Ancient people crossed hazardous Arctic channel with advanced seafaring skills

Archaeologists found a Paleo‑Inuit camp on the Kitsissut islands dated to about 4,000–4,400 years ago, with at least 18 tent rings and hearths. The site and boat fragments reported by researchers indicate repeated long-distance sea journeys — roughly 53 km estimated as 12–15 hours of paddling across the North Water polynya.

Archaeologists have identified the remains of an ancient camp on the Kitsissut islands, a rocky cluster between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, dated to about 4,000–4,400 years ago. The site was mapped in work done between 2017 and 2019 by Matthew Walls and colleagues from the University of Greenland with a team of local Inuit, and the findings were published in the journal Antiquity. Researchers report the location would have required a journey of roughly 53 kilometres by water from the nearest shore and estimated canoe- or kayak-style travel of 12–15 hours in High Arctic conditions. The area is associated with the North Water polynya, an open-water channel that supports a rich marine ecosystem and nesting seabird colonies. Key findings: - Radiocarbon dating of a seabird bone from one tent ring places the site at about 4,000–4,400 years old. - At least 18 tent rings were recorded on raised ridges, each with a central hearth and lines of stones that may have divided internal activity areas. - Stones around the cleared areas likely held down sealskin tents stretched over driftwood frames, and hearth remains include burnt driftwood. - Archaeologists and collaborators report small fragments of boat material elsewhere in the High Arctic consistent with skin-covered canoe- or kayak-like craft, and researchers estimate journeys to Kitsissut would have taken many hours of difficult paddling across open water. - The site’s timing and use align with development of the North Water polynya, which supports phytoplankton blooms and a food chain that attracts marine mammals and seabirds, and the research involved local Inuit and institutional partners. Summary: The discoveries at Kitsissut suggest Paleo‑Inuit groups repeatedly visited and occupied a marine-focused seasonal site and that they had seafaring capabilities sufficient for long open-water journeys. The findings influence how researchers view early human use of Arctic marine resources and the long-term role of Indigenous peoples in local ecosystems. Undetermined at this time.