What are you research area?
-I am an anthropologist and have been researching small communities in Greenland for about 25 years. My work has focused on concepts such as the individual, kinship, loneliness and suicide. In recent years, I have studied hunting, climate change and the relationship between humans, animals and nature. Anthropology is based on the recognition that you can only understand a society from the inside – based on its own assumptions and worldview. This means that as an anthropologist, you are constantly learning about other ways of perceiving the world, and that our concepts and theory development develop from there.

- How does the relationship between humans, animals and nature shape everyday life in the Greenlandic hunting communities?
"Animals are a central part of everyday life in Greenlandic hunting communities. People are constantly aware of their surroundings – of hares and birds moving freely in the settlements, or of a polar bear coming close to the town. The sound of panting narwhals can suddenly be heard, or musk oxen can appear on the shore to ingest salt. It forms the basis for conversations in everyday life. People are constantly watching the animals' movements – through the windows, in social media posts, and in the accounts of hunters returning home with stories and experiences. When a group of hunters kill a walrus or whale, it is a social event where people gather to watch the shredding and distribution of the meat among the hunters and their families. Animals have been crucial for physical, social, and religious survival in Greenland throughout the ages. Although modern technology and materials have reduced the need for skin, thread from tendons and blubber for fuel, caught meat is still an important part of both physical and social life. Meat feeds both humans and sled dogs and is distributed between households and families. Sharing the catch is a recognized practice throughout the Arctic and is associated with respect for the animals, and with how kinship is formed and maintained in society.

Across Inuit communities, animals are seen as thinking and sentient beings who only allow themselves to be captured by those who show respect – for example, by welcoming the animal, sharing the meat, and minimizing waste. This varies through time and place, and is today also shaped by Christian and scientific worldviews - but the core view that wildlife and human life are connected remains a deeply rooted worldview.

In your research project Hunting Life, you will investigate the social and environmental dimensions of hunting. According to your research, what factors are important for how hunting practices develop in Greenland?
-Social practices, cultures and traditions are always changing. Nature is dynamic, and life as a prisoner is unpredictable. Even the most experienced hunters can be surprised by the movement of the ice, the weather and the behaviour of the animals – and the hunters act accordingly.

However, hunting has also changed as a result of political, economic, and technological developments. The hunting is regulated by the Government of Greenland, which sets quotas for several hunting animals, which may only be caught by those hunters whose main occupation is hunting. Hunting has thus also become a political, economic and scientific issue.

Climate change is also of great importance – sea ice is becoming thinner and less widespread, which makes fishing at the ice edge more difficult. Noise pollution from increased ship traffic and seismic surveys affects the behaviour of marine mammals, and pollution from industry has found its way into the food chain. Many hunters now use motorboats and snowmobiles rather than kayaks and dog sleds, but at the same time we also see that some younger hunters are diligently maintaining and even resuming traditional hunting methods. The number of hunters has fallen significantly, and the trend is for people to move from the settlements to the cities, where there are education and job opportunities. Hunting is also no longer exclusively a family business, where men go hunting and women process skins and meat, as many women today work on the side, or apply for long higher education. But despite all these changes, the hunter as a figure still has a special place in the Greenlandic social soul, where he is admired for his strength, patience, tradition and wisdom. In this way, trapping and the hunter are part of the DNA that forms Greenlandic society.

Hunting has historically been crucial to Greenlandic society and identity. How do you see hunting and trapping continuing to play a role in the societal challenges and political debates that are current in the run-up to the parliamentary elections?
"Life in the smaller towns and settlements is very much possible because there is access to hunting. The food in the supermarkets is too expensive, not fresh and without the history and significance that the fresh catch from the surrounding countryside holds. This landscape is filled with history, tales and deep cultural roots. Although hunting also takes place in the larger cities, it plays a much more crucial role in the smaller communities. Here, hunting is not just a tradition, but a necessity to sustain life and enable the population to stay in the area they consider their home. Economically, one could argue that it would be most advantageous if Greenland's population lived together in fewer and larger towns – like the G60, Denmark's centralization policy in the 1960s, when several settlements and hunting grounds were closed down and the population forcibly moved to larger cities. But the human and cultural costs of such centralization were, and would be, serious.

Greenlandic politicians are generally aware of the importance of hunting for both culture and identity. But they face a difficult balancing act. They must support the hunting communities, take into account quotas for fish and wildlife, and navigate the pressure from international environmental organizations. This is a recurring theme in the election debates – and has been for many years.

Contact
Janne Flora, Associate Professor
Department of Anthropology
School of Culture and Society
Aarhus University
Mail: jakf@cas.au.dk
Phone: 8716 1918

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Link to scientific publication