Skraeling Island lies off the east coast of Ellesmere Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, at the mouth of Alexandra Fiord. Buchanan Bay lies to its north-east.
![]() ![]() Skraeling Island ![]() ![]() Skraeling Island | |
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Northern Canada |
Coordinates | 78°54′43″N 075°38′00″W[1] |
Archipelago | Queen Elizabeth Islands Arctic Archipelago |
Length | 2,000 m (7000 ft) |
Width | 1,400 m (4600 ft) |
Administration | |
Canada | |
Territory | Nunavut |
Region | Qikiqtaaluk |
Demographics | |
Population | Uninhabited |
The Norse referred to the indigenous peoples they encountered in Greenland and the New World as skræling. According to the ancient sagas, the Norse considered the natives hostile because they were repeatedly attacked by them.[2]
Skraeling Island is an extensive archeological site which has yielded a wealth of artifacts[3] from Small-Tool cultures dating from 4500 BC (Dorset and Thule). Norse items found at Inuit sites[3] — some 80 objects from a single site including a small driftwood carving of a face with European features — suggests that there was a lively trade between the groups (as well as an exchange of Norse goods among the Inuit).
Queen Elizabeth Islands, Nunavut and Northwest Territories, Canada | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ellesmere Island | |||||
Parry Islands | |||||
Sverdrup Islands |
|
Arctic Cordillera of Canada | |
---|---|
Ranges |
|
Mountains | |
Passes |
|
Glaciers |
|
Regions | |
Communities |
|
Parks |
|
![]() | This Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |