Story by Seiga Ohtani
All photos Creative Commons via flickr.com
Have Sled, Will Travel
For the largest island nation in the world, it is also the least densely populated. Fifty-two thousand of its fifty-seven thousand inhabitants use the Internet, yet hardly any of them own cars. Welcome to Greenland, a country of contradictions.
There’s a reason for this Arctic country’s strange statistics: more than 80 percent of its surface is covered in ice, rendering it uninhabitable. Cars are available for those who live on the other 20 percent of its surface, but they won’t get you far; there are virtually no roads between Greenland’s towns because most of them are separated by wide fjords. Walking or biking is also out of the question because towns are too far from one another and heavy snow is on the ground most of the year.
So, how do the locals get around? For most of the year, dogsleds are the most reasonable, efficient, and environmentally conscious mode of transportation.
Dogsledding is an old tradition started by the Inuit, a community of indigenous Arctic people who moved from Alaska to the coastal regions of Canada before reaching Greenland. For more than a thousand years, dogsledding has been the primary mode of land transportation for these Northern dwellers.
Though most Greenland natives learn the art of dog sledding at an early age, they’re not allowed to take the reins by themselves without a dogsled license. Anyone who wants a license, including visitors, must travel to Tasiilaq, the biggest town on Greenland’s east coast. Newcomers undergo a two-day training session before the test in which they learn the importance of multitasking. Dogsledders must keep the sled gliding in the right direction while paying attention to all the dogs on the reins.
The Greenland sled dog, a direct descendant of the wolf, is the only breed allowed to steer sleds on the country’s icy terrain. Their proud, independent spirit and their complete acclimation to Arctic weather make them ideal for the job. And since no other breed can take the sled dog’s place, none of these four-legged wonders have been cross-bred for thousands of years.
Sadly, recent murmurings of rising temperatures and melting ice due to global warming may put this popular Greenlandic sport and traditional transportation in peril. While tourists might revel at the sight of huge melting ice caps from the decks of cruise ships, for locals, the rapidly altering environment serves as a reminder that their way of life may too, change. Someday, Greenlandic natives must break ties with their ancient traditions if they want to stay in their Northern homeland.
Catch of the Day
Bang! A bullet cuts through the air and sends one caribou falling lifelessly to the ground. Is it a life wasted? Not to Greenlanders.
In the U.S., hunting is generally considered a sport or a hobby. When Americans need to eat, they drive to the nearest Safeway or local outdoor market. But in towns as remote as those in Greenland, centuries-old methods of acquiring food are still in place – and ingredients in local meals have not changed much.
For thousand of years, the Inuit people of Greenland relied on their hunting and fishing skills to survive. Dependent on their environment, their diet consisted of fish, birds, and local game such as reindeer, ptarmigan, musk oxen, and snow hare. They also feasted on marine mammals such as whales and seals. And while the rest of the world’s food culture lines have been blurred due to booming trade markets, in Greenland, the same traditional staples are still the principal ingredients in almost every meal.
The idea of hunting and fishing for every meal may seem daunting to Safeway shoppers, but in Greenland, it’s a part of daily life – and it pays off. The food is always local, fresh, and unprocessed, making it one of the healthiest diets in the world. The oils from the fish they eat contain essential Omega-3 fatty acids, which have been proven to prevent heart disease, reduce risk of breast cancer, and even prevent mental conditions such as schizophrenia. As a result, the percentage of Greenland residents who have fallen victim to blood clots or heart disease is among the lowest in the world.
Traditional Greenlandic dishes are always simple to prepare, with very few garnishes or complex flavors. A popular soup called suaasat consists of fish, bird, seal, whale, or reindeer meat mixed in with rice, onions, and potatoes. The spices? Salt and pepper. The garnishes? None. Suaasat exemplifies the Greenlandic diet: unpretentious, filling, and dependent on the catch of the day.
Since their arrival thousands of years ago, the Inuit people of Greenland haven’t changed the way they gather and eat food. And while the rest of the world has been taken over by McDonald’s and Taco Bells, the Greenlandic diet has remained consistent despite the gradually diminishing population of local animals due to changing climate. Even in the modern era, centuries-old traditions live on.
A Midwinter Night’s Dream
Whether you call him Santa Claus or Kris Kringle, you know where to send your Christmas wish list: the North Pole. But according Greenlandic legend, the home of man in the red suit isn’t as elusive as it sounds.
Because tall tales say Santa himself is Greenlandic, Christmas is one of the most revered holidays on the icy island. In every town, candles and red-orange stars decorate every house from the beginning of Advent, the fourth Sunday before Christmas, until January 6, the Twelfth Night, illuminating the 24-hour darkness of winter.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas Day, Greenlandic people hold numerous celebrations to help drive the cold sunless winter from their minds. On the first Sunday of Advent, families go caroling, make mulled wine, and hang Christmas stars in their windows. Entire towns attend the local church service at 10 a.m., many of its residents dressing in white anoraks, which are reserved for special occasions. In a procession on December 13, children celebrate and sing about Saint Lucia, whose name means “light,” wearing garlands on their heads.
Greenlandic children have a special reason to love Christmas Eve: they know they’ll be the first to get their presents since Santa lives so near. While other children lose sleep wondering what will be under the tree in the morning, kids in Greenland can skip the thoughts of sugarplums and sleep peacefully through the night.