The future of the Greenlandic sled dog may be determined by its past

By Jon Malthorne (photographer: Carsten Egevang)

Tupilaks, sealskin pants and pearl embroidery are some of the cultural treasures that may first come to mind when thinking of the cold north, more specifically Greenland.

But the climate in the cold north has become noticeably warmer in recent decades, putting pressure on perhaps Greenland's greatest cultural treasure, the sled dog.

Over the past 20 years, the number of sled dogs has halved from 25,000 to 13,000 animals. This is one of the reasons why a new research project will put the history and genetics of the Greenlandic sled dog under the microscope.

"One of the elements that makes the Greenland Sled Dog unique is that it is actually one of the last working dogs still used in the traditional way. Where it is still traditionally used to pull a sled and go hunting," says Anders Johannes Hansen, who will lead the research project.

He is head of institute at Globe Institute at University of Copenhagen and has been researching the sled dog for a number of years.

The picture that emerges is that there are several reasons for the decline in the number of Greenlandic sled dogs. For example, snowmobiles have made it faster to get around.

However, Anders Johannes Hansen emphasizes the role of rising temperatures.

"The sea ice is no longer suitable for dog sledding for a long time. You've gone from being able to use your dogs for hunting for five months of the year to maybe only a month and a half a year. So when it costs DKK 3-4,000 a month to have a dog team with 12-14 dogs, dog teams disappear," he explains.

So now the question is how the Greenlandic sled dog will adapt to the 21st century.

Seeking answers from Thule Inuit and Norse

The research project, which is supported by the Independent Research Fund Denmark, may provide an answer by looking to the past.

Today, researchers know that the Greenlandic sled dog originated in Siberia and migrated to Greenland's Northwest corner from what is now Canada, along with the Inuit. It has since spread throughout Greenland, where it has been part of Thule Inuit history for almost 1000 years.

In 2024, the sled dog is widespread throughout Greenland, except Southwest Greenland. But it wasn't always like this. From archaeological excavations, we know that Thule-Inuit and the Norse lived together in the area for 200 years.

The Norse arrived in Greenland from Iceland in the late 900s and maintained a population in Southwest Greenland until the mid-1500s.

During that period, the climate was warmer than today. For example, the Norse were able to grow grain.

So it wasn't possible to use sled dogs in the same way as today.

"So the idea is to see if Thule Inuit, for example, mixed the sled dog with the Norse dogs to bring out some other traits. Maybe there is something in how dogs have been kept in Southwest Greenland that can tell us about how to use the dogs in the future. Or how to keep dogs in the future in the new climatic situation, where the climate of the past in Southwest Greenland is becoming more and more common throughout Greenland," says Professor Morten Meldgaard from Ilisimatusarfik, University of Greenland, who is co-applicant on the project.

Using DNA from museum collections and living dogs

To trace the family history of the sled dog in Southwest Greenland, researchers will use DNA.

The project is a collaboration between Ilisimatusarfik in Nuuk, the Greenland National Museum & Archives and University of Copenhagen. The Natural History Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen also holds a collection of historical samples from the sled dogs of the past on behalf of Greenland, so this is an important source for the project.

In addition, DNA samples are also being taken from modern-day sled dogs.

"It's crazy to sit in front of a sled dog like that, I can tell you. When you sit here and have to take samples from them. There are other dogs that are huge, but when you take a sled dog's head in your hands, around the jaws .. It's just insanely massive. You're surprised every time," says Anders Johannes Hansen.

The plan is to actively use the results of the genetic analysis and share them widely in Greenland, from the national sled dog race, Avannaata Qimussersua, to teaching biology and other relevant studies at Ilisimatusarfik.

The project was preceded by reflections involving the local community so that the idea could take shape based on input from hunters, among other things.

Important research for national identity

Whatever the outcome of the three-year research project, the genetics of the sled dog will tell us how Thule Inuit interacted with the surrounding society. There are two alternatives.

Either the dog today is pretty much the same as it was in Norse times. That is, it has simply been used in a different way, but there is no evidence that there has been an active attempt to breed new traits into the dog.

Alternatively, Thule Inuit has purposefully sought to change the dog's characteristics.

"That would tell us that they were perhaps even more conscious than we thought about selecting on the dogs. Perhaps as part of adapting to other Arctic environments, where the dog had a slightly different function," says museum curator Christian Koch Madsen from NKA and continues:

"If we are also lucky enough to find traces of the Norse dogs, it will provide new evidence of how much interaction there was between the Thule Inuit and the Norse."

This means that the research could also end up causing a big stir among the Greenlandic population.

"In monetary terms, the research may mean something for how you can actually keep sled dogs. But the Greenlandic sled dog has a huge national identity value that may be worth more than dollars and cents, even in the short term. It's a really sensitive subject," Morten Meldgaard concludes.

For more information - please contact Morten Meldgaard.