"Skraelings"

My title - Skraeling: means “weakling” or “scrawny” and was used as an insult by the Norse to describe their Inuit neighbours (Diamond, 2005). It is indicative from such as label that Norse-Inuit relations weren't always friendly but what role did these “Skraelings” have in the collapse of Norse society?

Greenland Inuit

Assimilation

Fridtjof Nansen theorised that the Norse peacefully assimilated into the Inuit population. However, archaeological investigations into this hypothesis show little evidence of offspring between the Norse and Inuit populations (Lynnerup, 2000). Only three of the numerous bodies excavated in Norse graveyards were found to contain bone structure and features characteristic of the Inuit people.

Archaeological excavations of Norse skeletons.

Massacre

Until the 20th century, the prevailing theory explaining what caused the decline in Norse population was hostile engagement with the Inuits (Seaver, 1996). This theory originated from Hans Egede, the minister who was in charge of the recolonization of Greenland in 1721 (Gullov, 2000)  He found evidence of the destruction of the original Norse Settlements. McGovern (1985) acknowledges how little is known about Norse-Inuit contact. The evidence we do have demonstrates that for 300 years the Norse and Inuit cultures co-existed relatively peacefully (Gullov, 2000). However, modern analysis does not support this theory as archaeological excavations in the Western Settlement didn't reveal any indication of a violent end (Seaver, 1996).

Trade

170 objects of Norse origin have been found at Inuit sites. These include metal used to make blades, ornamental pins and gaming pieces (Gullov, 2000; Diamond, 2005). This leads to the debate about whether such items had been traded or stolen. The fact that some of these objects have been found in areas that the Norse wouldn't have ventured to suggests that their was trade between the Inuit and Norse societies, but that the Norse mainly exported goods (Gullov, 2000).

The distribution of Norse objects and evidence of Inuit contact

In contrast, there haven't been any Inuit objects found at Norse sites (McGovern, 2000). This is rather mysterious; surely as the Norse population declined they would have reached out to the Inuit and traded items in return for food, knowledge of better hunting methods and equipment. The failure of the Norse to adopt Inuit techniques which were better suited to the Greenland environment is a key reason for their decline and will be covered next time...