Archaeological findings in Kitsissut shed new light on the earliest humans in the Arctic

A new archaeological study from the remote Kitsissut archipelago in the High Arctic of Kalaallit Nunaat suggests that people were living in the area almost 4,500 years ago - right in the middle of a period when the important Pikialasorsuaq polynya was forming.

The findings thus challenge our understanding of how early and how far the first Arctic communities ventured into landscapes and marine environments that today appear to be among the most inaccessible.

According to the researchers behind the study - Matthew Walls, Mari Kleist and Pauline Knudsen - Kitsissut has never been a place that people simply passed through.

The archipelago is so isolated that access is only possible via a challenging voyage across the open sea.

This suggests that repeated visits to the area are likely evidence of advanced seafaring technologies and strong navigational skills among the early Paleo-Inuit communities.

The researchers suggest that these early settlers not only survived in the Arctic, but actively exploited both marine and terrestrial resources in a complex interaction with the environment.

This paints a picture of societies characterised by high mobility and a considerable understanding of the dynamic Arctic ecosystems.

At the same time, the study raises new questions about the role of humans in shaping the early Arctic landscapes - and about the extent to which indigenous communities have helped to influence the development of the ecosystems we know today.