TRAINING
On 22 October, Emma Vitale defended her PhD project on how the cooperation between humans and sled dogs has developed and how sled technology has developed in Greenland.
Emma Vitale has the last three half a year worked on a PhD thesis at Ilisimatusarfik on the prehistoric and historical development of Arctic dog sled culture with a particular focus on the Greenlandic sled dog traditions.
– I have always been a big animal person and especially very fond of dogs, and during my master’s degree I started working with the researchers from the Qimmeq project. And then one thing led to another, and then I was invited to continue as a PhD student on the project focusing on the archaeological part of the sled dog culture. I have always been very fascinated by how you have collaborated with dogs, says Emma Vitale, who is half Danish, half Italian and who has a master’s degree in archeology from Lund University and Aarhus University.
During her studies, she has stayed for a long time in Sisimut, where she has worked with local sleigh drivers.
– They have helped me a lot along the way, and have been really nice to share their knowledge. I have also been in a form of sled training, where I have been taught how to drive the sled and look after the dogs, says Emma Vitale, who has also built a dog sled herself as part of the project.
Driftwood and bones
Emma Vitale has looked at the sled culture from many different angles, and has found, among other things, that the sled also tells a story about how the culture has changed over time.
– You can use the sledge as an insight into how society has developed, and how the sledge has helped to develop society in relation to transport, economy and trade. So the sled is not just a sled, but also a starting point for looking at society, says Emma Vitale.
The materials used to build the sleds have also evolved over time.
– Inuit have been very innovative for millennia in terms of making tools and means of transport out of what was available. The first sledges were made of driftwood, and bones have also been used in some cases, so we can see the sledge as a symbol of the development of society, says Emma Vitale.
The Inuit have been very innovative for millennia in terms of making tools and means of transport out of what was now available. The first sledges were made of driftwood, and bones have also been used in some cases, so we can see the sledge as a symbol of the development of society.
Regional differences
Emma Vitale has also taken a closer look at the local differences in how to build sleds and keep dogs.
– Overall, the sleds can be divided into East, North and West Greenland. Some sledges must be used on sea ice, others for inland. The sleds are adapted as needed, and of course also according to the landscape. We also see differences in relation to whether the dogs are used for hunting or whether they are primarily used as a hobby.
– I have been told by many local coachmen that you can see exactly on a sled where a person comes from. It can be small details in the design that tell the story, says Emma Vitale.
The cooperation between dog and human
Emma Vitale has also looked at the cooperation between dog and human over time.
– Today, many sled dogs are not only used as transport animals, but also for tourism. But the collaboration is still the same. I found a quote during my research that goes “A snowmobile may break down, but the dogs always get you home”.
In other words, you can always count on the dogs, and this also reflects the relationship you have with the dogs; They are reliable no matter how the culture changes.
A culture in decline
Over the past 30 years, the number of sled dogs has decreased from approx. 30,000 to around 13,000, which was among other reasons why the research project Qimmeq was launched in 2016. Under the auspices of the project, researchers from many different scientific directions look at everything from genetic origins, health and disease to the intangible cultural significance of the sled dog. The project’s results are continuously disseminated both through scientific and popular articles, exhibitions, short films as well as photo and educational books.
– We know that it is a culture that is threatened by climate change, but also by technological development. We have got snowmobiles, and it has become very expensive to keep dogs, says Emma Vitale, who after 22 October will move to Lund University, where she has been offered an international 2nd year postdoctoral grant from Denmark’s Free Research Foundation to take a closer look at arctic transport animals.
– Concretely, I still have to look at the Greenlandic sled dog, and then use what I have found out through my research as a framework to look at Icelandic horses and Siberian reindeer, and how the various transport animals have been used in the circumpolar north.
This article is from the education newspaper, which can be read for free via the link here
