Greenland is not privately owned, Inuit say

Inuit residents of Greenland describe land as collectively held and say private ownership of the land does not exist there; Greenland remains an autonomous territory of Denmark and recent U.S. interest brought renewed attention to the island.

Inuit people in Greenland say the question of who owns the island is the wrong frame because land is held collectively and seen as something people steward rather than possess. That view is part of local custom and reflected in Greenlandic law, which allows ownership of buildings but not freehold ownership of the land beneath them. The issue gained wider attention after U.S. proposals to acquire control of Greenland and statements from Denmark asserting its legal sovereignty. In small settlements such as Kapisillit, daily life and concerns about services and population loss remain central to residents' experience. Key points: - U.S. political interest in Greenland prompted renewed international discussion, including past proposals to acquire control of the island and later claims of secured access via NATO arrangements with details that remain unclear. - Denmark asserts legal sovereignty over Greenland, which is an autonomous Danish territory. - Greenlandic law and local custom do not support private freehold ownership of land; people typically hold rights to use land where they live rather than owning the land itself. - Nearly 90 percent of Greenland's roughly 57,000 residents are Inuit, and many describe their relationship to the land as stewardship across generations. - Kapisillit, a small settlement east of Nuuk, illustrates local realities: it has basic services, a declining population (about 37 residents today), and economic activities such as fishing, hunting and traditional crafts. Summary: The discussion brought international focus to longstanding Inuit views that land is collectively stewarded and to Greenland's legal status as an autonomous Danish territory. Undetermined at this time.