Here, far out at sea, they established hunting stations around the steep islands and with Åsgarden furthest to the west as the main settlement. The sea level was then 80-85 meters higher than today. Vega was one of the first ice-free areas on the coast and there was plenty of fish and game.

When the ice melted after the last ice age
13,000 years ago, the pressure from the ice cap decreased. Slowly, the land began to rise.

The oldest settlement was a hunting and gathering community. Gradually, it developed into a society where animal husbandry and agriculture also became important.

The sea land is formed

Between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago, an entire archipelago of islands, islets and reefs slowly grew up from the sea on the shallow beach surface. When the low islands came into use around 1,500 years ago, it was initially as hunting stations for fishing, hunting and gathering. Eventually, more people saw the opportunity to settle on the large expanse of beach. People settled on the islands because their livelihoods were more secure there than inland, where crops were often exposed to bad weather. It was primarily the fish that provided food and income. The poor soil provided fodder for a couple of cows and some sheep. They also hunted seals and seabirds. The wild eider duck provided precious, soft eiderdown.

Relocation

Island rulers have changed through the ages: Around the 11th century, Viking chieftains had control over the islands. Later, the church and state became the owners of the land in Helgeland. The Catholic Church was the largest landowner until the Reformation in 1537. After the Reformation, the state confiscated most of the properties. In order to pay war debts, Frederick III had to mortgage large landholdings in Norway. As a result, Joachim Irgens had all the crown estates in Nordland seized. Lorentz M. Angell took over large parts of Helgeland after him. Around 1700, there was hardly a single freeholder in the islands; they were all tenants and crofters. The sharecroppers usually rented the land and had the income from it. The crofters also had a duty to work. The land rent was often paid with raw materials such as eggs and down. Around 1860, the great whitefish arrived on the Helgeland coast, creating work and optimism. After 15 years, it disappeared from the area. When homesteading ceased in 1928, several islanders had the opportunity to buy their land. Vega municipality is at its peak around 1900 in terms of population and fishing activity.