Disko Bay

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Disko Bay is a body of water off of the western coast of Greenland. Although currently an Arctic vacation locale, the bay (69 N 52W, which puts it above the Arctic Circle) has been an important location for centuries.

The area surrounding Disko Bay was first encountered by Europeans when Erik the Red started a settlement in 985 AD on the more inhabitable western coast of Greenland. The two settlements, called the Eastern and Western Settlement, were sustenance economies that survived on animal husbandry. Soon after the Western settlement was established, the Norsemen traveled up the coast during the summer thaw. It was this exploration that led them to the discovery of Disko Bay. The special interest in this bay was due to its rich sources of Walruses for ivory, seals for their pelts, and whales for a variety of materials. These products became the main exports and source of income for the Greenlandic settlers who traded with Iceland, England/Scotland/Ireland/Wales, and mainland Europe. It is important because without its resources the settlements might not have lasted as long as they did.

It is uncertain when the Inuit first started venturing into Disko Bay, and Norse accounts have the area uninhabited when they first explored. Further, Norse accounts document an eventual trade arrangement with the Inuit who came from the north and west. For a time both parties made peaceful use of the bay. Later accounts report fighting and massacres on both sides. However the Norse left the Greenlandic settlements mainly due to the Little Ice Age that started in the 15th century. There was such a massive shift of temperature that Disko Bay became inaccessible in the warmer summer months. This destroyed the livelihood of the Greenlandic Norse. Even the Eastern settlement, which was below the Arctic Circle became too cold for inhabitation. After this time until the return of Europeans in the 18th century the Inuit controlled the Disko Bay area.

[edit] Literary references

Disko Troop, a central character in Rudyard Kipling's novel Captains Courageous, was born on a fishing boat in the vicinity of Disko Bay and subsequently named after it.

[edit] Sources

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Diamond, Jared. Collapse. Penguin Press Ltd. London, England. 2005.
Haywood, John. The Encyclopedia of the Viking Age. Thanes and Hudson, Inc. New York, NY. 2000.
Ingstad, Helge. Friis, Erik trans. Westard to Vinland:The Discovery of Pre-Columbian Norse House-sites in North America. St. Martin’s Press. New York, NY. 1969.
Robert, James. Erikson, Eskimos, and Columbus. Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, MD. 2002.
Wahlgren, Erik. The Vikings and America. Thames and Hudson, Inc. New York, NY. 1986.
Wooding, Jonathan. The Vikings. Rizzoli International Pub. Inc. New York, NY. 1997.