The dogs of Greenland, or more simply Greenish, are one of the oldest and most “pure” breeds in the world; They have coexisted for a thousand years with the Inuit of Greenland, and have followed them over the centuries during their migrations.
Just this consideration is the basis of a study published on Science That reconstructs the genetic origins of the dogs of Greenland and their very close link with the people who trained them and transformed into perfect sled dogs.
From Canada to Greenland. Once in North America 1,000 years ago, brought by the Thule people (the progenitors of the Canadian Inuit), the dogs of Greenland then arrived on the island that gives them their name together with a group of explorers, who settled in Greenland around 1200.
The inuit call them Qimmitand have used them for centuries as sled dogsdespite their numbers, they are collapsed recently, due to the urbanization and competition of motorized means that “steal their work”, so to speak: in 2002 there were 25,000 in all of Greenland, while in 2020 the number had collapsed at 13,000.
Genetics. Exploring their genetic origins and their ties with the people who trained them is essential for their conservation: the US National Institutes of Health team that conducted the study then compared DNA samples taken from the dog’s bones of Greenland found in archaeological sites, museums and even dogs of dog skin, with the genetic heritage of a hundred Qimmit who live today SUN THE island – A work that also involved Inuit breeders, fundamental for the recovery of samples.
Closer to Asian breeds. The results of the analysis demonstrate some interesting facts. First of all, despite the physical similarity with the wolves, Greenland dogs are genetically very distant from each otherand only share ancient portions of the DNA: the hybridization stories between dogs and wolves therefore do not confirm in genetics. THE Qimmit are among other things genetically closer to Asian breeds (especially Husky and Malamute) than to European ones, a fact that the team has called “very surprising”.
Migrations. The differences between the different populations of dogs of Greenland, then, made it possible to reconstruct Inuit migration patternsand even the order in which the different regions of the country have been colonized almost 1,000 years ago. The most interesting result is that the inuit and their dogs arrived in Greenland passing from Canada About 200 years before what was thought so far.
The results of the study, the authors say, are essential to preserve the genetic uniqueness of the breed, and perhaps “plump” the existing population.
