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Research | Forskning - peer review

In northern and western Greenland, human–qimmeq (Greenlandic sled dog, Canis lupus familiaris) relationships are evolving rapidly amid profound environmental and social change. Although the number of sled dog teams is declining, qimmit continue to play a vital role in Inuit and Kalaallit life—not on… In northern and western Greenland, human–qimmeq (Greenlandic sled dog, Canis lupus familiaris) relationships are evolving rapidly amid profound environmental and social change. Although the number of sled dog teams is declining, qimmit continue to play a vital role in Inuit and Kalaallit life—not only as working animals but as active participants in practices of knowledge sharing, care, and identity formation. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with hunters (piniartut), mushers, and cultural knowledge bearers, this article explores the contemporary roles of qimmit within Greenlandic society. It examines how these relationships support intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge and belonging, while also negotiating tensions between lived practices and formal heritage frameworks. Situating qimmit within critical discussions of living heritage and human–animal relations, the article argues that qimmit are not merely cultural symbols, but relational beings embedded in adaptive, negotiated, and resilient practices central to Inuit and Kalaallit life. Læs mere