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48-542: Dorsets may refer to: Dorset culture Dorset Regiment Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Dorsets . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dorsets&oldid=932800699 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

96-479: A distinctive mitten shape. The Dorset were highly skilled at making refined miniature carvings, and striking masks. Both indicate an active shamanistic tradition . The Dorset culture was remarkably homogeneous across the Canadian Arctic , but there were some important variations which have been noted in both Greenland and Newfoundland / Labrador regions. There appears to be no genetic connection between

144-674: Is an unstable pattern and cannot be maintained for long periods of time in human history. Inutoqqat Nunaat (formerly known as Pearylandville) is the largest Paleo-Eskimo site in the Peary Land as discovered by Eigil Knuth. The fauna present in Inutoqqat Nunaat is mainly dominated by musk ox but also consists of arctic fox, hare, and arctic char as well as a few avian fauna consisting of geese and gull. The ruins are rich in both lithic debitage and fauna refuse meaning they were probably used as winter dwellings for several months however most of

192-506: Is coarsely made adze heads with ground edges of basalt. Microblades make up a large proportion of the artefacts from Independence I sites. They were narrow slivers of glass-like flint with long straight edges and were made using very specialised techniques. The tools used by Independence I culture was an aspect of the culture’s discovery. When Knuth was excavating Independence I sites, he discovered tiny, chipped tools which were razor edged microblades that didn’t show any resemblance to

240-659: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Dorset culture The Dorset was a Paleo-Eskimo culture, lasting from 500  BCE to between 1000  CE and 1500  CE , that followed the Pre-Dorset and preceded the Thule people (proto-Inuit) in the North American Arctic . The culture and people are named after Cape Dorset (now Kinngait) in Nunavut , Canada, where

288-513: Is divided into periods: the early (500–1  BCE ), middle (1–500  CE ), and late phases (500–1000  CE ), as well as perhaps a terminal phase (from c.  1000 onwards). The terminal phase, if it existed, would likely be closely related to the onset of the Medieval Warm Period , which started to warm the Arctic considerably around the mid-10th century. With the warmer climates,

336-624: Is in line with other areas apart from the high amount of arctic fox which is unusual. However, it is likely arctic fox hunting was conducted in winter, and that their diet mainly consisted of muskox which is typical for Independence I culture. Muskoxen were a key part of the Independence I culture as they used all products of the muskox. This included their meat, grease, and marrow as well as long bones for tools and their thick pelts. Therefore, Independence I people used muskoxen for food, clothing, tools, and warmth. No clothing has been preserved from

384-580: The Greenlandic Norse people . Independence I culture The culture is named after Independence Fjord , which is a fjord located in Peary Land . The Independence I people lived at the same time as the Saqqaq culture of southern Greenland. Independence I culture was followed by Independence II culture , which had a similar geographical extent, and lasted from the 8th century BC, roughly 600 years after

432-489: The Nares Strait , which is considered to be one of the most extreme environments. Once Greenland was reached by human inhabitants, they spread into other regions of Greenland quite quickly and Greenland was settled through a short series of migrations. Archaeologists estimate the initial migration occurred around 2500BC and they continued to migrate to Greenland through to around 2000BC/1900BC.   They migrated mainly to

480-580: The sea ice became less predictable and was isolated from the High Arctic. The Dorset were highly adapted to living in a very cold climate, and much of their food is thought to have been from hunting sea mammals that breathe through holes in the ice. The massive decline in sea-ice which the Medieval Warm Period produced would have strongly affected the Dorset. They could have followed the ice north. Most of

528-673: The Dorset also extensively used a breathing-hole sealing technique and perhaps they would have taught this to the Inuit. But this has been questioned on the grounds that there is no evidence that the Dorset had dogs. Some elders describe peace with an ancient group of people, while others describe conflict. Scholars had thought that the Sadlermiut, a people living in near isolation mainly on and around Coats Island , Walrus Island , and Southampton Island in Hudson Bay up until 1902–03, might have been

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576-496: The Dorset and the Thule who replaced them. Archaeological and legendary evidence is often thought to support some cultural contact, but this has been questioned. The Dorset people, for instance, engaged in seal-hole hunting, a method which requires several steps and includes the use of dogs. The Thule apparently did not use this technique in the time they had previously spent in Alaska. Settlement pattern data has been used to claim that

624-518: The Dorset and the Thule peoples." However, the question of why the Dorset disappeared so completely has led some to suggest that Thule invaders wiped out the Dorset people in "an example of prehistoric genocide." Inuit legends recount them encountering people they called the Tuniit (in syllabics : ᑐᓃᑦ, singular ᑐᓂᖅ Tuniq ). According to legend, the first inhabitants were giants, taller and stronger than

672-441: The Dorset. The end-blades were hafted onto harpoon heads. They primarily used the harpoons to hunt seal, but also hunted larger sea mammals such as walrus and narwhals . They made lamps, called qulliq , from soapstone and filled them with seal oil. Burins were a type of stone flake with a chisel-like edge. They were probably either used for engraving or for carving wood or bone. Burins were also used by Pre-Dorset groups and had

720-567: The Dorsets lacked. Possibly, due to a shift from terrestrial to aquatic hunting, the bow and arrow became lost to the Dorset. Another piece of technology that is missing from the Dorset are drills : there are no drill holes in Dorset artifacts. Instead, the Dorset gouged lenticular holes. For example, bone needles have long, narrow holes that were painstakingly carved or gouged. Both the Pre-Dorset and Thule (Inuit) had drills. Dorset culture and history

768-634: The Greenland National Museum, which translates to Land of the Ancient People. Adam C. Knuth is a large open site with many different ruins including dwellings and lithic workshops. It was discovered on one of the last days of Knuth’s expeditions in 1980 who came across it accidentally and discovered a site littered with debitage and artefacts. It is the second biggest site after Inutoqqat Nunaat. The site holds 14 ruins including well-built midpassages ruins and 10 stone-build caches. Included in

816-411: The High Arctic the sun remains above the horizon for around two to four months each year. The coldest months of the year are lit by twilight, the aurora, and the circling moon. The warmest month of the year is only slightly above freezing, and the coldest month has an average temperature of below 30 degrees. Archaeological experiments have shown that it was possible for Independence I people to live in

864-409: The High Arctic with a degree of comfort. Independence I people lived a nomadic way of life and therefore their dwellings needed to be relatively light so they could be transported easily. Independence I dwellings like other Palaeo-Eskimo dwellings during the same era generally have an emphasis on an axial element. Their dwellings were often a tent rather than house construction and access to firewood

912-399: The Independence I culture over its long existence (Grønnow 2016:728). The topography of the area that the Independence I people resided was extreme and therefore their dwellings reflected this with a focus on keeping warm. Independence I dwellings were characterised by mid passages and a central hearth. The tools they used were also distinct from other cultures from the same era especially

960-892: The Independence I sites. However, researchers theorise that they used finely tailored skin clothing . Fragments of broken bone needles were among the artefacts discovered at Independence I sites, which suggests they stitched their garments. Only a few of the Independence I site show evidence of organic matter . However, some evidence of tools used by these people have been discovered. A few tangled harpoon heads have been recovered in some Canadian sites of Independence I however none have been found in Greenland. The tools used by Independence I people were quite distinct. Chert and “flint-like” materials were preferred for example black basalt , agate and black, blue and grey chert . End and side scrapers and large knife blades were part of their tool kit. Another marker of Independence I rather than Saqqaq,

1008-479: The Inuit but afraid to interact and "easily put to flight". In 1925 anthropologist Diamond Jenness received artifacts from Cape Dorset , now Kinngait. As they were quite different from those of the Inuit, he speculated that they were indicative of an ancient, preceding culture. Jenness named the culture "Dorset" after the location of the find. These artifacts showed a consistent and distinct cultural pattern that included sophisticated art distinct from that of

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1056-535: The Inuit. For example, the carvings featured uniquely large hairstyles for women, and figures of both sexes wearing hoodless parkas with large, tall collars. Much research since then has revealed many details of the Dorset people and their culture. The origins of the Dorset people are not well understood. They may have developed from the previous cultures of Pre-Dorset , Saqqaq or (less likely) Independence I . There are, however, problems with this theory: these earlier cultures had bow and arrow technology which

1104-529: The Palaeo-Eskimo sites and that there was a division between the two Independence cultures. The northernmost part of Greenland is characterised by “barren deserts, permanent sea- ice cover, several months of extremely low temperatures, and winter darkness”. Independence I people were living in extremely remote and harsh environments and assumedly in isolation. The ecological system in Northern Greenland

1152-600: The Sadlermiut and the Dorset. A genetic study published in Science in August 2014 examined the remains of nineteen Dorset people buried in Canada and Greenland between ca. 170  BCE and 1320  CE . The sixteen samples of mtDNA extracted were determined to belong to haplogroup D2a1 (twelve samples), D2a (three samples) and D. These haplogroups also predominate in the preceding Saqqaq culture, suggesting genetic continuity between

1200-644: The disappearance of Independence I. The Independence I occupation of northern Greenland appears to have been much more extensive than that of Independence II. Independence I alongside Saqqaq culture are considered to be the earliest known cultures in Greenland. The first Palaeo-Eskimo migrants are thought to have migrated from the Canadian High Arctic and have a connection to the Arctic small tool tradition . Radiocarbon dates and typologies of dwellings and tools do not allow distinguishing any chronological changes in

1248-788: The dwelling that Independence I people resided in giving an insight into how they survived the extreme temperatures of the High Arctic. The earliest known culture in Northern Greenland, Independence I existed from around 2500BC to 1900BC. It coexisted with Saqqaq culture in Southern Greenland which existed from 2500BC to 800BC. Unlike Saqqaq culture, Independence I culture was fairly short lived. After Independence I culture disappeared, Independence II culture appeared. Greenland did not have human inhabitants until remarkably late because of its geographical position restricting human access. Using traditional means of transport, Greenland could only be accessed through High Arctic Canada or by crossing

1296-528: The evidence suggests that they disappeared some time between 1000 and 1500. Radiocarbon dating has shown the Dorset were living in the Cambridge Bay area as late as 1350 CE, while the Thule Inuit moved into the area around 1200 CE. Scientists have suggested that they disappeared because they were unable to adapt to climate change or that they were vulnerable to newly introduced disease. The Dorset adaptation

1344-466: The existence of both Independence I and II. Eigil Knuth’s intensive archaeological investigations led to numerous sites being concluded as Independence I which was confirmede by later archaeologists and researchers. However, Inutoqqat Nunaat (formerly Pearylandville), Adam C. Knuth site and Deltaterasserne are considered to be the biggest settlements and most likely where the Independence I people spent longer periods of time. These sites contained ruins of

1392-416: The first evidence of its existence was found. The culture has been defined as having four phases due to the distinct differences in the technologies relating to hunting and tool making. Artifacts include distinctive triangular end-blades, oil lamps ( qulliq ) made of soapstone , and burins . The Dorset were first identified as a separate culture in 1925. The Dorset appear to have been extinct by 1500 at

1440-472: The land and inland waters of Greenland to sustain their livelihood. Their diet was slightly different depending which site they were located at as the population of various hunting animals differed. In the Adam C. Knuth site, it was calculated that the distribution was Arctic fox (45.1%), muskox (31.6%), rock ptarmigan (7.7%), arctic char (4.4%), arctic hare (4.4%), brent goose (2.25%), and ringed seal (1.3%) This

1488-485: The last remnants of the Dorset culture, as they had a culture and dialect distinct from the mainland Inuit . Encounters with Europeans and exposure to infectious disease caused the deaths of the last members of the Sadlermiut. A 2002 paper suggested that the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Sadlermiut people was related to that of both the Dorset and Thule peoples, perhaps suggesting local admixture. A subsequent 2012 genetic analysis, however, showed no genetic link between

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1536-473: The latest and perhaps as early as 1000. The Thule people, who began migrating east from Alaska in the 11th century, ended up spreading through the lands previously inhabited by the Dorset. It is not fully known whether the Inuit and Dorset ever met. Some modern genetic studies show the Dorset population were distinct from later groups and that "There was virtually no evidence of genetic or cultural interaction between

1584-418: The northernmost part of Greenland, around Peary Land. In September 1948, Danish explorer Eigil Knuth discovered Deltaterrasserne , a pre-Inuit archaeological site on Peary Land, during the second summer of a multi-year research expedition. At Deltaterrasserne, Knuth discovered evidence of human occupation and artefacts that were different to Inuit cultures, and it was concluded that what he had discovered

1632-468: The ruins are some well-preserved midpassages with boulder tent ring and midpassages with round boulders. Some of the ruins in this site had the qualities of winter dwellings. This conclusion was drawn as result of a field team finding clear distinction between dwellings at this site. Some of the dwellings were large more solidly built dwellings which were theorised as being used as winter dwellings. The tent rings that were found were theorised as being used in

1680-402: The ruins have less than 100 tools associated with it concluding that they probably were used for short periods of time. Researchers and archaeologists have noted that it is difficult to determine how long this site was used for as there is great difficulty in separating old remains from new ones. It has also been suggested the reason for the large number of ruins at Inutoqqat Nunaat is because it

1728-545: The summer months as they didn’t have as sound construction. The distribution of artefacts along the midpassage indicate that these dwellings could be divided by gender with female seatings in one area and a working area on the other side. Deltaterasserne is one of the larger sites discovered by Eigil Knuth. The artefacts and ruins discovered at Deltaterasserne aided Knuth in discovering the existence of Independence I and Independence II culture in Greenland. The site has several ruins of dwellings and open-air hearths and therefore

1776-608: The tools of the traditional Inuit and, alongside other evidence, he used this to conclude that he had discovered a pre-Inuit culture. Over six decades, Eigil Knuth recorded over 51 Independence I sites however only a few of these sites insinuate occupation for an extended period of time rather than for a couple of seasons. These sites include Inutoqqat Nunaat (Pearylandville), Adam C. Knuth site and Deltaterasserne. The small number of significant sites can be attributed to constant abandoning of sites and moving to new hunting grounds which would provide them with better resources however, this

1824-542: The two. The authors of the study suggested that the ancestors of the Saqqaq and Dorset entered North America from Siberia in a single distinct migration about 4000  BCE , after which they remained genetically largely isolated for thousands of years. The Dorset were genetically distinct from the Thule people who, after expanding out of Siberia, completely replaced the Dorset people around 1300  CE . The study also found no evidence of genetic mixing between Dorset people and

1872-448: The use of microblades. The extreme conditions of the region restricted Independence I people's diet to mainly muskox . The Independence I culture disappeared around 1900-1700 BC for unknown reasons. Scientists have considerably debated the reasons for why Independence I and II emerged in the isolated northeastern part of Greenland, as well as how these cultures flourished and disappeared. Danish explorer Eigil Knuth first recognised

1920-406: The use of oil/blubber lamps. Some of the hearths in these dwellings were hearths in a midpassage built within a tent ring and other hearths were box-hearths that were around 40 cm x 40 cm and built of slabs. The Independence I culture was a hunter-gatherer culture. Remains discovered at Deltaterrasserne of musk ox and fish bones suggests that Independence I people used the resources of

1968-409: Was a pre-Inuit culture. Knuth named it Independence culture after Independence fjord which was a significant landmark in the Peary Land. Later, Knuth divided Independence culture into Independence I and Independence II based on results from radiocarbon datings and differences in lithic tools. Further archaeological investigations and radiocarbon dates have confirmed Knuth’s discoveries about the age of

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2016-416: Was different from that of the whaling -based Thule Inuit. Unlike the Inuit, they rarely hunted land animals, such as polar bears and caribou . They did not use bows or arrows. Instead, they seem to have relied on seals and other sea mammals that they apparently hunted from holes in the ice. Their clothing must have been adapted to the extreme conditions. Triangular end-blades and burins are diagnostic of

2064-429: Was discovered at Adam C. Knuth site. This kind of dwelling had a central fireplace with four sides. Three of the sides were surrounded by a kind of platform and the fourth side was an open space towards the entrance. The dwelling was divided into three sections: a living area on each side, the midpassage and a central hearth. The only source of heat in these tents came from the hearth as no evidence has been found of

2112-488: Was limited. There are various Independence I dwelling types, one being the “elliptical double platform dwelling”. A distinct feature in this kind of dwelling is the stone build midpassage with a box fireplace inside two parallel walls. Eigil Knuth theorised these dwellings were most likely winter dwellings and that Muskox hides were potentially used to cover the floor. Another kind of dwelling linked to Independence I culture which wasn’t part of Knuth’s original research

2160-589: Was linked with the Pearylandville site as the microblade ruins discovered at both sites were the same therefore showing these sites were most likely inhabited by the same people. This site has evidence of both Independence I and Independence II culture however the formers settlement was more intense than the latter. The Independence I culture lived in Greenland for approximately 500–700 years and disappeared with Independence II culture appearing roughly 600 years later. The extreme temperatures of northern Greenland and

2208-423: Was theorised to be used for autumn and winter. The existences of larger dwellings in this site suggest they were main settlements during pitch dark winter when the Independence I people mainly relied on stored supplies. However other researchers have theorised that Deltaterasserne would have been the preferred summer site for Independence I people as they discovered a relatively large amount of bird bones. This site

2256-472: Was unstable and was at risk of worsening environmental conditions and overhunting. This has been provided as a reason why Independence I only lasted a few centuries unlike Saqqaq culture which migrated around the same time and lasted for almost 2000 years. The northernmost part of Greenland is the most extreme part of the region. The midnight sun only appears one day at midsummer in the Arctic Circle . In

2304-420: Was used as a place for gathering for Independence I people. Inutoqqat Nunaat is considered one of the largest Independence I sites and the most extensively investigated. Knuth led major excavations there in 1964, 1966, 1968, and 1969, wherein he was able to successfully recover 820 lithic tools, 5312 flakes and a total of 2274 animal bones. Inutoqqat Nunaat was renamed from "Pearylandville" in 2022 by members of

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