Hinrich Rink and Applied Anthropology in Greenland in the 1860's

Since so few anthropologists are conversant with Scandinavian languages, it seems appropriate to bring to their attention a little-known publication that still has value for students of Greenlandic culture and perhaps even greater value for persons interested in the history of applied anthropology. This is a small pamphlet entitled "Om Aarsagen til Grönlaendernes og lingnende, af jagt levende, Nationers materielle Tilbagegang ved Beröring med Europaerne" ("The Reason Why Greenlanders and Similar People Living by Hunting Decline Materially Through Contact with Europeans") by H. J. Rink. It was first published in Dansk Maanedsskrift 1862, Ekstrahefte, Copenhagen. Selected portions of Rink's pamphlet have been translated and are presented in the following pages.