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12.06.2026
Humboldt Forum
The Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, is presenting two interventions to the collection from 4 July to 21 September 2026, as part of the “We the People” programme initiative by the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz marking the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.
In May 2026, Greenland’s prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen emphasized: “The Greenlandic people are not for sale. Greenlandic self-determination is not something that can be negotiated.” Inhabited for at least 5,000 years, the world’s largest island has repeatedly found itself the object of a geopolitical tug-of-war. It is largely self-governing today although it has officially belonged to Denmark since 1814.
The Inuit and the present-day Kalaallit are the part of the population with close associations to the Arctic region. Their traditional material culture includes highly specialized objects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of interplay between the available materials and optimal adaptation to the environment.
The parka, which can be seen in the Ethnologisches Museum’s special display at the Humboldt Forum (2nd floor, room 201), is made of seal intestines that have been ingeniously stitched together in a manner ensuring the garment remains completely watertight while weighing very little. Despite being every bit as effective as modern industrially produced functional clothing, it is made of entirely natural materials.
We are familiar with the word “anorak” (annoraaq), which serves as the local umbrella term for similar items of clothing made of animal skins. Along with “parka,” “kayak,” and “igloo,” it is one of the few Inuit terms to have been incorporated into everyday English.
As well as being rich in culture, Greenland holds an abundance of natural resources beneath its ice – and two thirds of them are currently deemed to be of particular strategic importance. Climate change means that these treasures will be easier to extract in the future than has hitherto been the case. This makes it all the more vital for Greenland that its administrative autonomy is reinforced and no new forms of colonial exploitation should be allowed to take hold.
On 21 January 2026, Donald Trump triggered the “Greenland crisis” when he claimed that Greenland was just a “giant piece of ice” in the sea – a neocolonial statement that seems to suggest nobody could conceivably be bothered if the United States were to appropriate the territory.
Marking the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence by commemorating one’s own sovereignty could potentially foster respect for the autonomy of others.
A current project exploring the traditional and contemporary cultural practice of processing animal intestines is “Breathing Membranes – Gutskins: Tradition and Innovation” at the Greenland National Museum & Archives (2025–2026).
The visible storage gallery “America: Plains and Prairies” in the Ethnologisches Museum’s permanent exhibition at the Humboldt Forum (2nd floor, room 206) invites visitors to take a nuanced approach to the past and present of Indigenous Peoples from the plains and prairies, revealing both their cultural achievements and the historical challenges they still face today.
The intervention presents approximately 400 historical objects from 20 different Native American Nations who come from the regions known as the “Great Plains” in what is now the central United States. Most of these exhibits were brought to Berlin by collectors and dealers between the first half of the 19th century and World War I. They include original objects collected by Prince Maximilian zu Wied on his expedition to North America (1832–1834) that bear unique witness to the era.
Particularly after the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), Indigenous North Americans living on the western plains and prairies were increasingly threatened by the westward expansion of settlers, who gradually deprived them of their means of subsistence. Excessive bison hunting had wide-ranging consequences because the animals were so central to the livelihoods of many Indigenous Peoples.
Thus the historical material and cultural belongings on show in this visible storage gallery attest to the societal, political, and spiritual lifeworlds of Indigenous Peoples while also testifying to their resilience through to the present day. A total of 574 American Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities are currently recognized by the US Government. According to the 2020 census, the overall population of the United States is 331.4 million people, 1.1 percent of whom are registered as Native Americans or Alaska Natives; a further 1.8 percent identify as having some Indigenous heritage.
