The Newfoundland Seal-Fishery and its Possible Influence on the Greenlanders

Extract

The culture of most tribes of Eskimo is based largely on the hunting of seals, but the species of seal differ from region to region. The West Greenlanders are dependent on two species, the Harp or Greenland seal, Phoca groenlandica, and the Hood or Bladder-nose, Cystophora cristata, the former being the more abundant. The East Greenlanders make more use of the small fjord seals, Phoca vitulina, which supply the greater part of their food, while the importance to them of the two larger species and of the Bearded seal, Erignathus barbatus lies in the suitability of their skins for covering kayaks and other special purposes. The East Greenlanders, centred on Angmagssalik and Scoresby Sound, are the least touched by European contacts, and can still almost satisfy their needs, except for pipes, tobacco and knives, with drift wood, seals and other animals. The West Greenlanders have been in contact with Europeans for a much longer time, and have modified their primitive culture to some extent. Their kayaks are often made of canvas, and in the south-west they have taken up fishing and sheep farming on a considerable scale, but seal hunting from kayaks is still their most important job in life. The Danes are trying with remarkable success to improve the standard of living of the Greenlanders, while at the same time keeping them as independent as possible of foreign sources of supply. If, for any reason, the number of seals should fall too low to supply the needs of the people, the whole policy of the Danish Administration might have to be altered, and this would almost certainly not be an improvement from the point of view of the Greenlanders.