Saqqaq culture
Encyclopedia
The Saqqaq culture was a Paleo-Eskimo
culture in Greenland
.
in southern Greenland, Saqqaq culture existed from around 2500 BCE until about 800 BCE. This culture coexisted with the Independence I culture
of northern Greenland, which developed around 2400 BCE and lasted until about 1300 BCE. After the Saqqaq culture disappeared, the Independence II culture
of northern Greenland and the Early Dorset culture
of the West Greenland emerged. There is some debate about the time frame of the transition from Saqqaq culture to Early Dorset in western Greenland.
people, but instead are related to modern Chukchi
and Koryak
peoples. It is not known whether they crossed in boats or over ice.
Saqqaq peoples were physically adapted to extremely cold climates. They lived in small tents and hunted seals, seabirds, and other marine animals.
Paleo-Eskimo
The Paleo-Eskimo were the peoples who inhabited the Arctic region from Chukotka in present-day Russia across North America to Greenland prior to the rise of the modern Inuit and/or Eskimo and related cultures...
culture in 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...
.
Timeframe
The earliest known archaeological cultureArchaeological culture
An archaeological culture is a recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place, which are thought to constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society. The connection between the artifacts is based on archaeologists' understanding and interpretation and...
in southern Greenland, Saqqaq culture existed from around 2500 BCE until about 800 BCE. This culture coexisted with the Independence I culture
Independence I culture
The Independence I culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture of peoples who lived in northern Greenland from 2,400 to 1,000 B.C. It is named after Independence Fjord. During this time they coexisted with the Saqqaq culture of southern Greenland...
of northern Greenland, which developed around 2400 BCE and lasted until about 1300 BCE. After the Saqqaq culture disappeared, the Independence II culture
Independence II culture
The Independence II culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture that flourished in northern and northeastern Greenland , north and south of the Independence Fjord. The Independence II culture arose in the same region as the Independence I culture, which became extinct six centuries earlier...
of northern Greenland and the Early 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...
of the West Greenland emerged. There is some debate about the time frame of the transition from Saqqaq culture to Early Dorset in western Greenland.
Archaeological findings
Frozen remains of a Saqqaq dubbed "Inuk" were found in western Greenland and have been DNA sequenced. He had brown eyes, black hair, and shovel-shaped teeth. It has been determined that he lived about 4000 years ago, and was related to native populations in northeastern Siberia. The Saqqaq people are not the ancestors of contemporary KalaallitKalaallit
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, but instead 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. It is not known whether they crossed in boats or over ice.
Saqqaq peoples were physically adapted to extremely cold climates. They lived in small tents and hunted seals, seabirds, and other marine animals.