Tunumiit

The Tunumiit are an Inuit people who form the eastern Greenlandic population, inhabiting the coast of eastern Greenland from the Ammassalik region in the southeast to the Ittoqqortoormiit area along Scoresby Sund in the northeast. They are one of Greenland’s three main Inuit groups, alongside the Kalaallit of west Greenland and the Inughuit of the far north. The name Tunumiit oraasiit, meaning “people of the east,” reflects their geographic and cultural distinctiveness.

Language and identity: The Tunumiit speak Tunumiit oraasiit, an East Greenlandic variety of the Greenlandic language. It is part of the Inuit language family and differs in phonology and grammar from Kalaallisut, the standard Greenlandic. In education and media, many Tunumiit speakers are bilingual in Kalaallisut and Danish, and language preservation efforts support the Tunumiit variety.

Traditional life and culture: Traditionally, the Tunumiit were coastal hunter–gatherers who relied on sea mammals such as seals and walrus, as well as whale hunting, and seasonal caribou hunts inland. They used kayaks and umiaks and maintained a seasonal round shaped by ice and weather. Their cultural practices include storytelling, craft work, and drum-dancing elements shared with other Inuit cultures; Christianization began with Danish missions in the 18th century, and today many Tunumiit identify as Christians within a Greenlandic Lutheran tradition.

Modern status: Today Tunumiit communities participate in Greenlandic governance and economy, with settlements like Tasiilaq and Ittoqqortoormiit serving as cultural and economic centers. Government services, education, and media are provided in Greenlandic and Danish, and the population continues to balance traditional practices with modern life.