Living at a High Arctic Polynya: Inughuit Settlement and Subsistence around the North Water during the Thule Station Period, 1910–53

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The settlement and subsistence patterns of the Inughuit of the Avanersuaq (Thule area) are described and analyzed for the years 1910 to 1953, when Knud Rasmussen's trading station at Dundas was active. Inughuit subsistence was based on the rich biotic resources of the North Water polynya between Ellesmere Island and Greenland, but the analysis shows that trade, primarily with fox furs at the Thule Station, also played a major role in shaping the settlement pattern of the period. During the Thule Station Period, the named winter settlements amounted to c. 40 sites; however, only 10 -15 of them were settled at any given time. The Inughuit settlement close to the station, Uummannaq, soon became the largest site in the area. The sources enable us to follow changes of residence of some hunting families over four decades. By moving their winter sites every second or third year, the families gained primary knowledge of the topography and seasonal variation of the hunting grounds in the entire Thule district during their active years. In the same way, they connected with diverse family networks through the years. Tracing the sledge routes that connected the sites over great distances reveals how decisive proximity to main and escape routes over the Ice Cap was for site location. Dog sledge technology, and thus capacity to transport people, gear, and stored food, boomed during the Thule Station Period with the wealth created from trade and access to raw materials. Mapping the main hunting grounds on the sea ice and modeling the hunters' annual range of possibilities for accessing different game-mainly walrus, ringed seal, narwhal, and sea birds (plus some caribou)-showed that ringed seal formed the bread and butter of the subsistence economy. However, bulk resources, gained in particular from intensive spring walrus hunts at a few hot spots, as well as carefully timed consumption and sharing of the stored meat and blubber, were keys to life at the North Water polynya. Temporary settlement at the trading stations in the area-a couple of winters at a time-was also part of the risk management strategy of the Inughuit.

On the crucial importance of a small bird: The ecosystem services of the little auk (Alle alle) population in Northwest Greenland in a long-term perspective

“…Analyses of ethnographic collections also document an extensive use of fox fur in the Inughuit clothing of last century (Box 2 ). Especially during the Thule Station Period (1910–1953; Grønnow 2016 ), the Arctic fox became a very important resource in Avanersuaq. Trade in fox skins, which had a high international market value at the time, constituted the single most important factor in ensuring the financial viability of the station, and in funding the famed Thule Expeditions (e.g.…”

Interactions of climate, socio-economics, and global mercury pollution in the North Water

“…The marked seasonal environmental variation, represented by the extent of land fast ice, impacts also the presence and accessibility of animals (see also Flora et al 2018 ). During autumn and winter, most birds will migrate southwards, which also applies to harp and hooded seals, the majority of narwhals and belugas, as well as baleen whales (Vibe 1950 ; Heide-Jørgensen et al 2003 ; Dietz et al 2008 ; Andersen et al 2009 ; CAFF 2013 ; Grønnow 2016 ). From the hunt numbers reported by Piniarneq 2015 , it becomes evident that the major Hg influx occurs during the 5 months from June to October, during which narwhals are present in the region and are the dominant caught species (73%).…”

Present and past dynamics of Inughuit resource spaces

“…The seasonal migrations of animals to and from the region has rendered it possible to talk of a hunting calendar (Steensby 1917 ; Gilberg 1984 ; Born 1987 ; Grønnow 2016 ), alluding to an image of continuity and cyclical predictability in hunting practices and resource use over time. While such an approach is useful for gauging seasonal resource use, it is one, we should caution, that reduces complex human practices to a model, and tends to produce an image of Arctic timelessness, which has been widely critiqued (Fienup-Riordan 1990 ; Steckley 2008 ).…”

“…For analytical purposes, we will focus on two periods, referred to here as the “Thule Station Period” and the “Post-Thule Station Period”. The Thule Station Period (Rasmussen 1921 ; Vibe 1950 ; Holtved 1967 ; Grønnow 2016 ) begins with the establishment of Knud Rasmussen’s trading station in North Star Bay in 1910. It ends in 1953, when, as a consequence of the establishment of the American Thule Air Base, the station was closed and the inhabitants of the large adjacent settlement Uummannaq were relocated to Qaanaaq.…”