On the use of iron by the Eskimos in Greenland

Abstract

Seventy-four iron objects were randomly selected from the archaeological items found in Greenland and have been stored in Copenhagen since about 1850. The objects consist of knives, ulos (knife used by Eskimo women for skinning), and harpoon blades, but also several nonworked fragments and some “hammerstones” were included. The objects were subjected to microscopical examination and x-ray microanalysis to determine their nature and mode of fabrication. The objects may be sorted into three groups. The majority of tools found north of Melville Bay were produced from small fragments of the Cape York iron meteorite shower that fell near Savigsivik over 2000 years ago. Half of the objects found in the Disko Bay area may be traced to occurrences of iron-bearing basalt, while the other half were produced from wrought iron. Some of these wrought-iron tools originated at Norse settlements and were apparently carried as far north as 77° by Norse ships as early as the 12th Century. Other wrought-iron tools were introduced by whalers, mainly of Dutch, Spanish and British origin, after about a.d. 1575. Some tools may derive from iron nails and hoops from wrecked ships. No signs of indigenous iron production have been detected.