Here, far out to sea, they established fishing stations around the steep cliffs. the 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 here.

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

3,000 – 5,000 years ago, an entire archipelago grew with islands , islets and rocks slowly rise from the sea on the shallow beach surface. As the low the islands were used around 1500 years ago, it was first as a trapping station for fishing, hunting and gathering. More people eventually saw the opportunity for settlement on the large beach area. People settled on the islands because the food supply was more secure there than inland where crops were often subject to drought. It was primarily fish that provided food and income. The poor soil provided fodder for a couple of cows and a few sheep. They also hunted seals and seabirds. The wild eider provided valuable, soft eider down.

Relocation

The island lords have changed over time: Around the 11th century, Viking chieftains had control over the islands . Later, the church and state authorities became 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. To pay war debts, Frederick III had to mortgage large landholdings in Norway. This meant that Joachim Irgens was given all the crown property in Nordland. 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 homesteaders. The tenants usually rented the land and had the income from it. The homesteaders also had a work obligation. The rent was often paid with raw materials such as eggs and down. Around 1860, the herring arrived on the Helgeland coast and created work and optimism. After 15 years, it disappeared from the area. When the homestead system ended in 1928, several islanders were given the opportunity to buy their places. Vega municipality is at its peak around 1900 in terms of population and activity in fisheries.