Just around the corner from Aasiaat Island, you will find a whale graveyard used by generations of whale hunters. When a whale hunt was a succes, the dead whale was brought to the shallow water and dragged on to the shore to be parted.  

Watch the skeletons of sea giants 

The whale graveyard by Aasiaat consist of many big skeletons from narwhales, minke whales, fin whales and hump back whales. Sometimes you can also see a skeleton from a seal. 

You can reach the whale graveyard shortly by boat from the harbour of Aasiaat. It is possible to see some bones on shore as well as under water, and when the tide is low you can easiliy spot the big whale skeletons just below your boat. 

The quantity of skeletons varies according to season and the luck of the hunters, and the tide also rearranges the bones from day to day. 

After the parting of the whale, hunters bring the meat, lard and blubber to “The board” – Brættet – in town. Here they sell their catch before going on a new whaling adventure – maybe near Qeqertarsuaq?

Whales now and then 

Today the whales are mostly hunted for their meat and lard – “mattak” in Greenlandic. But back in the days almost all of the whale was used. The bones were used for materials such as kayaks, knives and harpoons, and the skin could be used for clothes. The lard was used for lamps. 

Due to sustainability reasons and to protect the wild life of the Arctic, the big whales are no longer free for everybody  to hunt. There are a limited number of whales that can be hunted every year. Only commercial Greenlandic hunters with a license are allowed to hunt and kill the larger whale species.