlanders used halibut fat as a
fuel for their lamps (Gulløv 1995:25, 1997b).
The fishery on the Southeast coast was influenced
by the Atlantic Irminger current, which
reaches the coast at about Ammassalik.
The correlation between these artifactual
and faunal data sets can now be used
to evaluate the conclusions drawn from the
isotopic study. In Table 4, the relative proportions
of marine fauna (polar bear, walrus,
seal, whale, and birds), terrestrial fauna (fox,
hare, caribou, musk ox, and ptarmigan), and
Table 2. Quantification of faunal remains given in numbers of identified
specimens (NISP) found at sites grouped by study region.
Sites Major fauna NISP
Low Arctic Northwest Greenland
Nuugaarsuk, Upernavik (Møhl 1979) (n = 26,828)
Caribou 1.2% (n = 318)
Polar bear 0.02% (n = 5)
Walrus 0.09% (n = 24)
Seals 96.5% (n = 25,892)
Whales 0.9% (n = 248)
Birds 1.3% (n = 341)
Ringed seal = 84% (n = 2967) of total seals identified to species (n = 3554).
Eider duck = 65% (n = 222) of total birds identified to species (n = 341).
Low Arctic Southwest Greenland
Illorpaat, Nuuk, coast (Møhl 1997) (n = 73,111)
Caribou 0.2% (n = 149)
Fox 0.06% (n = 41)
Seals 24.3% (n = 17,749)
Whales 0.4% (n = 265)
Birds 74.4% (n = 54,415)
Fish/Mussels 0.6% (n = 492)
Harp seal = 93% (n = 835) of total seals identified to species (n = 896).
Murre = 97% (n = 52,822) of total birds identified to species (n = 54,163).
Ameralik Fjord, Nuuk, fjord (Møhl 1982) (n = 4842)
Caribou 3.6% (n = 174)
Fox 0.3% (n = 15)
Hare 0.02% (n = 1)
Seals 94.1% (n = 4555)
Birds 1.8% (n = 88)
Mussels 0.2% (n = 9)
Harp seal = 92% (n = 199) of total seals identified to species (n = 217).
Low Arctic Southeast Greenland
Skjoldunge Sound, Skjoldungen (Gotfredsen et al. 1994) (n = 9662).
Fox 0.4% (n = 40)
Polar bear 0.3% (n = 31)
Seals 86.6% (n = 8.366)
Whales 0.4% (n = 43)
Birds 5.5% (n = 530)
Fish 6.8% (n = 652)
Ringed seal and harp seal are present in about the same amount
and = about 70% (n = 187) of total seals identified to species (n = 270).
Sculpin = 76% (n = 360) of total fish identified to species (n = 471).
Ptarmigan = 45%, (n = 193), gulls 28% (n = 92) ,and murre 20%
(n = 64) of total birds identified to species (n = 320).
High Arctic Northeast Greenland
King Oscar Fjord region (Glob 1935) (n = 397)
Caribou 38.5% (n = 153)
Fox 1.3% (n = 5)
Hare 3.3% (n = 13)
Polar bear 0.8% (n = 3)
Walrus 0.5% (n = 2)
Seals 53.2% (n = 211)
Whales 2.0% (n = 8)
Birds 0.5% (n = 2)
Ringed seal = 90% (n = 190) of total seals identified to species (n = 211).
Dødemandsbugten, Clavering Island (Larsen 1934) (n = 893)
Caribou 11.1% (n = 99)
Musk ox 1.0% (n = 9)
Fox 1.6% (n = 14)
Hare 4.9% (n = 44)
Polar bear 3.5% (n = 31)
Walrus 2.6% (n = 23)
Seals 74.0% (n = 661)
Whales 1.3% (n = 12)
Ringed seals are 79% (n = 524) of total seals identified to species (n = 661).
70 Journal of the North Atlantic Special Volume 3
fish (fish and mussels) as
represented by the faunal
record are compared
against the relative numbers
of technounits which
represent hunting of each
of these three prey classes.
No attempt has been
made in this overview to
provide any more detailed
form of quantification,
such as minimum numbers
of individuals, meat
weights, or correlation of
different tool parts.
Even this simple approach
shows a clear
similarity between hunting
tools and prey species
(Fig. 5), which is especially
clear in the Northwest
and Northeast regions.
The fish bones do
not seem to reflect the
relative numbers of fishing
tools, which probably is
due to poor preservation
of the fragile fish bones in
the South Greenland environment,
as demonstrated
by the faunal figures
from fjords (Qoornoq and
Ameralik) in the Southwest
and sounds (Skjoldunge
Sound) in Southeast
Greenland, or that discarded
fish bones have been
consumed by dogs or other
species, such as foxes and
ravens.
One can examine the
importance of birds (in
particular the murre) to
the Thule culture in the
Southwest region by comparing
the artifactual and
faunal data to that in the
Upernavik district, as the
murre spent the summer at
the bird cliffs to the North
and the winter in the open
water to the South at about
the latitude of Nuuk.
For the sites Nuugaarsuk
in the Northwest and
Illorpaat in the Southwest,
Table 5 gives the relative
Figure 3. Percentage of faunal remains from sea hunting, land hunting, and fishing.
Table 3. Quantification of technounits given in numbers of fragments, each representing a specific
artifact type.
Sea Land Total
Location hunting hunting Fishing number
Low Arctic Northwest Greenland
Nuugaarsuk, Upernavik (Hjarnø 1969) 81.1% 13.4% 5.5% n = 127
Inussuk, Upernavik (Mathiassen 1930) 72.1% 23.6% 4.3% n = 470
Illutalik, Disko Bay (Mathiassen 1934) 77.1% 16.7% 6.2% n = 354
Low Arctic Southwest Greenland
Utoqqaat, Maniitsoq (Mathiassen 1931) 74.1% 17.7% 8.2% n = 170
Illorpaat, Nuuk, coast (Gulløv 1997) 79.2% 10.2% 10.6% n = 510
Qoornoq and Ameralik, Nuuk, fjord (Gulløv 1997) 38.2% 41.2% 20.6% n = 34
Sub Arctic South Greenland
Julianehåb district (Mathiassen and Holtved 1936) 40.4% 17.5% 42.1% n = 171
Low Arctic Southeast Greenland
Skjoldunge Sound, Skjoldungen (Gulløv and 40.3% - 59.7% n = 114
Jensen 1991; Gulløv et al. 1992, 1993)
Ammassalik (Mathiassen 1933) 37.9% 1.5% 60.6% n = 1172
Skærgårdshalvø, Kangerlussuaq (Larsen 1938, 80.2% 11.5% 8.3% n = 96
Mathiassen 1934b)
High Arctic Northeast Greenland
King Oscar Fjord region (Glob 1935) 60.1% 39.9% - n = 223
Dødemandsbugten, Clavering Island (Larsen 1934) 79.7% 20.3% - n = 359
Rypefjeldet and Stormbugt, Dove Bay 62.7% 29.4% 7.9% n = 126
(Thomsen 1917)
2012 H.C. Gulløv 71
numbers of technounits connected to hunting marine
mammals and seabirds with the corresponding
numbers of identified bones of these species. If
these two sites can be considered representative, it
would appear that the Southwestern people made
more use of seabirds than did the people to their
North (Fig. 6).
Archaeological Commentary on the Conclusions
Drawn from the Isotopic Analyses
This basic artifactual and faunal analysis of the
material in the archaeological literature can be used
as a basis against which to evaluate the isotopic information
(Nelson et al. 2012 [this volume]).
Low Arctic Northwest Greenland
Tunnungassoq (Inussuk). These individuals
have primarily based their diet and technology on
seal hunting. The archaeological and faunal reference
material from Nuugaarsuk, some 25 km away,
supports the conclusions drawn from the isotopic
analyses.
Illutalik and Nuugaaq. These sites lie 25 km
from each other in the northern part of Disko Bay,
and they show the same focus on seal hunting as is
found in the more northern parts of the region. The
conclusions drawn from the isotopic analyses are
thus in agreement with archaeological expectation.
Low Arctic Southwest Greenland
Asummiut. Other than the excavations of these
graves, there are no other archaeological studies of
Thule culture sites in this locale, which lies in the
northern portion of the Southwest Greenland openwater
region. One may thus expect that seabird hunting
here was intensive, as was documented further to
the South at Illorpaat in the Nuuk district. In the Paleo-
Eskimo (Saqqaq) period, seabird hunting in this
region was of considerable importance (Gotfredsen
1998, Gotfredsen and Møbjerg 2004). In contrast,
extensive inland caribou hunting does not seem to
have had a measurable influence on the local Thule
diet, which was strongly dominated by harp seal.
This species was also the dominant identified seal at
Illorpaat, where there was also intensive inland caribou
hunting. The Thule culture Inuit occupied
the coast in this region for ten months every
year (Grønnow et al. 1983:22). It was to this
area that the South Greenlanders travelled to
hunt whales. However, the archaeological and
faunal material available from the southwest
coast supports the conclusions drawn from the
isotopic analyses stressing first priority to a
marine diet.
Utoqqaat. This locality lies in the openwater
area with good seabird and seal hunting.
The Thule culture Inuit also utilized
the caribou inland. The same circumstances,
which were discussed above for Asummiut,
are equally applicable to Utoqqaat.
Qoornoq. This site is located in the extensive
fjord system, which lies inland from
Nuuk. The artifactual material indicates
increased hunting of land animals and considerable
fishing. This finding is not supported
by the published faunal data, in which seals
dominate (esp. harp seal) as the most numerous
species; however, the faunal data does
support the conclusions drawn from the isotopic
analyses.
Sub Arctic South Greenland
Uunartoq. Here, the artifactual material
indicates that fishing dominated the other
forms of food procurement. However, historic
sources (Gulløv 1997a:403) suggest
that this was a resource used in times of
need, and that seal hunting was the primary
source of food. Until 1800 AD, caribou hunting
also took place in the region (Meldgaard
Table 5. Comparison of winter hunting in Northwest and Southwest Greenland,
as reflected in both faunal remains and technounits.
Archaeological technounits Faunal remains
used for hunting identified
Location Birds Mammals n Birds Mammals n
Nuugaarsuk, NW 8.4% 91.6% 83 1.2% 98.8% 26,500
Illorpaat, SW 47.3% 52.7% 387 75.1% 24.9% 72,415
Table 4. Comparison of technounits and faunal remains from Tables 2 and 3.
Sea Land
hunting hunting Fishing
Low Arctic Northwest Greenland
Nuugaarsuk, Upernavik
Archaeology 81.1% 13.4% 5.5%
Fauna 98.8% 1.2% -
Low Arctic Southwest Greenland
Illorpaat, Nuuk, coast
Archaeology 79.2% 10.2% 10.5%
Fauna 99.0% 0.3% 0.7%
Qoornoq and Ameralik, Nuuk, fjord
Archaeology 38.2% 41.2% 20.6%
Fauna 95.9% 3.9% 0.2%
Low Arctic Southeast Greenland
Skjoldunge Sound, Skjoldungen
Archaeology 40.3% - 59.7%
Fauna 91.3% 1.9% 6.8%
High Arctic Northeast Greenland
King Oscar Fjord region
Archaeology 60.1% 39.9% -
Fauna 56.7% 43.3% -
Dødemandsbugten, Clavering Island
Archaeology 79.7% 20.3% -
Fauna 81.4% 18.6% -
72 Journal of the North Atlantic Special Volume 3
Ammassalik have travelled for centuries in search
of polar bear, ringed seal, harp seal, beluga, and
narwhal. The artifactual material complements the
historical information and shows that this hunting
pattern was also of great importance in prehistoric
times, and supports the conclusions drawn from the
isotopic analyses.
High Arctic Northeast Greenland
Uunarteq. This locality lies at the mouth of
Scoresby Sound, the world’s largest fjord system,
which is dominated by a large polynya at its mouth.
Inland, large herds of caribou were to be found until
about 1900 AD, and musk oxen can still be hunted
(Gulløv 1991, Sandell and Sandell 1991). There are
no published artifactual or faunal descriptions for
this locality, but the conclusions drawn from the
isotopic analyses stress a terrestrial diet reflecting
access to caribou.
Cape Harry and Suess Land. These localities lie
in King Oscar Fjord and Antarctic Sound, where the
artifactual and faunal data support the isotopic data
in that all three data sets indicate a substantial use of
terrestrial mammals in the
diet.
Dødemandsbugten.
This locality makes up one
of the largest prehistoric
settlements in Northeast
Greenland. Here as well,
the artifactual and faunal
information support the
isotopic data. All three
data sets indicate that a
substantial part of the diet
was from the terrestrial
animals.
Rypefjeldet and
Stormbugt. Both these
sites lie in the northern
part of Dove Bay. The artifactual
information from
this locale is the same as
that in the more southern
parts of the Northeast
Greenland region. Once
again, both archaeology
and isotopic data indicate
that terrestrial mammals
were important in the diet
of these people.
Conclusions
In summary, the
conclusions drawn by the
isotopic dietary study are
1986:10). The conclusions drawn from the isotopic
analyses are in agreement with historic sources
stressing seals as the primary diet.
Low Arctic Southeast Greenland
Ruinnæsset. This locality lies in North Skjoldunge
Sound 50 km inland and can be compared to
the similar fjord sites in South Skjoldunge Sound.
Despite the clear artifactual evidence for fishing,
the faunal analyses show that seals dominate, with
ringed seal and harp seal as the predominant species,
which supports the conclusions drawn from the
isotopic analyses.
Suukkersit. This locality lies in the large Sermilik
Fjord, where seal hunting dominates (Robbe 1994). In
general, the Ammassalik artifactual material indicates
that fishing was as important as at Skjoldungen. There
are no published faunal reports, which can supplement
the artifactual data, but the conclusions drawn
from the isotopic analyses support ethnographic reports
on the dominance of seal hunting.
Skærgårdshalvø. This locality is found at the
mouth of Kangerlussuaq, to which the people in
Figure 4. Percentage of technounits belonging to implements used for sea hunting, land
hunting, and fishing, with reference to climatic regions.
2012 H.C. Gulløv 73
Arctic Southwest Greenland is not evident in either
the isotopic dietary data, the artifactual record, or
the faunal record. In contrast, seabird hunting in
supported by these artifactual and faunal analyses
for all the regions studied. A further surprising
result of this study is that caribou hunting in Low
Figure 5. Percentage of faunal remains and technounits from well-documented sites, with reference to climatic regions.
74 Journal of the North Atlantic Special Volume 3
Southwest Greenland and fishing in the southern
portion of Greenland, i.e., on the west and east
coasts, is evident in the artifactual and faunal data,
but is not apparent in the isotopic record.
High Arctic Northeast Greenland is a particularly
interesting region because the significant consumption
of terrestrial mammals—which comprise more
than 40% of the bones in the inner fjord middens—
Figure 6. Percentage of technounits and faunal remains from Nuugaarsuk in Low Arctic Northwest and Illorpaat in Low
Arctic Southwest. The figure compares the winter hunting data and indicates that murres from the bird cliffs in Upernavik
district overwintered in large numbers in the ice-free coastal water in the Nuuk district.
2012 H.C. Gulløv 75
is supported by the artifactual and isotopic data. In
spite of the visible Palaeo-Eskimo Dorset traits in
the material culture of the Northeast Greenland Inuit
(cf. Appelt and Gulløv 2009:314–316, Bandi and
Meldgaard 1952:30) and evidence of successive migrations
south into Low Arctic Southeast Greenland
from the 17th century (Gulløv 1995), the substantial
use of inland resources reflected in the diet makes
this region remain most enigmatic from a cultural
point of view.
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