Travel Guide Qaanaaq

Qaanaaq (formerly Thule or New Thule) is a town of about 650 people located in the far north of Greenland only 30 km from Canada. There is archaeological evidence that the first Palaeo-Eskimo inhabitants arrived in Canada 5,000 years ago via Smith Sound, but the direct ancestors of today's Inuit are descended from the Thule culture that arrived in Greenland as early as the 13th century. The Inuit of this remote region were first approached by Europeans in 1818 by the Scottish explorer John Ross, who called the Inuit "Arctic highlanders". They were later also known as Thule Eskimos, Polar Eskimos or Inughuit.Qaanaaq and its villages are the ideal setting to discover Inuit culture and get closer to the local population. Hunting (seals, walruses and polar bears) still plays an important role in daily life and this is one of the few places in Greenland where they still go hunting by kayak. Sometimes they also organize traditional drum dances, kayaking lessons and concerts where the choir singers come dressed in their best costumes!