The journey required crossing more than 50 kilometres of open water, among the longest sea voyages made by Indigenous Arctic groups at the time. The seafarers are believed to have been the first humans to reach the islands.

Credits: PA; Author: PA;


The findings were reported by a research team led by Matthew Walls of the University of Calgary. Researchers surveyed the islands in 2019 and identified a site on Isbjørne Island where Palaeo-Inuit people built circular tents. The islands lie within the Pikialasorsuaq polynya, an area of open water that formed about 4,500 years ago, according to marine sediment studies.