East Greenland
Village Life in Kuummiit, Greenland
August 2015
These 2015 photographs document Kuummiit, known as Kuummiut in West Greenlandic, a settlement in the Ammassalik region of southeastern Greenland. Founded in 1915, Kuummiit stands on rocky ground deep within Ammassalik Fjord, approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Tasiilaq and 21 miles (34 kilometers) north of Kulusuk. Statistics Greenland recorded 228 residents on January 1, 2026, making it the largest settlement in the Ammassalik area.
Wooden houses, community buildings, a cemetery, gravel tracks, and a small harbor are distributed across the exposed bedrock. Fishing remains central to the settlement. A fish-processing plant established across the water in 1964 originally produced dried and salted fish but was later converted to freezing catches. During the fishing season, local fishers deliver cod and halibut from small boats.
No roads connect Kuummiit with other communities. The settlement is accessible by helicopter throughout the year and by boat during the summer navigation season. Travel within and around Kuummiit is primarily on foot or by boat in summer, with dog sleds and snowmobiles used during winter. The photographs preserve a 2015 record of the settlement’s housing, waterfront infrastructure, and daily community life.
