Sisimuit, Greenland: August 17, 2026
We arrived early in the morning in time for an excursion to the nearby island of Aasivissuit-Nipisat (a UNESCO World Heritage site). The island was once home to the 4,000 year old Saqqaq culture and has archaeological evidence of 14th century Thule habitation. In addition to the Saqqaq there are remains of the Dorset and Thule cultures and sites from the later Inuit and Danish colonial era (early 1700s) within the site. Around 1100 CE the Thule people migrated to Greenland from northern Canada.
The Danish graves on Nipisat show they died of scurvy. When they immigrated to Greenland they brought their animals and their Danish way of life. Their animals couldn’t survive Greenland winters and died. Had they followed the Thule diet and ate whale blubber and seal liver, the Danes would have gotten sufficient vitamin C to avoid scurvy. The Danes came to Greenland believing that their knowledge was superior to those who already lived there. Where have I heard that one before?
Our local guide, a descendant of the Thule, took us to a higher spot where there was a view to each side of the island and a small lake. She said Thule people preferred to be buried where there was a view.
Greenland is mostly rock and burials involve stacking rocks over the body. One of the graves was open and three skulls and a few bones were visible. Thule do not believe in heaven and hell. They believe they have a choice between going to the sky or to the sea. They believe that if one does something bad in life that person should be punished during his/her life.
The last photo above is of a Thule igloo. I didn't realize it before, but igloo simply means a dome-shaped shelter. In this case, the igloo was built with stones and a sod covering. The Thule used dog teams and kayaks for marine hunting and migrated seasonally. In the winter, they would stay in permanent stone houses hunting for marine mammals and fish. In the summer they would move inland to hunt caribou at temporary summer camps like Aasivissuit-Nipisat.
Fox traps were often built close to the settlements of the Inuit. They were built on cliffs and large rocks. Bait was laid into the trap and tied to the hatch. When the fox took the bait, the hatch was activated and the fox would be caught in the trap.
The national flower in Greenland is Dwarf Fireweed. Also shown here is the Entireleaf Mountain-Avens, and the Grayleaf Willow.
Back in Sisimiut we went to a concert of music coupled with a talk about the history of music in Greenland. Nuulu, the musician/vocalist just graduated from high school. After the lecturer introduced each music landmark, Nuunu sang that song accompanied by her guitar. In June, Nuunu released a single called Sinnattulaarta (Shy Lover) available through Apple Music.
Between the excursion to Nipisaat and attending the concert, we didn't have time for much more before the ship was set to sail, but we did slow walk back to the ship taking photos along the way. We were in Sisimuit last year on a cruise of Western Greenland. I thought then and still think that if I needed to live in Greenland, this is the community I believe I would be most comfortable in.
Tomorrow: Illulissat, Greenland
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