6: N.A. Settlements : Encounters, Ecology and external factors in the Success or Failure of the N.A. Settlments Flashcards
What is it important to remember about the Norse and the interactions they had with natives?
That they were not one homogenous group of natives, but many different groups with different attitudes/ abilities etc
They would have encountered different people as they traveled around
When is the first recorded contact between the norse and native americans?
Around 1000 in the forested areas of Markland and Vinland
– Saga descriptions of meetings in Vinland involve trade, followed by skirmishes with the natives
What was a big factor in the Norse decision to abandon settlement of Vinland?
The presence of a hostile native force
The Norse were very far from their greenlandic home base and they would have been outnumbered by the native communities.
Summarise norse relations with the Native Americans in North America
Likely that contact was limited to brief attempts to trade, followed by outbreaks of violence.
Discuss the archaeological evidence for Norse- Native american contact
practically non-existent, and this is probably not due to chance
Who were the natives that the norse came into contact with in Vinland?
Archaeology indicates that they were native americans
The Indian population around the Gulf of St Lawrence would have been significantly larger than in newfoundland and the norse would have had to be careful
Who were the Thule people?
They moved eastward from Alaska to occupy most of Greenland about the same time as the Norse were venturing into the North Atlantic- they were likely drawn by Iron, a v. valuable commodity in Inuit culture
With whom did the Norse have the most extensive native contact?
The thule people
Why were the Thule people a threat to the greenlanders?
They lived in communities of between 30-60 and so could be a considerable enemy.
They seem to have quite easily displaced the Dorset people and would have proved a challenge for the Norse who by this point were more farmers than warriors.
The thule were also not at any technological disadvantage
Summary of relations between the Norse and the natives of Greenland
A regular and extensive trade probably never developed between the INUIT peoples, but it seems that over a period of time they came to know each other and took occasional opportunities to mutually profit.
Archaeological evidence (such as norse-style spun yarn found in dorset culture) indicate that their relations were probably more complex than the few skirmishes mentioned in the sagas
What did the inuit have that the norse wanted?
Had access to materials such as ivory and hide that the Norse considered to be extremely valuable.
The norse had metal
How did the Norse colonists in North America self-conceptualise their own identity and what were the implications of this?
They thought of themselves as European Christians and this shared identity allowed a few thousand greenlanders to cooperate with each other and maintain an existence in a harsh environment.
BUT it also prevented them from learning from the Inuit and modifying their identity to allow them to survive.
When thinking about the interaction of ecology and culture in Greenland, what things should you think of?
1) greenland’s cold climate
2) Livestock farming and cultural preferences
3) Social inequality and resource distribution
Discuss greenland’s climate…
Settlements were just below arctic circle, with a lattitude comparable with Trondheim and Bergen.
But greenland was much colder than Norway and Iceland due to the West Greenland current, which runs from the Arctic
What were the implications of Greenlands very cold climate?
Colder conditions meant less hay, less hay means less livestock which means less wealth
BUT the norse reached greenland during the medieval warm period, and thus a good time for growing hay and pasturing animals
