Liam S.

Bridgewater, Nova Scotia

South Shore Regional School Board

The Norse Traded in the Arctic?

My project is about how the Vikings traded with the Dorset Native peoples of the Arctic. My project proves how the Vikings established the first international trade with Canada, hundreds of years before John Cabot and Jacques Cartier.

 

 

What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?

I always thought Vikings were fierce warriors, thieves of the sea, and unscrupulous. But through my research I discovered that the Vikings were actually shrewd merchants and businessmen before their time. They not only were the first Europeans to discover Canada but they also created a new trading route no one else had ever found!

What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?

I learned that the topics of history and archaeology are not always 100% accurate. New historic sites, and artifacts are being discovered all the time. And the way people interpret artifacts can take history for twists and turns.

How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?

The Vikings led harsh, rough lives. It was brutal having to brave the seas not knowing where they were going to land their boat. They were courageous explorers who lived off the land and sea and worked extremely hard to do so, even braving the cold Arctic to get what they wanted. I learned that I am grateful for all the things that I have, especially the basic necessities of life. However, the Arctic might be too cold for me.