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income from new activities could create a complex synergy. These may not be equally beneficial in
money terms, but can be seen as combinations of different cultural practices.
Ammassalik district is one of the country’s poorest, and the base for hunting and fishing, and fish
purchasing capacity is inadequate to effectively support the district’s existence. This is a major
reason why a part of the population is dependent on social transfers.
Interviews carried out in the local community by the engineering students indicated that they see a
fruitful connection between their interest in working at the mine and the establishment of a proper
settlement at Kangerlussuaq, including space and institutions that gives way to family life and may
also provide work for women and have space for children. In this case the rich marine resources
might bring other opportunities even though a closing of the mining endeavour could reduce the
size of the settlement. There is also a desire for the work to be organized with normal operating
hours, allowing time for family and leisure, which is typically spent on hunting and fishing. In this
context, there is a desire for flexibility, allowing for holidays or other forms of free time in the
periods where this is e.g. narwhal catch, is something that cannot be planned and predicted in the
longer term.
Very often the life span of a mining process is planned to be short. However, if mining is organized
as a slightly less intensive and lengthy process, it seems possible to establish a settlement of about
200 inhabitants. Engaging with the strategies of mining companies it might be possible to offer
alternatives to a very fast extraction e.g. in relation to the investments and risks involved. Different
scales m