Norskimo Greenland?

[TemporalRenegade]

Having read the account of the Norse colony in Greenland (and its failure) in Collapse, I noticed Jared Diamond mentioned that the rather xenophobic attitudes of both the Dorset-Inuit peoples and especially the Norse may have been one contributing factor to the collapse of Greenland Norse society. Greenland's frigid climate and especially, infertile soils was not very helpful for the agriculture practiced by the Vikings. On the other hand, had the Norse Greenlanders learned the subsistance techniques practiced by the successful Eskimoes (including hunting and foraging techniques, kayaks, tool-making), they might have had a better chance. Someone else posed the further question, what if the Dorset or Inuit peoples traded genes, technology, and culture with the Norse. Maybe the Norse would assimilate themselves in the aboriginal Greenland society. Flash forward decades later. I picture an Eskimo-Viking mestizo race forming. Presumably these people of partial Viking descent might also shift to a more hunter-gatherer mode of sustenance given the opportunities to exploit the natural resources of Greenland.

Was the Norse population of Greenland too large to support itself through fishing, hunting, and foraging? I may need to reread the chapter to get population figures. I think the population was at least large enough to require some sort of horticulture and herding, making a transition to a pure hunter-gatherer economy difficult and unfeasible. On the other hand, climate and soil depletion (especially with the Little Ice Age) might make agriculture unproductive, thus discouraging dependence on agriculture and encouraging reliance on fishing and hunting.

The Eskimo people were very well adapted to the Arctic both physically and culturally. Diamond noted how efficiently an Inuit with kayak and harpoon could catch marine mammals. I could easily see how a "Norskimo" culture would be more successful than the Greenland Norse IOTL. In short, the descendents of Viking settlers would adopt native clothing, tool-making techniques, kayaks, and hunting and fishing strategies, while introducing metallurgy and maybe even shipbuilding, wheels, livestock, and dairying to the indigenous peoples.

But what about the rest of such an emerging Norskimo culture? What would be the language? Would the Norskimo speak a North Germanic language akin to Norwegian and Icelandic or an Eskaleut one? Perhaps a hybrid language would emerge, fusing both languages into a new language family. (I am not sure what the term for hybridizing of languages is called. Maybe someone with a background in linguistics could help out? I'm sure some time in human history two unrelated languages combined to form a single intelligible one.) And what religion would the Norskimo practice? I am aware that indigenous peoples of Greenland practiced animistic religion and that the Greenland Norse were Christian. Presumably, I see Christianity (in some form) winning out.

Further on, what relation would this society hold to Europe? I would imagine the Norskimo would maintain trade relations and even cultural and political ties to Europe, unless of course they are cut off (which is a likely possibility given climatic events). Whether Norskimo Greenland and Europe maintain contact has a tremendous effect not only on the fate of the Greenland colony, but on further explorations and settlement westward.

Finally, I would expect that sooner or later, the Norskimo would make westward voyages of exploration and even settlements at Baffin Island, Brinswick, Nova Scotia, Vinland (Newfoundland), New England, and the Hudson Bay area. Surely some Norskimo would travel down the Saint Lawrence River into the Great Lakes region. How would Norskimo colonies in North America fare? Assuming that the Norskimoes of Greenland have not yet abandoned their horticultural practices or the raising of livestock prior to colonizing Vinland and elsewhere, settlements in the southern most reaches of Norskimo lands would almost certainly revive more sedentary agricultural practices, including the raising of cattle, sheep, and possibly goats, pigs and horses. The technology to work iron and steel would survive, and perhaps wheel-making and ship-building, even if those more Northerly Norskimoes fall back on hunter-gatherer subsistance and abandon mettalurgy and longboats (which were in the long run a liability rather than an asset in Greenland considering that both required tons of timber, a commodity in short supply there).

Now consider the tremendous impact on the Americas! Norskimo villages would dot North America from Greenland to OTL modern Minesota in what is now Southern Canada and the US Northeast. Continuing the tradition of their Scandinavian ancestors, the colonists would embark on trade expeditions down the St. Lawrence and Mississippi Rivers. Norskimoes of North America would acquire such crops as corn and sunflowers offering iron and steel tools, wheels, ocean-going ships, and the knowledge to make all tha above in addition to European livestock. Most of all, assuming that literacy survives, the Natives might acquire an alphabet.

Not to mention, considering that the Norskimoes would almost certainly be Christians, and the historical tendency of Christians to convert "heathen" peoples it is likelt that some Native American groups would adopt Christianity.

Moreover, what if some Norskimoes settled in Mesoamerica. They would inevitably serve as artisans, craftsmen, and merchants in the Aztec and Maya empires. The Mexican natives could then adopt the usage of wheels, ferrous metallurgy, seaworthy ships, even European livestock. Would the Aztec or Maya priests embrace the religion of the Norskimo? I could picture an offshoot of Catholicism developing in Mesoamerica before large scale European settlement.

 

[pa_dutch]

This is a very interesting premise... I had a thought once that was very similar to your's, only it involved Irish Inuit instead of Norskimos. I'd love to see a timeline come from your idea.