Welcome to Nunatta Katersugaasivia Allagaateqarfialu - Greenland National Museum and Archives.

Here you can read more about the museum’s collections and exhibitions, as well as Greenland’s intangible cultural heritage. The archive's digitalised Church ledgers are found here.

Use the menu above or the search function to find what you're looking for and if you need further assistance, please reach out to the NKA staff.

Greenland RESPONSE

A short film exploring the archaeologies of climate change in UNESCO Kujataa.

https://youtu.be/KRCBNaw0MtA?si=9IUptzW3p90FtUNa

Archaeological sites across the circumpolar north are rapidly degrading as a consequence of rising global temperatures. This short film shares the story of the Greenland RESPONSE project and the archaeologists racing to record and rescue what is left. Focussing on the sub-arctic farming landscape of Kujataa, south Greenland, the film documents the excavations of Norse (Viking) farming settlements dating between the 10th-14th centuries, while exploring the very tangible connections to present-day Inuit farming communities working the same soil.

The film is a mixture of English and Kalaallisut. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation with support from the Greenland National Museum, UNESCO Bridges, NABO and the University of Iceland.

Soil Investigations at Sermermiut, 15-19 July, 2024

Ilulissat is hosting staff members from Nunatta Katersugaasivia Allagaateqarfialu, NKA, as well as two experts from Alaska who have special knowledge about soil and erosion.

Site Manager Bo Albrechtsen: “At Sermermiut, we are particularly interested in understanding how we can expect the erosion to develop in the coming years. On top of the plain lies a series of winter houses from the 17th-18th centuries, and beneath them, there are likely remains from both the Dorset and Saqqaq cultures. Overall, the plain holds around 4,000 years of cultural history. Therefore, we are interested in understanding how climate change will affect the area through erosion and the landslides of soil, peat, and cultural elements”.

One of the important factors contributing to the stabilization of the area is permafrost. The investigations therefore include mapping the extent of the permafrost: At what depth do we find it, how does vegetation affect the permafrost, how does the permafrost develop over a whole year, and several other questions.

The municipality's World Heritage Office, NKA, and the U.S. Department of the Interior are collaborating on the project.

In the picture from left to right: Christina Bonsell (Marine Ecologist), Mikkel Myrup (Museum Curator), Bo Albrechtsen (UNESCO Site Manager), Claire Shields (U.S. Department of the Interior), Hans Harmsen (National Heritage Resources Manager), and Claire Benton (Soil Scientist).

Special exhibition

Expedition Relics

For over a century, there was a great interest in organizing expeditions to Greenland. Several episodes mark history, many ending in tragedy and failure. The evidence of these expeditions along Avannaarsua is reflected in the objects left behind by 19 expeditions carried out between 1853 and 1934. Relics are exhibited.

Visit the exhibition and learn about the relics. The exhibition will be available from April 6^th until August 18^th, 2024, at the museum.

Digitized exhibition

Qassiarsuk Tapestry Tour

Take a virtual tour of Qassiarsuk, a subarctic settlement in Southern Greenland with a rich history spanning a thousand years! Join us as we explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its sub-arctic farming landscape.

The tour unveils Qassiarsuk's ancient history, showcasing the enduring connections between Norse settlers and today's Inuit communities. You’ll hear from local guides Aqqaluaq-Ole Frederiksen and Tupaarnaq Egede and local farmer Frederik Egede, whose families have cultivated this land for generations.

This project was a joint effort between CyArk, Kujataa World Heritage, and Greenland National Museum and Archives, and it was made possible with the generous support of Iron Mountain.

Memorial

Digitized exhibition "GREENLAND 1721-2021 A COLONY. A NATION. A PEOPLE."

The new special exhibition "GREENLAND 1721-2021 A COLONY. A NATION. A PEOPLE." can now be experienced in a virtual exhibition.

Click here to see.

The Museum

The museum was started in mid-1960s as the first museum in Greenland. The collections have ever since expanded the collections, from excavations and with repatriated material from the Danish National Museum. The museum works with archaeology, recent history, arts and crafts. The museum houses the central registers of listed buildings and monuments and undertakes conservation provisions of the law on protection of monuments and buildings, as well as participating in nature conservancy and urban planning.

The museum advises the Greenlandic government in all affairs regarding permission for excavation of ancient monuments. All excavated material belongs to Greenland.

The Archive

The archive is primarily tasked with ensuring the preservation of archival material and is furthermore responsible for the collection, organization, preservation, registration, research and dissemination of Greenland's cultural and social historical development.

The first law on archives was passed on the 1st November 1982 and on January 1st 1991 the Museum and the National Archives, which previously had been two separate institutions, were merged under the name Greenland National Museum and Archives.

The institution receives records from all public institutions in Greenland as well as from private donators. The archive is available for enquiries concerning records on- or from Greenland.