Tunumiit

Tunumiit

250px Tasiilaq in east Greenland
Total population
(3,000 (2012))
Regions with significant populations
Greenland
Languages
Tunumiit, Danish
Religion
Inuit religion, Evangelical Lutheran
Related ethnic groups
other Greenlandic Inuit

Tunumiit are Greenlandic Inuit from Tunu, the eastern part of Greenland. The Tunummiit are a part of the Arctic peoples known collectively as the Inuit.

Northern and Western Greenlanders call themselves Inughuit and Kalaallit, respectively. About 80% to 88% of Greenland's population, or approximately 44,000 to 50,000 people identify as being Inuit.

Language

The Tunumiit language, also called East Greenlandic and Tunumiit oraasiat, is dialect of Greenlandic. (The official language of Greenland is a different dialect of Greenlandic, Kalaallisut; the Inughuit speak Inuktun, which is more closely related to Inuktitut, which is spoken in Canada)

Region

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.

Art

An angakkuq or spirit healer named Mitsivarniannga from Ammassalik Island created a tupilaq "evil spirit object," for a visiting European in 1905. When no harm befell him for creating and showing this object to an outsider, others began making tupilait, which evolved into a popular art form. Residents also carved Ammassalik wooden maps, that traced the Eastern Greenlandic coastline. Traditional art making practices thrive on Ammassalik Island.

See also

• List of Greenlandic Inuit
• Demographics of Greenland
• History of Greenland

References

• Hessel, Ingo. Arctic Spirit. Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre, 2006 ISBN 978-1-55365-189-5

External links

• "Inuit Man in Kulusuk, Speaking Tunumiit Oraasiat (Eastern Greenlandic)," YouTube video