Indigenous Land Governance
Greenland
2026
Greenland has recently articulated that its territory is not a commodity subject to sale. As an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland is characterized by a predominantly Indigenous population, comprising approximately 88 percent of its inhabitants. The legal framework governing land in Greenland diverges fundamentally from conventional models of private land ownership. Land is not held as private property but is collectively owned and administered by local municipalities.
Individuals and legal entities may be granted land-use rights for defined purposes, such as residential construction, commercial activity, or infrastructural development. These rights confer exclusive use of a specific site without transferring ownership of the land itself. While certain sectors—such as mining, tourism, and fisheries—are subject to distinct regulatory arrangements, any such use remains contingent on governmental approval.
Land-use allotments are generally granted for an indefinite duration and may be transferred in conjunction with the sale of a building, subject to public authorization. However, these rights cannot be independently traded, mortgaged, or alienated from the physical structures to which they are attached. As such, Greenland’s property regime institutionalizes a clear separation between land as a collective resource and buildings as privately owned assets.
Project Taxonomy
1. Land Tenure Regime: State-Owned Land with Collective Use Rights
2. Governance Structure: Municipal Administration within Indigenous-Majority Self-Governance
3. Property Model: Separation of Land Ownership and Building Ownership, Use-Rights-Based, Non-Alienable Land
4. Indigenous Context: Indigenous-Majority Territorial Governance, Post-Colonial Indigenous Governance
5. Economic Function & Restrictions: Restricted Market with Sector-Specific Exceptions
6. Transferability and Finance: Transferable Use Rights Tied to Structures, Anti-Speculative Property System
