Sunday, January 22, 2023

Norse

 Here we have the product of a collaboration between the Museum and the community of Arctic Bay in the far north. The remains of a man who died 800 years ago were studied, along with the tools buried with him. The tools have been reproduced, the way he would have looked has been recreated, and the remains and original tools have been returned to the community.

He's been given a name: Nuvumiutaq.


A millennium ago, first contact was made in the New World. Norse sailors under Leif Erikson made landfall in North America, where Vikings made at least one confirmed settlement for a few years at L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland. Where there was one, there had to be more.


Artifacts of the time are seen here. The three effigies in the display case are by indigenous tribes of the coast dating back to the period. They traditionally depicted themselves with no features, but a third, at top, features someone with facial features and a cross on the chest.


Wood chips and slag fragments also offer evidence of the time of the Vikings in Canada.


In the High Arctic, there are even traces of the Vikings, though it is not known if the people of the North had direct contact with them, or salvaged items from shipwrecks or traded items with tribes to the south.

46 comments:

  1. It is amazing what they can discover from old remains.

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  2. ...many people were much hardier than I am!

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  3. Great exhibit, it is wonderful all these objects have been found. Take care, have a great new week.

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  4. I am actually in Ottawa right now but we have been spending our time outdoors. Yesterday was glorious and we were successful in locating two owl species and had a wonderful encounter with deer.

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  5. I sometimes wonder what´d be the word like if we all stuck in our place?

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  6. Muy interesante trabajo, para conocer la historia de del pasado de los primeros pobladores y sus costumbres.

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  7. I believe the Vikings went further into North America than Newfoundland. Time will tell.

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  8. I think it is a good thing that as many original items as possible should be returned to the original location and exhibit reproductions should be shown in the museums.

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  9. I thought I'd like to have been an archeologist, but that ship has sailed! Cool stuff.

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  10. I agee with above statements, having remains returned to the society to which they belonged is the most humane thing to do. I hate to admit I enjoy seeing pieces of ancient civilizations in museums far removed from where the artifacts were found. I see archaeologists all the time doing this.

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  11. I wonder what happens to artifacts that are returned to their community. Are they displayed ?Are they kept safe? We never seem to hear anything about them. Maybe there are museums in the community?

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  12. Very interesting!
    Have a blessed day!

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  13. As in a previous post, I like the human reconstruction.

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  14. That 800 year old man is fascinating.

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  15. Very interesting, we learned a lot from them !

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  16. Wow! what a process to create 'the man' ~ wonderful exhibit and photos ~

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  17. We know some things about the long ago people but there are many questions.

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  18. The 800 year old man is interesting. Great exhibit!

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  19. Wow, what a fascinating exhibit, and 800 hundred years old? Such amazing history and your photos are exceptional!

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  20. I remember reading about the 800 year old man. Thanks for including so much about him.

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  21. Nuvumiutaq has given us a fascinating glimpse back in time.

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  22. I like that they named him. It makes him all the more real.

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