Nuussuarmiut: Hunting Families on the Big Headland : Demography, Subsistence and Material Culture in Nuussuaq, Upernavik, Northwest GreenlandThis book describes life in a small hunting community in Northwest Greenland. It is based on fieldwork carried out by the author from 1966 to 1968 and documents in detail the traditional material culture, ways of hunting and fishing, daily life, and festive occasions of an Inuit society not yet influenced by European culture. The historical background of the settlement from the establishment in 1923 is outlined. Daily life in the settlement itself and out on the hunting grounds is followed through a whole year and all processes are documented in the many original photographs. The book demonstrates a surprising stability in the life of the hunting families, not due to conservatism but because experience has shown them that this way of living is the most suited to the given conditions. At the time of the field study, new tools and a number of other items had been introduced. In a large number of cases, they are used in conjunction with more traditional tools. |
Contents
Foreword | 7 |
Chapter | 14 |
The Norse at Upernavik | 20 |
The climate in Upernavik district | 27 |
Climate | 33 |
Family relationships and meat distribution | 39 |
Fish | 52 |
Summary | 60 |
Hunting as a riskfilled occupation | 151 |
Chapter 9 | 159 |
Patterns for the garments | 165 |
Chapter 10 | 174 |
Changes in houses | 180 |
Summary | 190 |
Chapter 12 | 205 |
Appendix 2 | 221 |
Chapter 7 | 131 |
Kayak suit tuilik | 138 |
Some hunting methods which have gone out of use | 149 |
Appendix 5 | 227 |
Common terms and phrases
22 rifle Aappilattoq able adults archaeological Arctic bear hunting bearded seal Bendt Frederiksen birds blubber boat bone breathing holes caribou caribou antler caribou skin catch caught Danish depilated dog's name Eider Eliassen European example fish flensing game animals Greenland halibut Grønland guillemot Hansen harp seal harpoon harpoon head headland hooded seal houses hundenavn hunter families hunting bladder hunting statistics hunting trips Ice Fjord ice margin Illulik Inussuk island Jørgen kajak kamiks kayak kayak hunters Kittorsaq Kullorsuaq Kuuk large number Lynge mattak Melville Bay motorboats næs narwhal Nuugaarsuk Nuuk Nuussuaq open water Photo piece place name Plate polar bear population pups ringed seal runners sæl scraper seal nets seal skin settlement shark shoot shot snow spring stednavn strap string figure suaq summer Tasiusaq tent tion towing trousers tusk umiaq Upernavik district uuttoq hunting walrus whereas white whale winter women wooden