Kalaallit are a
Greenlandic Inuit ethnic group, being the largest group in Greenland, concentrated in the west. It is also a contemporary term in the
Greenlandic language
Greenlandic, also known by its Endonym and exonym, endonym Kalaallisut (, ), is an Inuit languages, Inuit language belonging to the Eskaleut languages#Internal classification, Eskimoan branch of the Eskaleut languages, Eskaleut language family. ...
for the
Indigenous of
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...
().
[Hessel, 8] The Kalaallit (singular: ) are a part of the Arctic
Inuit
Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...
. The language spoken by Inuit in Greenland is known as
Kalaallisut, known in English as Greenlandic.
Name
Probably adapted from the name ''
Skræling'', ''Kalaallit'' historically referred specifically to Western Greenlanders.
On the other hand, Northern and Eastern Greenlanders call themselves
Inughuit
The Inughuit (singular: Inughuaq), Inuhuit, or Smith Sound Inuit, historically called Arctic Highlanders or Polar Eskimos, are an ethnic subgroup of the Greenlandic Inuit. They are the northernmost group of Inuit and the northernmost people in No ...
and
Tunumiit, respectively. About 80% to 88% of Greenland's population, or approximately 44,000 to 50,000 people identify as being Inuit.
[Hessel, 20]
History
Kalaallit are descended from the
Thule people but probably not from their predecessors in Greenland, the
Dorset culture.
[http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6200/1255832]
Regions
As 84% of Greenland's landmass is covered by the
Greenland ice sheet, Kalaallit live in three regions: Polar, Eastern, and Western. In the 1850s some Canadian
Inuit
Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...
migrated to Greenland and joined the Polar Inuit communities.
[Hessel, 11]
The Eastern Inuit, or ''Tunumiit'', live in the area with the mildest climate, a territory called ''Ammassalik''. Hunters can hunt marine mammals from
kayaks throughout the year.
[
The Northeast Greenland Inuit are now extinct. Douglas Clavering (1794–1827) met a group of twelve Inuit, including men, women and children, in Clavering Island in August 1823. There are many remains of former Inuit settlements in different locations of the now desolate area, but the population died out before mid-19th century.
]
Art
The Kalaallit have a strong artistic tradition based on sewing animal skins and making masks. They are also known for an art form of figures called '' tupilaq'', or "evil spirit object." Traditional art-making practices thrive in the ''Ammassalik''.[ ]Sperm whale
The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the Genus (biology), genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the s ...
ivory remains a valued medium for carving.[Hessel, 21]
See also
* List of Greenlandic Inuit
* Demographics of Greenland
* History of Greenland
Notes
References
* Hessel, Ingo. ''Arctic Spirit.'' Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre, 2006
External links
Kalaallit historical art collections
National Museum of the American Indian
Kalaallit archaeology art collections
National Museum of the American Indian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalaallit
Greenlandic Inuit
Inuit groups