The Documented History Of Qeqertalik, Greenland
Today's article will discuss the history of Qeqertalik, Greenland. Qeqertalik is the south central part of Greenland. It is shaped somewhat like a square & is an independent administrative zone. Greenland is an island off the coast of northern Canada which is owned by the European country of Denmark. The municipality of Qeqertalik is 538.26 Nautical / Marine miles (619.418546 miles or 996.85752 kilometers) from mainland Canada at its closest points. Qeqertalik is also 1298.35 Nautical / Marine miles (1494.114496 miles or 2404.5442 kilometers from the continental United States. This does not include the islands of Canada, this is only the continental areas of Canada. Including islands, Greenland is a mere 12.34 Nautical / Marine Miles (14.200618 miles or 22.85368 kilometers) from Canadian territory. The indigenous peoples of Greenland collectively call Greenland Kalaallit Nunaat. This translates into “The land of the people”. However, that translation cannot be 100% confirmed. Qeqertalik is one of the smallest municipalities of Greenland, it is shaped rectangularly. Greenland has a strange history with many different European countries, mainly Denmark. Qeqertalik was established as an individual administrative zone in 2018. The last census conducted in Qeqertalik was in the year 2020, it showed that there were 6,340 inhabitants. The administrative zone has a total of 24,100 square miles (62418.713 square kilometers). It is unclear how much of this area is ocean. Qeqertalik includes Disko Bay, which is a small bay in the western seaside portion of the zone. There are many islands in this bay, however the largest of them is known as Disko Island or, Qeqertarsuaq. It is the second largest island of Greenland. Disko Bay is primarily used for Halibut & shrimp fishing. A common dialect spoken here is Kalaallisut. It is the west Greenland dialect of Greenlandic. Greenlandic is one of the primary languages along with Danish. The highest elevation of Qeqertalik is along the mountain range known as the Knud Rasmussen range. It was named after the Greenlandic polar explorer, Knud Rassmussen. The Zone’s Official website is https://qeqertalik.gl/. However the website is in Danish so they do not have a translation of the website. In this article we will discuss the discovery & documented history of Qeqertalik, The known aboriginals of Qeqertalik, the most destructive man caused & natural disasters of Qeqertalik, & finally a segment on the Greenlandic economy. With that being said, let us delve into the history of Qeqertalik.
The Documented History Of Qeqertalik
Please note that we will only be discussing the history of Qeqertalik. Not Greenland in its entirety. This will not discuss any other areas of Greenland.
Before Colonization
B.C Era
Artifacts from Paleo-Inuit cultures have been discovered around Disko Bay. The earliest artifact that was found dates back to around 2500 B.C. From approximately 2500 B.C. to 800 B.C., Qeqertalik & the majority of southwest Greenland were inhabited by people of the Saqqaq culture. The majority of the archaeological remains which were from the Saqqaq-period980s have been around or near Disko Bay. This includes the site of Saqqaq, after which the culture is named. It is unknown what the culture called themselves. It is unknown how this culture fell as well. Other than this, it is unclear what happened during the B.C. years around Qeqertalik.
Early Norse Settlement Era
Erik the Red may have explored areas of Qeqertalik. This is unconfirmed as he sailed in from Iceland due to him being in exile for committing homicide. Iceland is toward the southeastern side rather than the southwestern, so it most likely would have been on his journey to northern Greenland. No Norse Bay settlements have been mentioned as being around Disko bay of Qeqertalik.
Late Norse Settlement Era
During the Late Norse Settlement Era, Disko Bay was used for Whaling & walrus hunting purposes. However, the whalers would usually be from far southern areas. There were no real settlements other than mythical-like small whaling & walrus hunting sites. They would also hunt polar bears & narwhals there in the winter. They would use the whales for fat & oil, the walruses for their ivory tusks & bones, the polar bears for their thick fur hides, & the narwhals for their mythical like canine. They would make clothes & other things with these resources & then export them. Most often they would be exported back to the south. It is unclear exactly the years this took place, but it took place mainly in the 12th & 13th century. However, during the 14th century, these sites began declining. The majority of Norse settlements in Greenland began on a decline from this point on. This decline corresponded with a large drop in temperatures in Greenland. It also corresponded with the decrease in the value of ivory in Europe. This drop caused agricultural failure, which caused famine. During the early 16th century, the last few Norse people left this area of Greenland. This left only the Inuit tribes in this area of Greenland.
After Norwegian Colonization
After being settled by Norsemen in the 980’s, it was submitted to be under the rule of the Norwegian Kingdom in 1263. It officially became a crown dependency in 1263. Denmark & Sweden entered the Kalmar Union with Norway in 1397 under the Queen of Norway, & Norway's overseas territories including Greenland later became subject to the king in Copenhagen. In 1408, there was one of the first mentions of Norwegian settlers. It is unclear where exactly in Greenland they went. However, Qeqertalik would have been especially interesting for its abundance of natural resources. The last marriage record between a Norse man & woman was also in 1408. Following the establishment of an independent Sweden, Norway & Denmark were reorganized into a polity now known as Denmark-Norway in 1536/1537 & the nominal Norwegian sovereignty over Greenland was taken up by the new union. Around this time, the last remaining Norse people disappeared leaving only the Inuit tribes. Despite the decline of European settlement & the loss of contact, Denmark–Norway continued to maintain its claim to the lordship of Greenland.
After Danish Re-Colonization
In the 1720’s a Lutheran Dano-Norwegian known as Hans Egede started a missionary campaign to convert the local Inuit tribes into Lutheranism. He also wanted to erect small colonies around. However, scurvy was rampant & killed approximately 75% of all people brought from Denmark-Norway. Not all of these colonies' documentations were released to the public domain & a few of them were quite close-by, by in modern Inday Semersooq. It is possible that one of these colonies could have existed or temporarily existed in parts of southern Qeqertalik. As a result of the Napoleonic Wars, Norway was ceded to Sweden at the 1814 Treaty Of Kiel. The colonies, including Greenland, remained in Danish possession. The 19th century saw increased interest in the region on the part of polar explorers & scientists like William Scoresby & Greenland-born Knud RassmussRasmussenan. At the same time, the colonial elements of the earlier trade-oriented Danish presence in Greenland expanded. In the year of 1861, the first Greenlandic Language journal was founded. This would go on to become one of the only Greenlandic Language journals to exist. Danish law still applied to only the Danish settlers. At the turn of the 19th century, the northern part of Greenland was still sparsely populated; only scattered hunting inhabitants were found there. The reason for this is due to it being extremely cold & remote. Another reason is that the majority of the natural resources have not been discovered yet. During that century, however, Inuit families immigrated from British North America to settle in these areas. The last group from what later became Canada arrived in 1864. They mostly settled in the north, however, a few families did go to the Qeqertalik region or what would become the surrounding areas of the Qeqertalik region. Modernly, there is documentation that some of these families do still make up a decent amount of the population of north Greenland.
The Released Data Of Greenlands Place In World War 2
The Aboriginal Tribes Of Qeqertalik
The Saqaqq Tribe Of Indigenous Peoples
The Saqqaq culture is what is known as a Paleo-Eskimo culture in southern Greenland. No other cultures have appeared to live in Greenland continuously longer than the Saqqaq. Extremely little is known about this tribe of indigenous people. It seems that they appeared in Greenland in approximately 2500 B.C & disappeared around 800 B.C. They were not found in northern Greenland or Canada. What is known is that the Saqqaq culture came in two phases, the main difference between the two is that the newer phase adopted the use of sandstone. This was a material that was only found in southern Greenland. It is found in other areas of the world however it is not found in the north. The younger phase of the Saqqaq culture coincides with the oldest phase of the Dorset culture. 6 Saqqaq individuals were found buried on the island of Qeqertasussuk. They were believed to have been buried between 3000 B.C & 1900 B.C. The Saqqaq people are believed to have originated in Siberia & migrated from Russia to Alaska. They most likely came to Alaska around the year 4000 B.C. Then through Canada to Greenland.
The Most Destructive Natural & Man-Caused Disasters Of Greenland
No. 1 Narsaq Massacre Of 1990
The Narsaq Massacre Of 1990 occurred at a party in Narsaq which is in the municipality of Kujalleq, Greenland. The Narsaq massacre was a mass shooting that occurred on January 1st, 1990. This shooting caused 7 fatalities & 1 critical injury. The weapon involved was a Remington Model 552 which is a semiautomatic rifle. The man who committed this grievous act is known as Abel Klemmensen. The Remington Model 552 is also not manufactured in Greenland so it is most likely that Klemmensen smuggled this weapon from the United States where it is manufactured. The reason that this happened is because Abel Klemmensen got involved in a dispute with his close friend for taking the side of a girl he was angry at. It is unclear exactly why Klemmensen was angry at this woman. Feeling betrayed, he then went home & later returned to the party with a semiautomatic rifle with the intention to kill all attendants of the party & commit suicide after committing this act. The disgruntled perpetrator then opened fire in a boarding house complex in Ungbo, being used as a club, & he aimed for people's heads. In two rooms on the first floor of the makeshift club, he shot three women & four men, including his brother, who was wounded by a shot through the upper cheek. While he was walking downstairs to the living room he shot a fourth woman. He had fired eleven rounds & all of his victims were shot in the head. Afterward, Klemmensen went home to sleep instead of committing suicide, and he was then taken into police custody. All people who were killed were of Inuit origin. The man in custody was identified as an 18-year-old student who confessed to the killings, said the police inspector Lars Heilman. The suspect's name was later released as Abel Klemmensen. The crime scene was described as "gruesome" by the police photographers. A team of police forensic scientists traveled to Narsaq from Copenhagen to investigate the killings, but due to heavy snowfall were severely delayed. Those who were killed as a result of this massacre were identified as three men, aged 18, 33 & 34, & four women, aged 18, 19, 26 & 29. The wounded man was only identified as a "22-year-old man in stable condition with head wounds". The identities of his victims were later released as Henrik Barnabassen, aged 34, Kathrine Broberg, aged 18, Paarnannguaq Godtfredsen, aged 26, Jakob Grønvold aged 18, Tove Isaksen, aged 19, Bibiane Kristiansen, aged 29 & finally Egede Tittusen, aged 33. The wounded man was identified as Kristian Klemmensen, aged 22. The wounded man was Abel’s brother. Klemmensen was later diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder & was sentenced to indefinite detention at a psychiatric institution in March of the following year. He is still imprisoned to this day.
No. 2 1962 Nuuk Catalina Crash
On May 12th of 1962 Eastern Provincial Airways Canso amphibious aircraft which was operating for Greenlandair / Air Greenland crashed into the ocean off the coast of Nuuk. This caused the plane to sink before they could reach safety. The aircraft caused a total of 15 fatalities. There were a total of 6 survivors. Initially, it was thought that the plane crashed directly into the water however it was later revealed that the plane crashed into debris that were on the water. It crashed near the Godthab Harbor. A technical investigation concluded that the nose wheel doors had not closed properly probably due to mechanical failure. With a gap of 70 millimeters, the doors were torn off on landing letting water into the nose wheel bay, the pressure of water caused a bulkhead to fail and the aircraft to sink.
No. 3 1968 Thule Air Base Crash B-52
The Thule Air Base Crash of 1968 occurred on the 21st of January. It occurred off the coast of Greenland near the Thule air base in north Baffin Bay. The aircraft was carrying four B28FI thermonuclear bombs on a Cold War so-called “Chrome Dome” alert mission over northern Baffin Bay when a cabin fire forced the crew to abandon the aircraft before they could carry out an emergency at Thule Air Base. The cause of this cabin fire was not named. Six crew members were ejected safely, but one who did not have an ejection seat was killed while trying to bail out. The bomber crashed onto floating ice sheets known as Sea Ice in North Star Bay. This the conventional explosives aboard the aircraft to detonate & the nuclear payload to rupture and disperse, resulting in extreme radioactive contamination of the area. The radioactive materials that dispersed from the aircraft are Uranium-238, Uranium-235, Uranium-234, Plutonium-239, Plutonium-240, Plutonium-241 Americium-241, & Tritium. There is a much more detailed Wikipedia entry known as https://en.m.wikipedia.org. It includes the operation to clean up this radioactive material & the harrowing survival story of the remaining crew members. It also includes the political scandal that arose as a result of this incident.
The Economic State Of Greenland As A Whole
Greenlands' economy is stable as of 2024. Some characteristics of Greenlands' economy are that it is incredibly small & is vulnerable as it largely depends on Foreign trade. Their currency is the Danish Krone. The fiscal year of Greenland is the calendar year. They are classified as a high-income economy. There is a total population of 56,367, & a labor force of
26,840 people. This would mean that a total of 47.616513208083% of the population is in the labor force. Their current nominal GDP per capita is 48,296$ USD. This is approximately 337,487.64 Danish Krone. Their GDP by sector is 15.9% agriculture, 10.1% industry, & 73.9% services. The unemployment rate is 9.1% of Greenland or 5129.397 people. The most prominent industries of Greenland are currently fish processing, Oil, gold, niobium, tantalite, uranium, iron, diamond mining, handicrafts, hides, skins, & finally small shipyards. Approximately 91% of all commercial exports out of Greenland are fish of fish products. Their main export partners are Denmark (88.5%) & Iceland (4.4%). The gross revenue of Greenland in 2016 was 1.719 billion USD. The average cost for a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment in the city center is approximately 5,701 Danish Krone or approximately 815.84 USD. The average cost for a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment outside of the city center is approximately 5,095.81 Danish Krone or 729.23 USD. Tourism does not affect the housing market of Greenland. Greenland also does not have a publicly traded stock market.
Directories / Credits
Gunman held after 5 die in Eskimo village shooting spree, The Deseret News
7 Die in Greenland's Bloodiest Mass Shooting; Suspect Held, Los Angeles Times
Danish Student's Rampage Leaves 7 Dead, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Ingen prøveløsladelse til syv-dobbelt morder, Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Greenland
https://www.numbeo.com/property-investment/country_result.jsp?country=Greenland
https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/h/History_of_Greenland.htm
Diamond, Jared (2005). Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Viking. ISBN 978-0-14-303655-5.
Seaver, Kristen A. (1996). The Frozen Echo. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-3161-4.
Grove, Jonathan (2009). "The place of Greenland in medieval Icelandic saga narrative". Journal of the North Atlantic. Special Volume 2: Norse Greenland: Selected Papers of the Hvalsey Conference 2008: 30–51. doi:10.3721/037.002.s206. S2CID 163032041. Archived from the original on 2012-04-11.
Kendrick, T.D. (2012) [1930]. A History of the Vikings. Courier. ISBN 978-0-486-12342-4.
Hreinsson, Viðar, ed. (1997). The Complete Sagas of Icelanders, Including 49 Tales. Reykjavík: Leifur Eiríksson. ISBN 978-9979929307.
U.S. National Museum of Natural History (2000). Fitzhugh, William W.; Ward, Elisabeth I. (eds.). Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga. Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN 978-1560989707.
Gulløv, Hans Christian, ed. (2005). Grønlands forhistorie. Gyldendal: National Museum of Denmark. ISBN 978-87-02-01724-3.
Greenland during the Cold War. Danish & American security policy 1945–1968. Copenhagen: Danish Institute of International Affairs (DUPI). 1997-01-17. ISBN 978-87-601-6922-9. LCCN 97161960.
Strategic Partnerships
Reel Guppy Outdoors
Our Loyal Patrons
Ms. Ochoa
Comments