Quote:
Originally Posted by wg_flamip
Greenland is the only state or territory in North America where an indigenous group comprises a (quite large) majority of the population - that may isolate it culturally from much of the continent, but it is firmly North American nonetheless.
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And the incredible irony here is that Greenland is also the one place in North America where European settlers arrived before the current indigenous population.
Speaking from my experience working thereon and off over the course of two years, Greenland has a lot in common culturally with other parts of the Arctic and there have been efforts to strengthen the ties with other Arctic territories; however, there is little in common with the dominant North American milieu.
English is commonly spoken as a third language, but is by no means close to universal, particularly amongst Greenlandic people.
Although it is physically closer to North America, trade and transportation is oriented toward Denmark to the extent that it is almost always easier, with rare exceptions, to travel through Denmark to reach Greenland from Canada or the US.
Culturally, they are mostly influenced by Denmark - Danish businesses, television, products, etc. I'd judge that the average Greenlandic person had about as much awareness of Canada and the US as your average Dane. Step into an apartment, and the plugs are Danish, the way they make their beds, their windows and appliances and bathrooms are indistinguishable from ones in Copenhagen.
They are far more likely to have spent time in Denmark or other parts of Europe for travel or education. In fact, the number of Greenlandic people I meet who had traveled to Canada or the US was very slim, while almost all regularly travelled to Europe. The only exceptions, in my case, were for the Arctic Winter Games and for the PDAC in Toronto.
They are, without a doubt, only North American by virtue of geography.