Saqqaq
Encyclopedia
Saqqaq is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup
municipality, in western Greenland
. Founded in 1755, it had 188 inhabitants in 2010. The name of the village means "the sunny side" in Greenlandic.
, on the northern shore of Sullorsuaq Strait
, northwest of Ilulissat
. Immediately northeast of Saqqaq is the Livets Top mountain (1150 m).
Archaeological excavations in Qilakitsoq
on the other side of Nuussuaq Peninsula
on the shores of Uummannaq Fjord
revealed the existence of an ancient Arctic culture, later named the Saqqaq culture
, which inhabited the area of west-central Greenland between 2500 BCE and 800 BCE.
Recent DNA samples
from human hair suggest that the ancient Saqqaq people came from Siberia
about 5,500 years ago and independent of the migration that gave rise to the modern Native Americans
and the Inuit
.
serves the village as part of government contract, with winter-only helicopter flights between Saqqaq Heliport
and Ilulissat Airport
. Settlement flights in the Disko Bay
are unique in that they are operated only during winter and spring.
During summer and autumn, when the waters of the bay are navigable, communication between settlements is by sea only, serviced by Diskoline
. The ferry links Saqqaq with Qeqertaq
, Oqaatsut
, and Ilulissat.
Qaasuitsup
Qaasuitsup is a new municipality in Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. As of January 2010 its population is 17,749. The administrative center of the municipality is in Ilulissat...
municipality, in 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...
. Founded in 1755, it had 188 inhabitants in 2010. The name of the village means "the sunny side" in Greenlandic.
Geography
It is located in the southwestern part of the Nuussuaq PeninsulaNuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula is a large peninsula in western Greenland.- Geography :The waters around the peninsula are that of Baffin Bay. To the south and southwest the peninsula is bounded by Disko Bay, an inlet of Baffin Bay. It is separated from Qeqertarsuaq Island by Sullorsuaq Strait which...
, on the northern shore of Sullorsuaq Strait
Sullorsuaq Strait
Sullorsuaq Strait is a strait on the western coast of Greenland.- Geography :It separates Nuussuaq Peninsula in the northeast from Qeqertarsuaq Island in the southwest. The strait waterway connects inner Disko Bay in the southeast with Baffin Bay in the northwest...
, northwest of Ilulissat
Ilulissat
Ilulissat is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland, located approximately north of the Arctic Circle. With the population of 4,546 as of 2010, it is the third-largest settlement in Greenland, after Nuuk and Sisimiut....
. Immediately northeast of Saqqaq is the Livets Top mountain (1150 m).
History
Qilakitsoq
Qilakitsoq is an archaeological site on Nuussuaq Peninsula, on the shore of Uummannaq Fjord in northwestern Greenland. Formally a settlement, it is famous for the discovery of eight mummified bodies in 1972.- Archaeological finds :...
on the other side of Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula is a large peninsula in western Greenland.- Geography :The waters around the peninsula are that of Baffin Bay. To the south and southwest the peninsula is bounded by Disko Bay, an inlet of Baffin Bay. It is separated from Qeqertarsuaq Island by Sullorsuaq Strait which...
on the shores of Uummannaq Fjord
Uummannaq Fjord
Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord system in the northern part of western Greenland, the largest after Kangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland...
revealed the existence of an ancient Arctic culture, later named the Saqqaq culture
Saqqaq culture
The Saqqaq culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture in Greenland.-Timeframe:...
, which inhabited the area of west-central Greenland between 2500 BCE and 800 BCE.
Recent DNA samples
Genetic testing
Genetic testing is among the newest and most sophisticated of techniques used to test for genetic disorders which involves direct examination of the DNA molecule itself. Other genetic tests include biochemical tests for such gene products as enzymes and other proteins and for microscopic...
from human hair suggest that the ancient Saqqaq people came from Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
about 5,500 years ago and independent of the migration that gave rise to the modern Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
and the Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
.
Transport
Air GreenlandAir Greenland
Air Greenland A/S is the flag carrier airline of Greenland, jointly owned by the government of Greenland, the SAS Group, and the government of Denmark...
serves the village as part of government contract, with winter-only helicopter flights between Saqqaq Heliport
Saqqaq Heliport
Saqqaq Heliport is a heliport in Saqqaq, a village on the Nuussuaq Peninsula in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland. The heliport is considered a helistop, and is served by Air Greenland as part of a government contract....
and Ilulissat Airport
Ilulissat Airport
Ilulissat Airport is an airport located near the shores of Disko Bay, north-east of Ilulissat, a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland. It was built in 1983, replacing the old heliport.- Airlines and destinations :...
. Settlement flights in the Disko Bay
Disko Bay
Disko Bay is a bay on the western coast of Greenland. The bay constitutes a wide southeastern inlet of Baffin Bay.- Geography :To the south the coastline is complicated with multiple waterways of skerries and small islands in the Aasiaat archipelago...
are unique in that they are operated only during winter and spring.
During summer and autumn, when the waters of the bay are navigable, communication between settlements is by sea only, serviced by Diskoline
Diskoline
Disko Line A/S is a passenger and freight ferry line in western Greenland. It was founded in 2004 as a small freight company.- Complementary transport services :...
. The ferry links Saqqaq with Qeqertaq
Qeqertaq
Qeqertaq is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland, located on an island off the southern shore of the Nuussuaq Peninsula, in an inlet of Sullorsuaq Strait...
, Oqaatsut
Oqaatsut
Oqaatsut is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in western Greenland. It had 46 inhabitants in 2010. The name of the settlement means 'the cormorants' in Greenlandic...
, and Ilulissat.