Hunting Culture

Hunting and fishing have been a matter of life and death for 4,000 years, shaping a culture that invented and perfected the kayak.

HUNTING CULTURE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS

Since the first wave of immigration via Thule around 4-5000 years ago, the Inuits in Greenland have been dependent on nature’s resources in the form of fish, birds, land mammals and marine mammals.

Hunting and fishing have therefore always been a question of survival in a country in which the summer is short and the climate unsuitable for effective farming.

"Hunting and fishing have always been a way of life in Greenland"

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Package Tours

Bowhunting Greenland: Musk ox and Caribou Expedition Hunts

Bowhunting Greenland

Musk ox and Caribou Expedition Hunts

Musk ox and Caribou Expedition Hunting for World record Trophy bulls. Specialized in Bowhunting, rifle huntiner are also welcome. 7 days.

North Safari Outfitters: Muskox Hunting summer and fall 2019

North Safari Outfitters

Muskox Hunting summer and fall 2019

North Safari Outfitters offers a unique muskox hunt in the world's last frontier.

Icelandic Mountain Guides – Musk Ox & Ice Cap Adventure

Icelandic Mountain Guides

Musk Ox & Ice Cap Adventure

Drive through beautiful mountains, plains, semi-desert valleys and fascinating moraine landscape and end up walking on the Greenland Ice Cap.

Trophy Hunting Greenland: Reindeer Autumn Hunt 2018

Trophy Hunting Greenland

Reindeer Autumn Hunt 2018

Hunting trip with 4 days hunting, camp out in hunting area, incl. one reindeer, transport, food, accommodation

UNIQUE HUNTING TOOLS AND VESSELS

…to make the tools that could mean the difference between life and death. Throughout the generations, the Inuit cultures managed to create and refine unique products such as the kayak, the women’s knife known as the ulo, the soapstone lamp and harpoons, bird spears and high quality clothing made of animal hide and fur.

The fact that even compacted snow could be used to build a temporary shelter in the form of the igloo bears witness to an extraordinary ability to utilise nature’s own materials.

Hunting Culture - Two hunters in the sea ice near Tasiilaq in East Greenland

Johanne Bech hunting for musk oxen near Kangerlussuaq in Greenland. Photo by Mads Pihl

Greenlandic seal hunters, by Jeremy Bernard

TRADITIONS HANDED DOWN

Right from childhood the youngest generations have been taught by fathers and mothers how to make use of the traditional tools and methods of hunting.

Indeed, it is not unusual even today that children capture their first ptarmigan or seal even though they have only just begun attending school.

The first catch is a big event that is celebrated in a similar manner to birthdays…

CLIMATE CHANGE IS THREATENING THE HUNTER CULTURE

The hunters from North Greenland say today, however, that climate change has already led to short periods with much thinner ice or no ice at all in the winter and generally more unstable weather.

This may prove to be a major problem for the hunting culture in certain Greenlandic towns and settlements because the local population’s culture and existence depend on the ice for hunting and capturing prey, as well as for transport.

By Visit Greenland

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