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The muskox is a large Arctic mammal (known as umingmak in Inuit)--it has long been used for its meat and wool, which drove it to extinction in Siberia, Alaska, and all but the most remote parts of the Arctic Archipelago. Today there are attempts at domesticating the muskox, as their coat, called qiviut, is exceptionally warm and thus makes an expensive fabric.

But what if the Inuit (or their ancestors) had already domesticated the muskox? The origin of the Inuit in the Thule culture occurred at a time when the muskox was still present in northern Alaska. Perhaps slight shifts of the Inuit way of life (brought on by an extended time of plenty like the Roman Warm Period or an extended time of little like the Late Antiquity Little Ice Age) would be enough to make them preserve these animals instead of immediately butchering them. The Inuit would gain a more reliable source of meat than caribou or other game as well as an animal they could regularly harvest wool from to make clothing (which could be very valuable in trade to other groups). Muskox can pull sleds and make solid pack animals, and unlike dogs, don't need to be fed meat. Since they can thrive in the harshest environments like the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (including far north Ellesmere Island and northern Greenland), they can expand the range of the Inuit.

One effect which is most interesting is the effect this would have on the Norse settlements in Greenland and their frequent trips to Vinland and Markland. When the Dorset are displaced by the Thule, the Greenlanders will notice the muskox, and likely trade with the Inuit for the qiviut. Qiviut is superior to wool or other fabric used by Europeans in keeping out the cold, and would likely become a status symbol amongst the wealthy. For Greenlanders, it would be a major trade good to Iceland and Norway, eventually even surpassing ivory. Unlike ivory which was undercut by African ivory, qiviut would remain a profitable export, allowing Greenlanders to import their daily needs and continue their expeditions to harvest timber and such.

Europeans would thus know that this "oxwool" or whatever name qiviut becomes known as comes from the far west. This would implant an idea that the far west (i.e. the Americas) is rich in people trading this substance, which will disappoint a lot of explorers since it's unlikely non-Inuit will adopt the muskox (muskox is sensitive to wet conditions, so aside from maybe Athabaskans in the Rockies, this pastoralism won't spread far south). However, they'll likely find the Grand Banks and the wealth in furs in the Americas.

Aside from what I mentioned, what other effects might this cause for the Americas and later Europe? In terms of colonialism, I think it will make the Scandinavians take a lead on colonising the New World.
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