Nipisat Island
Encyclopedia
Nipisat Island is a small, uninhabited island
in the Qeqqata
municipality in central-western Greenland
.
, on the shores of Davis Strait
. It belongs to the group of small islands and skerries
located at the mouth of Ikertooq Fjord
, immediately to the west of Sarfannguit Island
. Dwarf scrub heath, dwarf birch, arctic willow, well-drained lichens, and herb vegetation dominate the flora.
found native people actively engaged in hunting large whalebone whales in Nipisat and the Danes established the first settlement, a trading station here. Two years later, a small mission was established on the island, but it was abandoned the following year, and then burnt down by Dutch
whalers
. In 1727, the Norwegians Ditlev Vibe and Bishop Deichmann of Christiania recommended to the King of Norway the re-establishment of a trade station at Nipisat and the establishment of a whaling station. In 1728, Frederick I of Denmark
ordered a fortress be constructed at Nipisat, but two years later, he ordered its abandonment and evacuation.
LORAN
Station Nipisat (nickname: DOPE III), operated by Denmark
, was established in 1954 and dis-established in July 1975.
archaeological site, containing some stone artifact
s that were previously unknown from the Saqqaq culture. The Saqqaq people are not the ancestors of modern Kalaallit
people, rather they are related to modern Chukchi
and Koryak
peoples. The site, named after the island, was discovered in 1989 by Finn Kramer, curator of the Sisimiut Museum
. It lies approximately 50 m (164 ft) from the present coastline, situated on raised beaches with a southeastern slope. The area elevation ranges between 9 m (29.5 ft)and 13 m (42.7 ft) above mean sea level
. This part of the island that contains the archaeological site, did not show signs of later occupation by Dorset culture
or Thule culture. However, it does show signs of pre-Dorset, and of Arctic small tool tradition
. During the five year evacuation period of 1989-1994, over 70,000 bone fragments, and approximately 1,000 artifacts were recovered, including 314 tools.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the Qeqqata
Qeqqata
Qeqqata is a new municipality in western Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. The municipality was named after its location in central-western part of the country. Its population is 9,677 as of January 2010. The administrative center of the municipality is in Sisimiut...
municipality in central-western Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
.
Geography
Nipisat Island is situated 15 km (9.3 mi) south of SisimiutSisimiut
Sisimiut is a town in central-western Greenland, located on the coast of Davis Strait, approximately north of Nuuk. It is the administrative center of the Qeqqata Municipality and the second-largest town in Greenland, with a population of 5,460 people as of 2010. The site of the present-day town...
, on the shores of Davis Strait
Davis Strait
Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Nunavut, Canada's Baffin Island. The strait was named for the English explorer John Davis , who explored the area while seeking a Northwest Passage....
. It belongs to the group of small islands and skerries
Skerry
A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. It may simply be a rocky reef. A skerry can also be called a low sea stack....
located at the mouth of Ikertooq Fjord
Ikertooq Fjord
Ikertooq Fjord is a long fjord in the Qeqqata municipality in western Greenland. The fjord empties into Davis Strait south of Sisimiut.- Geography :...
, immediately to the west of Sarfannguit Island
Sarfannguit Island
Sarfannguit Island is an island in the Qeqqata municipality in western Greenland.- Geography :The island is of elongated shape, separated from the mainland of Greenland by Sarfannguit Channel, a narrow waterway at the eastern promontory occupied by the Sarfannguit settlement...
. Dwarf scrub heath, dwarf birch, arctic willow, well-drained lichens, and herb vegetation dominate the flora.
History
In the 18th century, the Danes and Norwegians came to Nipisat. In 1723, Hans EgedeHans Egede
Hans Poulsen Egede was a Norwegian-Danish Lutheran missionary who launched mission efforts to Greenland, which led him to be styled the Apostle of Greenland. He established a successful mission among the Inuit and is credited with revitalizing Dano-Norwegian interest in the island after contact...
found native people actively engaged in hunting large whalebone whales in Nipisat and the Danes established the first settlement, a trading station here. Two years later, a small mission was established on the island, but it was abandoned the following year, and then burnt down by Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
whalers
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
. In 1727, the Norwegians Ditlev Vibe and Bishop Deichmann of Christiania recommended to the King of Norway the re-establishment of a trade station at Nipisat and the establishment of a whaling station. In 1728, Frederick I of Denmark
Frederick I of Denmark
Frederick I of Denmark and Norway was the King of Denmark and Norway. The name is also spelled Friedrich in German, Frederik in Danish, and Fredrik in Swedish and Norwegian...
ordered a fortress be constructed at Nipisat, but two years later, he ordered its abandonment and evacuation.
LORAN
LORAN
LORAN is a terrestrial radio navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters in multiple deployment to determine the location and speed of the receiver....
Station Nipisat (nickname: DOPE III), operated by Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, was established in 1954 and dis-established in July 1975.
Archaeology
The island is notable for its well preserved Saqqaq cultureSaqqaq culture
The Saqqaq culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture in Greenland.-Timeframe:...
archaeological site, containing some stone artifact
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
s that were previously unknown from the Saqqaq culture. The Saqqaq people are not the ancestors of modern Kalaallit
Kalaallit
Kalaallit is the contemporary term in the Kalaallisut language for the indigenous people living in Greenland, also called the Kalaallit Nunaat. The singular term is kalaaleq. The Kalaallit are a part of the Arctic Inuit people. The language spoken by Inuit in Greenland is Kalaallisut.Historically,...
people, rather they are related to modern Chukchi
Chukchi people
The Chukchi, or Chukchee , ) are an indigenous people inhabiting the Chukchi Peninsula and the shores of the Chukchi Sea and the Bering Sea region of the Arctic Ocean within the Russian Federation. They speak the Chukchi language...
and Koryak
Koryaks
Koryaks are an indigenous people of Kamchatka Krai in the Russian Far East, who inhabit the coastlands of the Bering Sea to the south of the Anadyr basin and the country to the immediate north of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the southernmost limit of their range being Tigilsk. They are akin to the...
peoples. The site, named after the island, was discovered in 1989 by Finn Kramer, curator of the Sisimiut Museum
Sisimiut Museum
Sisimiut Museum is a museum in Sisimiut, Greenland. Located in a historical building near the harbour, specialises in Greenlandic trade, industry and shipping, with artifacts based on ten years of archaeological research and excavations of the ancient Saqqaq culture settlements near the town,...
. It lies approximately 50 m (164 ft) from the present coastline, situated on raised beaches with a southeastern slope. The area elevation ranges between 9 m (29.5 ft)and 13 m (42.7 ft) above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
. This part of the island that contains the archaeological site, did not show signs of later occupation by Dorset culture
Dorset culture
The Dorset culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture that preceded the Inuit culture in Arctic North America. It has been defined as having four phases, with distinct technology related to the people's hunting and tool making...
or Thule culture. However, it does show signs of pre-Dorset, and of Arctic small tool tradition
Arctic small tool tradition
The Arctic Small Tool tradition is a broad cultural entity that developed along the Alaska Peninsula, round Bristol Bay, and on the eastern shores of the Bering Strait around 2500 BC...
. During the five year evacuation period of 1989-1994, over 70,000 bone fragments, and approximately 1,000 artifacts were recovered, including 314 tools.