THE DANISH-NORWEGIAN STATE AND FORMALISED TRADE

From 1720 the Danish-Norwergian state founded trading stations in Greenland.

One of those places was Ilulissat. The place was called Jakobshavn after the Danish merchant Jakob Severin.

Today 4,700 people live in Ilulissat. A hundred years ago there were just 300.

• On page 33 in the book is a map of Ilulissat from 1919.

  How many Inuit houses are there?

• Draw one or more Inuit houses.

The best hunters were called great hunters.

They caught more than needed for themselves and their family. What they did not need, they traded for European luxury goods.

De første bosættere brugte harpun til at fange sælerne med. I dag fanges de med garn. 

• In the picture you see the great hunter Johan Gundel from Ilulissat. 

  Invent a story about him and his family.

  Write, record or draw your story:

Around 1900 the Inuit moved from the settlements to town to be closer to the shops. They became sedentary.

Make a list of things that could be bought in Sofus’ shop.

The list:

From 1720 the Danish-Norwergian state founded trading stations in Greenland.

One of those places was Ilulissat. The place was called Jakobshavn after the Danish merchant Jakob Severin. With home rule in 1979 the place got its original Greenlandic name back.

Today 4,700 people live in Ilulissat. A hundred years ago there were just 300.

• On page 33 in the book is a map of Ilulissat from 1919.

  What does it show?

• From 1536 to 1814 Denmark and Norway were a commonwealth.

  Which countries are today in a commonwealth with Denmark?

The best and most productive hunters were called great hunters. Apart from providing for their families, they traded their catch for European goods.

In the colonial time economy was bound up with the catch. Therefore the colonial power was highly dependent on the best hunters.

With the shift from hunting to fishing in the 1920s the catch of the hunters was no longer needed and the hunters lost their status.

They became dependent on trading goods in the colonial stores but could no longer cover the needs of their families. 

The picture shows the great hunter Johan Gundel from Illulissat and his family. Imagine that you are one of the children and write a story with the title:

My childhood in the family of a great hunter

With the colonial shops the way of life of the Inuit changed. They moved from the settlements to the trading places. They wanted to live closer to the shop and they no longer needed to trade with other regions in Greenland. So they became sedentary.

• How did the way of life change for the Inuit during the 1800s?

• Why would people prefer to live near the trading posts? Get help on page 39 in the book.

• Describe Sofus’s shop.

From 1720 the Danish-Norwegian state founded trading stations in Greenland.

This facilitated the exchange of goods.

• Who is Jakobshavn named after?

• When did Ilulissat officially get its original name back?

• This picture is from Ilulissat – what year?

At the beginning of the colonial era, Disko Bay had the best hunting conditions in Greenland.

So here was the largest group of hunters, hunting and selling what they caught.

The colonial power was dependent on the best hunters.

• What is a great hunter?

• Why was the colonial power dependent on the good hunters?

• What happened in the 1920s?

The picture shows one of the grocery stores. 

This is administrator Sofus in his shop. These shops were part of the trading posts and supplied the hunters with European goods.

• What kind of goods did the great hunters get from the grocery stores?

• How did the way of life of the Inuit change?

• What happened during the 1800s?

From 1720 the Danish-Norwegian state founded trading stations in Greenland.

This facilitated the exchange of goods.

• Who is Jakobshavn named after? When did the town officially get its original name back? What does it mean?

• Denmark and Norway were a commonwealth from 1536 to 1814. What countries are in a commonwealth with Denmark today?

• What did the introduction of home rule mean to Greenland?

At the beginning of the colonial era, Disko Bay had the best hunting conditions in Greenland.

So here was the largest group of hunters, hunting and selling what they caught.

The colonial power was dependent on the best hunters.

• What is a great hunter and why was the colonial power dependent on them?

• What biological factors made the Disko Bay the place with the best conditions for hunting and fishing?

• Why was there a shift from hunting to fishing in the 1920s?

The picture shows one of the grocery stores. 

This is administrator Sofus in his shop. These shops were part of the trading posts and supplied the hunters with European goods.

• What goods were coveted in the grocery stores?

• How was the way of life of the Inuit before trading posts?

• What was good and what was not so good for the Inuit becoming sedentary?