Greenland Provincial Council

Last updated April 05, 2019

The Greenland Provincial Council (Danish : Grønlands Landsråd) was the provincial government of Greenland between 1950, when it was formed from the union of the earlier North and South Greenland Provincial Councils, and 1 May 1979, when it was replaced by the Greenland Home Rule Government and its Parliament (Greenlandic : Kalaallit Nunaanni Inatsisartut; Danish : Grønlands Landsting).

Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in Denmark and in the region of Southern Schleswig in northern Germany, where it has minority language status. Also, minor Danish-speaking communities are found in Norway, Sweden, Spain, the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina. Due to immigration and language shift in urban areas, around 15–20% of the population of Greenland speak Danish as their first language.

The Inatsisartut, also known as the Parliament of Greenland in English, is the unicameral parliament of Greenland, a autonomous country in the Danish realm. Established in 1979, it meets in Inatsisartut, on the islet of Nuuk Center in central Nuuk.

Greenlandic is an Eskimo–Aleut language spoken by about 56,000 Greenlandic Inuit in Greenland. It is closely related to the Inuit languages in Canada such as Inuktitut. The main variety, Kalaallisut or West Greenlandic, has been the official language of the Greenlandic autonomous territory since June 2009; this is a move by the Naalakkersuisut to strengthen the language in its competition with the colonial language, Danish. The second variety is Tunumiit oraasiat or East Greenlandic. The Thule Inuit of Greenland, Inuktun or Polar Eskimo, is a recent arrival and a dialect of Inuktitut.

Wording

The translation is inexact and carries some political overtones. There are Greenlanders who prefer to refer to the former Landsråd as the Greenland National Council. It was occasionally referred to during its existence as the Greenland Parliament, although today this would cause confusion with the Home Rule Inatsisartut. Other translations include the Greenland Assembly and the more literal Greenland Land Council.

History

The Danish colony in Greenland had been divided North and South since the Instruction of 1782 was issued by the Royal Greenland Trading Company, the government-operated corporation which ruled the Danish settlements and monopolized their trade. Each region was directed by a royal inspector in coöperation with a local council.

North Greenland was a Danish colony on Greenland consisting of the trading centers and missionary stations along the northwest coast of the island.

South Greenland was a Danish colony on Greenland consisting of the trading centers and missionary stations along the southwest coast of the island. Its capital was at Godthaab. The northernmost town of South Greenland was Holsteinborg, which bordered Egedesminde, which was the southernmost town of North Greenland. This boundary between South and North Greenland ran at around 68°N degree of latitude, and in the South, South Greenland stretched to 59°30'N, or to the southernmost point of Greenland.

Following changes in the Greenlandic economy produced by climate change and the American occupation of the island during World War II, the government of Denmark ordered a commission to examine the realm's policies and administration over the island. The Greenlander's chief concerns were (1) an end to the ban on entry into the island which had even led to the isolation of the American bases there from the local population; (2) an end to government monopolies over trade with the island held by the Royal Greenland Trading Department; (3) an end to the separate systems of laws concerning Danes and Inuit.^[3]

The economy of Greenland can be characterized as small, mixed and vulnerable. Greenland's economy consists of a large public sector and comprehensive foreign trade. This has resulted in an economy with periods of strong growth, considerable inflation, unemployment problems and extreme dependence on capital inflow from Denmark and on outside, mainly Danish, skilled labor.

The Greenland Commission operated between 1948 and 1950. It established the locally elected Provincial Council of Greenland and began the move towards home rule among the island's Danish settlers and Inuit natives.

The Royal Greenland Trading Department was a Danish state enterprise charged with administering the realm's settlements and trade in Greenland. The company managed the government of Greenland from 1774 to 1908 through its Board of Managers in Copenhagen and a series of Royal Inspectors and Governors in Godthaab and Godhavn on Greenland. The company was headquartered at Grønlandske Handels Plads at Christianshavn.

Men and women older than 23 and resident on the island six months were eligible to vote.^[1]

First Council

The first Provincial Council to be elected by direct suffrage was elected on 29 June 1951 (excepting Upernavik on account of snow and Nanortalik on account of the island's first measles outbreak) and opened on 25 September 1951.^[1] It was the first Greenlandic election to permit female suffrage. During the first election season, there were no parties but some cliques formed among economic groups; all told, turnout was about 6,400 from an eligible population of about 8,750.^[1]

Constituency	Name	Occupation
Nanortalik	Jacob Nielsen	outpost manager
Julianehåb	Frederik Nielsen	schoolmaster
Frederikshåb	Gerhard Egede	clergyman
Narssaq	Abel Kristiansen	catechist
Godthåb	Augo Lynge	schoolmaster
Sukkertoppen	Peter Egede	outpost manager
Holsteinsborg	Knud Olsen	shop assistant
Kangatsiaq	Nikolai Rosing	outpost manager
Egedesminde	Frederik Lynge	ex-colony manager
Disko Bugt (Christianshåb & Jakobshavn)	Marius Sivertsen	trade assistant
Disko (Godhavn & Qutdligssat)	Jens Olsen	clergyman
Umanaq	Peter Fleischer	outpost manager
Upernavik	Hendrik Olsen	trade assistant

All were native-born Greenlanders and employees of the Greenland Administration. They selected Augo Lynge and Frederik Nielson to represent Greenland in the Danish Parliament and Frederik Lynge to represent it on the board of the Royal Greenland Trading Department.^[1]

Related Research Articles

The politics of Greenland, a "constituent country" of the Kingdom of Denmark, function in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency, whereby the prime minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament Inatsisartut. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Greenland has full autonomy on most matters, except on policies and decisions affecting the region including negotiations with the devolved legislatures and the Folketing.

The flag of Greenland was designed by Greenland native Thue Christiansen. It features two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a large disk slightly to the hoist side of centre. The top half of the disk is red, the bottom half is white. The entire flag measures 18 by 12 parts; each stripe measures 6 parts; the disk is 8 parts in diametre, horizontally offset by 7 parts from the hoist to the centre of the circle, and vertically centered.

Nuuk is the capital and largest city of Greenland. It is the seat of government and the country's largest cultural and economic centre. The major cities closest to the capital are Iqaluit and St. John's in Canada and Reykjavík in Iceland. Nuuk contains almost a third of Greenland's population and its tallest building. Nuuk is also the seat of government for the Sermersooq municipality. In January 2019, it had a population of 17,984.

The term "the unity of the Realm" refers to the relationship between Denmark proper, the Faroe Islands and Greenland—three countries constituting the Kingdom of Denmark.

A non-binding referendum on Greenland's autonomy was held on 25 November 2008. It was passed with 75% approval and a 72% turnout. The referendum was announced by Prime Minister Hans Enoksen on 2 January 2008. Enoksen also announced the launch of an information and discussion campaign on the issue of self-government. This included town hall meetings throughout the country.

Index of Greenland-related articles Wikimedia list article

The following is an alphabetical list of topics related to the nation of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland).

The Greenlandic Inuit are the indigenous peoples and the most populous ethnic group in Greenland. Most speak Greenlandic and consider themselves ethnically Greenlandic. People of Greenland are citizens of Denmark.

Dr. Hinrich Johannes Rink was a Danish geologist, one of the pioneers of glaciology, and the first accurate describer of the inland ice of Greenland. Rink, who first came to Greenland in 1848, spent 16 winters and 22 summers in the Arctic region, and became notable for Greenland's development. Becoming a Greenlandic scholar and administrator, he served as Royal Inspector of South Greenland and went on to become Director of the Royal Greenland Trading Department. With "Forstanderskaber", Rink introduced the first steps towards Greelandic home rule.

Greenlandic independence is a political ambition of some political parties, advocacy groups, and individuals of Greenland, an autonomous country of the Kingdom of Denmark, to become an independent sovereign state.

Aleqa Hammond Prime Minister of Greenland since 2013

Aleqa Hammond is a Greenlandic politician and member of the Danish Folketing (parliament). Formerly the leader of the Siumut party, she became Greenland's first female Prime Minister after her party emerged as the largest parliamentary faction in the 2013 elections. In 2014 she stepped down as Prime Minister and leader of Siumut, following a case of misuse of public funds. She was expelled from Siumut on 23 August 2016 after yet another case of misuse of public funds and became an independent. On 31 March 2018 she announced that she is running in the 2018 Greenlandic parliamentary election for the Siumut breakaway Nunatta Qitornai.

Atassut is a liberal-conservative and unionist political party in Greenland. Founded on 29 April 1978, Atassut is an established partner of the Liberal Party of Denmark.

LGBT Qaamaneq – Landsforeningen for Bøsser, Lesbiske, Biseksuelle og Transpersoner i Grønland is a lobby group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Greenland.

Augustinus "Augo" Telef Nis Lynge was a Greenlandic politician, educator, poet and writer who was the first Greenlandic representative in the Danish parliament and died during the sinking of the MS Hans Hedtoft.

Finn Lynge was a Greenlandic politician, Indigenous rights activist, priest and civil servant who from 1979 until 1984 was the sole Member of the European Parliament for Greenland. Lynge campaigned for Greenland withdrawal and his seat was abolished when Greenland withdrew from the European Communities.

Kristoffer Lynge (1894-1967) was a Greenlandic journalist, writer and politician.

References

1 2 3 4 5 Christensen, N.O. & al. "Elections in Greenland". Arctic Circular, Vol. 4 (1951), pp. 83–85. Op. cit. "Northern News". Arctic, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Mar 1952), pp. 58–59.
↑ A.J.F. "Greenland Today: Progress and Reforms in the World's Largest Island". The World Today, Vol. 13, No. 4 (Apr 1957), pp. 173–182. Royal Institute of International Affairs.
↑ Nielsen, Finn. "Planned reforms in Greenland". Arctic, Vol. 4, No. 1 (May 1951), pp. 12–17.

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[elect51-1] 1 2 3 4 5 Christensen, N.O. & al. "Elections in Greenland". Arctic Circular, Vol. 4 (1951), pp. 83–85. Op. cit. "Northern News". Arctic, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Mar 1952), pp. 58–59.

[2] A.J.F. "Greenland Today: Progress and Reforms in the World's Largest Island". The World Today, Vol. 13, No. 4 (Apr 1957), pp. 173–182. Royal Institute of International Affairs.

[Finn-3] Nielsen, Finn. "Planned reforms in Greenland". Arctic, Vol. 4, No. 1 (May 1951), pp. 12–17.