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Theculture ofGreenland has much in common withGreenlandic Inuit tradition, as the majority of people are descended fromInuit. Many people still goice fishing and there are annual dog-sled races in which everyone with a team participates.
However, Greenland has now become somewhat of atourist attraction. It holds contests to attract tourists such asdog racing,ice fishing,hiking, and cross country racing.
Inuit account for 81% (2005) of the population of Greenland.[1]Hunting is iconic to their culture and most Greenlanders still hunt at least part-time to supplement their diet and provide skins forclothing andkayaks.
The northwest corner of Greenland is known as theThule region. It is roughly the size of Germany, but inhabited by less than 1,000 people. The northernmost year-round communities on earth (Siorapaluk,Moriusaq,Savissivik,Qeqertat, andQaanaaq) are in the Thule region. Siorapaluk, with approximately 80 residents, is just 730 nautical miles (1,360 km) from the North Pole.
Currently, though most families in the Thule region need at least one member in salaried employment in order to pay for electricity and other modern amenities, hunting remains a revered profession. Traditional foods likeseal,walrus,narwhal andcaribou are consumed frequently. Hunters still wear hand-madepolar bear skin garments, caribouanoraks and skin boots for warmth on winter hunting trips. Many of the men maintain world-class kayaking and harpoon-throwing skills.
Hunting has always been an important aspect of the Greenland Inuit culture:
Even today hunting is important as stated by the Greenland Home Rule Government:
Reindeer hunting has a special status in the hearts of the populace. Shooting amusk ox provides four times as much meat as a reindeer, but "Greenlanders would much rather have caribou or reindeer meat than musk or ox meat," says Josephine Nymand.[4] "But the experience is just as important as the meat," points out Peter Nielsen, Head of Office at the Ministry ofEnvironment and Nature. "It is simply the most wonderful part of the year. The trips in for the caribou hunt in the beautiful autumn weather have a great social and physical meaning for people'swellbeing. It has many functions."[4]
The long history of mutual dependence between humans and reindeer necessitates continuing efforts to safeguard their relationship and the welfare of both parties. Reindeer hunting – which is also commonplace in many other parts of the world – is considered so vital to thecultural heritage of certain groups that there is an attempt[5][6][7] being made to get it placed onUNESCO'sWorld Heritage List.[8]
The identity of the Inuit is closely tied to theirgeography, history and their attitudes toward hunting – "For Inuit,ecology, hunting and culture are synonymous".[9] Their identity as hunters is under attack. Those attacks are "viewed in the Arctic as a direct assault on culture, identity as well as sustainable use",[10] and Inuit are reacting:
Therefore, thecircumpolar peoples and their organizations are actively engaged in attempts to protect their welfare, identity, interests, and culture, including their hunting culture. The "Kuujjuaq Declaration"[12] addressed perceived attacks on theirautonomy andrights, and recommended that theInuit Circumpolar Council "undertake a comprehensive study on how best to address global forces, such as the 'animal rights' and other destructive movements that aim to destroy Inuit sustainable use of living resources, and to report back to the next General Assembly on its findings."[13] TheInternational Arctic Science Committee shares these viewpoints and therefore one of its objectives is to study the "sustainable use of living resources of high value to Arctic residents."[14]
As valued as it is, traditional hunting in Greenland is under tremendous stress. Pressure from environmental and conservation groups has led Greenland's Home Rule Government to set hunting limits for most species. In January 2006, a 150 animal limit was set for the most prized of all Greenlandic animals, thepolar bear.
Another pressure for Greenland's hunters isclimate change. According to theArctic Climate Impact Assessment, the largest study ever conducted on the effects of warming in the Arctic, winter temperatures above the63rd parallel north have increased on average, by 2 to 5 Celsius over the past 50 years and could rise by yet another 10. That increase is having a dramatic effect on the wildlife, environment and culture of the high Arctic. In an interview for the Arctic I.C.C.E. Project, Savissavik hunter Simon Eliason said hunters are spending more time in the fjords (rather than on the sea ice) because there is less sea ice on which to hunt seal, walrus and polar bear. He also said that hunters who net seals under the ice in winter must pull in those nets within hours after an animal is caught.Worms andparasites that the hunters have never seen before rapidly riddle and destroy the carcasses if they are left in the water very long. Eliassen says he believes the parasites have moved north with the warmer water.
Finally, traditional Thule culture is threatened by development and the growing cash-based economy. Even the smallest settlements in northwest Greenland have electricity today, albeit a small supply of electricity powered by diesel generators. Having electricity, as well as ammunition, hunting rifles and other store-bought products, means that at least one member of every family must be in salaried employment. In most cases, that member is a woman—a wife, daughter or mother. The jobs held by the women allow the men to continue to hunt full-time. But one consequence of this division oflabor is that Thule women are losing their knowledge of traditional skills faster than the men. These skills includeflensing, treating and sewing skins.
