Greenlandic Inuit

Greenlandic Inuit
Greenlanders
kalaallit

Greenlandic Inuit man hunting seals in a kayak, Kulusuk, Greenland, 2006
Total population
c. 75,000 Q1 2016 census
Regions with significant populations
Greenland	≈50,000
Denmark	≈20,000
United States	352
Norway	293
Faroe Islands	163
Iceland	65
Languages
Greenlandic (Kalaallisut, Tunumiit), Danish,Inuktun
Religion
Predominantly Lutheran Minority Inuit religion See Religion in Greenland
Related ethnic groups
other Inuit people

Greenlanders or Greenlandic Inuit (Greenlandic: kalaallit) are the indigenous peoples of Greenland and citizens of Denmark, most of whom speak Greenlandic and consider themselves to be of Greenlandic ethnicity.

Approximately 89% of Greenland's population of 57,695 is Greenlandic Inuit, or 51,349 people as of 2012^[update].Ethnographically, they consist of three major groups:

Historically, Kalaallit referred specifically to the people of Western Greenland. Northern and Eastern Greenlanders call themselves Avanersuarmiut and Tunumiit, respectively.

Today, most Greenlanders are bilingual speakers of Kalaallisut and Danish and most trace their lineage to the original founding ancestors of Greenland. Vast majority of ethnic Greenlanders reside in either their native country or elsewhere in the Danish Realm, primarily Denmark proper (approximately 20,000 Greenlanders reside in Denmark proper). There are few Greenlanders who are multiracial, mostly due to Danish colonists and other Europeans marrying into indigenous families.

The Greenlandic people are considered to be descended from Dorset and Thule people, who settled Greenland in ancient times. As 84% of Greenland's land mass is covered by the Greenland ice sheet, Inuit people live in three regions: Polar, Eastern, and Western. In the 1850s, additional Canadian Inuit joined the Polar Inuit communities.

The Eastern Inuit, or Tunumiit, live in the area with the mildest climate, a territory called Tunu or Tasiilaq. Hunters can hunt marine mammals from kayaks throughout the year.