Curiosity corner: What are people of Greenland called? |
This is one of those questions that sounds simple at first, but once you start digging, it gets a little more interesting. If you’re looking for the short answer, people from Greenland are called Greenlanders. That’s the general English term, and it’s perfectly fine to use. If someone is born in Greenland or lives there, they’re a Greenlander. Easy enough.But that’s not the whole story.
Kalaallit , Inuit , and why names matter
Most people who are native to Greenland call themselves Kalaallit. That word comes from the Greenlandic language, Kalaallisut, and it refers to the indigenous people of the island. Now, here’s where people sometimes get mixed up. You might hear the word Inuit used too. Inuit is a broader term that refers to Indigenous peoples living across the Arctic, including parts of Greenland. As per Britannica, “nearly nine-tenths of Greenlanders are principally of Inuit extraction. They identify themselves as Kalaallit (West Greenlanders), Inugguit (from Thule district), or Iit (East Greenlanders), depending upon their region.“According to IWGIA – International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, a global human rights organisation, “The Indigenous Peoples of Greenland, Kalaallit Nunaat, are Inuit and make up the majority of the Greenlandic population.” The majority of Greenlandic Inuit refer to themselves as Kalaallit, it says. “Ethnographically, they consist of three major groups: the Kalaallit of West Greenland, who speak Kalaallisut; the Tunumi- it of Tunu (East Greenland), who speak Tunumiit oraasiat (East Greenlandic) and the Inughuit/Avanersuarmiut of the north,” the report adds. “The Tunumiit (East Greenlandic) and Inuktun, or Avanersuarmiutut (Polar, or Northern, Greenlandic) dialects are spoken by smaller groups of people. Danish, which held status as an official language prior to the implementation of the Self-Government Act, is spoken as a native language by roughly 10 percent of the population. English is also spoken,” the Britannica report said. The Act on Greenland Self-Government (2009) basically gave Greenland more control and autonomy. It built on earlier rule and handed Greenland authority over things like natural resources.
What language do Greenlanders speak?
Most Greenlanders speak Kalaallisut, which is the official language of Greenland. It’s part of the Inuit language family and sounds very different from English or Danish. Danish is also widely spoken. When you’re talking specifically about Greenland’s Indigenous culture, traditions, and history, “Kalaallit” is the word that shows respect and accuracy.And Greenlandic culture is deeply tied to the land and sea. Fishing, hunting, storytelling, music, and community still play a big role in daily life, even as modern technology and global culture make their way north.
