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Spun Cordage

Helluland Archaeology Project Background Recent Finds Spun Cordage Sculptural Art Other Artifacts Further Questions Suggested Reading

Aboriginal Arctic peoples wore tailored clothing sewn from animal skins. The Greenlandic Norse made garments by spinning fibres, most commonly from the wool of sheep and goats, and weaving the spun cordage into textiles. The cordage found in Helluland collections is not made from sheep or goat wool, but from the fur of other animals: Arctic hare, fox, and dog. Cordage spun from Arctic hare fur is found in only two of the many pieces of textile from mediaeval Greenland that have been recovered. This seems to indicate that the Helluland cordage was made locally rather than being imported from the Norse colonies.


Northern Labrador - Photo: Robert McGhee
Northern Labrador
Photo: Robert McGhee

The evenness of the spun cordage from Helluland sites, and the fact that it is made from fibres that are difficult to spin, indicates the work of experienced artisans. Does this suggest that European women were in Helluland, or that local Dorset people had become expert at using a foreign technology?

Woven Textile Fragment -Greenland National Museum and Archives
Woven textile fragment
Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus) fur
Mediaeval Norse
(13th-14th century A.D.)
Western Settlement, Norse Greenland
Greenland National Museum and Archives KNK 1950x3058
Photo: Pat Sutherland

Spun Cordage -Provincial Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador
Spun Cordage -Illustration: Hanna Kepka
Spun cordage, 2-ply
Dog (Canis familiaris) hair
Avayalik Island, northern Labrador
Provincial Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador JaDb-10:3614
Photo: Pat Sutherland
Illustration: Hanna Kepka

Spun Cordage -Provincial Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador
Spun Cordage – Illustration: Hanna Kepka
Spun cordage, 2-ply,
folded three-cord

Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) fur
Avayalik Island, northern Labrador
Provincial Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador JaDb-10:3606
Photo: Pat Sutherland
Illustration: Hanna Kepka

Spun Cordage -Photo: Pat Sutherland
Spun cordage, 2-ply
Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus) fur
Baffin Island, Arctic Canada
KdDq-9-3:4797
Photo: Pat Sutherland
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