The Thule peoples’ first contact with Europeans…

The Thule peoples’ first contact with Europeans had come from the Vikings, who settled Greenland and explored the eastern Canadian coast.

Norse literature speaks of skrælingar, most likely an undifferentiated label for all the native peoples of the Americas the Norse contacted, Tuniit, Inuit and Beothuks alike.

Sometime in the thirteenth century, the Thule culture began arriving from what is now Canada.

Norse accounts are scant.

However, Norse made items have been found at Inuit campsites in Greenland.

It is unclear whether they are the result of trade or plunder.

One old account speaks of "small people" with whom the Norsemen fought.