1st & 2nd floor - Rooms 179-172 + 271-273
The Arctic is brutal, breathtaking, and bitterly cold. Step into the world of the Inuit, where people have adapted to a life on the ice.
For centuries, the Inuit have read the ice, hunted seals, kept warm in cold water, and illuminated the night sky with portable lamps. Explore the world's largest collection of stories, inventions, and artifacts from the far north.
Arctic discoveries and inventions
1.
A leap for life in the gut parka
The whale struggles. The hunter balances on the edge of the boat with the spear in a firm grip. He waits. At the perfect moment, he must leap onto the whale and plunge the lance straight into the blowhole.
The hunter must be careful. If the whale doesn't kill him, the ice-cold water will. That's why he's wearing a wetsuit, a drysuit made of gut, sealed with blubber. And with a bit of air inside, it can keep him afloat, dry, and warm in the icy waves.
Image gallery
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Magic and mother's love
The mother has selected 80 amulets for the outfit. Each one to invoke certain animal powers and spirits that could protect her 5-year-old Arsulik Tertâq.
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The powers and abilities of animals
Strong as the polar bear. A keen eye like the raven. Each animal had unique abilities. And by attaching an amulet to Tertâq's hide clothing, the animal's powers could help him through life.
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He bought it with a lock of his hair
Knud Rasmussen bought the suit in 1923. Because he was European and Inuit, he could navigate both worlds. From the hair, the Inuit made an amulet for Tertâq, which could summon Knud's abilities.
3.
The little heroine on the world's longest sled journey
Without her, Knud Rasmussen would never have returned home with the world's largest collection from the Arctic. Arnarulunnguaq, 'The little woman', was a multitalent. She repaired clothes, cooked food, led the dog sled, and could hunt and fish. She was instrumental in ensuring the expedition's survival as they traveled from Greenland across Canada and Alaska. A total of 18,000 km. over three years.
Included in the travel goods was brand new knowledge. Namely that the Inuit, despite great distances, were connected by common ancestry, language, culture, and stories. A narrative that will continue to live on our banknotes when Arnarulunnguaq herself appears on them in 2028.
Arnarulunnguaq in a fur suit, The Bellows
4.
An elderly Inuit woman
The Inuit world is tattooed on her face
The first lines will be tattooed when she's an adult. The next ones when she becomes a mother. If she get's 11 tattoes, she is a wise woman. For 4,000 years, women in the Arctic have had their faces tattooed to summon the help of spirits and the abilities of animals, and as stories of rituals and communities.
The old custom has been given new life today. More young people are getting tattoos precisely to keep traditions and culture alive in a society that must rediscover itself after centuries of colonization.
An elderly Inuit woman
Open today
10:00 - 17:00
Admission ticket
English guided tour
Meet Inuit in Greenland
Join our English tour of the museum's Arctic collection. Travel 300 years back in time and discover the tools and traditions Inuit created to survive. See the mobile blubber lamp, a gut suit for floating, snow goggles, outfits to withstand the cold, and much more...
