~ 28000 BC

Paleo Indians:
Crossing Bering Strait

~ 12000 BC

Athapasca Indians:
Crossing Bering Strait

~ 10000 BC

End of
last ice age

~ 3000 BC

Paleo-Eskimos:
Crossing Bering Strait

~ 2000 BC

Migration of
Paleo-Eskimos from Alaska
as far as Greenland:
„Independence Culture“ und „Pre-Dorset Culture“

Arctic climate
warmer than today

500 BC
– 1000 AD

Dorset Culture
(500 AD – 1000 AD
= „Late Dorset period“)

2000 BC
– 1000 AD

Further development to
Neo-Eskimo Culture
(in Alaska)

~ 1000 AD

Expansion of
Alaska Eskimos as far as Greenland; „Thule Culture“

Arctic climate much warmer than today

Since ~ 1200

Cooling of climate

Before 1500

„Pre-contact Period“
(before contact with white people)

~ 1500

First explorers (from Europe)

1600 – 1850

„Small ice age“

1500 – 1900

„Early Inuit history“

~ 1750

First whalers

Since 1800

„Historic Period“

1800 – 1950

„Historic Inuit Culture“ (explorers, traders, missionaries, policemen; whalers until ~ 1910)

18^th/19^th century

Increasing trading activities
(first European goods)

19^th century

First missionaries

Since ~ 1900

Establishment of trading posts
and missions
(until ~ 1950 mostly
roman-catholic and anglican)

Since 1903

First police stations

1950 – 2000

Change from nomadic to resident
way of life (communities)

April 1, 1999

Establishment of “Nunavut Territory” in Canada (self administration)