ARCTIC P. 144-1558 Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling in Greenland: The Case of Qeqertarsuaq Municipality in West Greenland

• Main Author: Richard A. Caulfield
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1992
• Subjects: Arctic; Greenland; Qeqertarsuaq; bowhead whale; greenlander*; greenlandic; inuit; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.510.5263; http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic46-2-144.pdf

about aboriginal subsistence whaling focus on the changing significance of whaling in the mixed economies of contemporary Inuit communities. In Greenland, Inuit hunters have taken whales for over 4OOO years as part of a multispecies pattern of marine harvesting. However, ecological dynamics, Euroamerican exploitation of the North Atlantic bowhead whale (Buhem mysticem), Danish colonial policies, and growing linkages to the world economy have drastically altered whaling practices. Instead of using the umiuq and hand-thrown harpoons, Greenlandic hunters today use harpoon cannons mounted on fishing vessels and fiberglass skiffs with powerful outboard motors. Products from minke whales (Bahenopteru ucutorostrutu) and fin whales (Bulaenopteru physulus) provide both food for local consumption and limited amounts of cash, obtained through the sale of whale products for food to others. Greenlanders view this practice as a form of sustainable development, where local renewable resources are used to support livelihoods that would otherwise be dependent upon imported goods. Export of whale products from Greenland is prohibited by law. However, limited trade in whale products within the country is consistent with longstandmg Inuit practices of distribution and exchange. Nevertheless, within the IWC critics argue that even limited commoditization of whale products could lead to overexploitation should hunters seek to pursue profit-maximization strategies. Debates continue about the appro-priateness of cash and commoditization in subsistence whaling and about the ability of indigenous management regimes to ensure the protection of whale stocks. This case study describes contempomy whaling in Qeqertarsuaq Municipality in West Greenland, demonstrating that despite significant changes, whaliig is an integral part of Greenland’s mixed economy and a vital component of Greenlandic Inuit cultural identity. The social organization