Founded in 1928, Kullorsuaq was named after a nearby mountain that resembles a giant thumb. Hunting and fishing are the primary occupations in the settlement, with seals, narwhals and beluga whales being caught. Both the flesh and the skin of the whales (mattak) are good sources of revenue for the settlement. People further south find mattak from the beluga whale particularly delicious, whilst further north mattak from narwhals is the local favourite. Today Kullorsuaq is regarded as one of the most traditional hunting and fishing settlements in Greenland.

In 2011 the settlement opened a new Pilersuisoq grocery store, just a couple of years after the settlement had opened a new school for around 120 pupils from 1st to 10th grade. The service building in the settlement has a laundry, showers, meeting room and a hobby workshop.