Etah, Greenland, abandoned village in Greenland
Etah is an abandoned hamlet in northern Greenland, sitting at the edge of Foulke Fjord in the Avannaata municipality. Steep cliffs rise on either side of the bay, and the few remaining huts are scattered along the shore near the water.
Different Inuit groups passed through the area around 4400 years ago, and the Thule people arrived later, less than 1000 years ago. In 1865, a shaman named Qidlaq led a group of migrants to this coast, and some of them stayed in Greenland.
Etah is known as the northernmost place where people ever lived permanently, and that fact still draws researchers and explorers to this remote shore. The empty huts left behind give a clear sense of how far the Inuit settled into the Arctic.
The site is most reachable in summer, when the ice retreats and occasional hunters pass through the area. Even then, strong winds and fast-changing weather are common, so good preparation is essential before arriving.
In 1984, people from Qaanaaq tried to resettle the place by hunting walrus and bears, but the effort failed and they eventually left. The huts they built during that attempt are still standing by the water today.
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