PROVERBS FROM GREENLAND
from Egede Pipaluk


"Meeraq nerisoq nerisaminik nutsanik nassaartaruni inuunertussaaq:"
If a child finds a hair in his/her food, then he'll/she'll have a long life.

"Nukappiaq nuliassalik pisaqamalerpat: asu tiingasoq:"
An engaged fellow who is lucky in hunting for a while means that he is in love.

"Arnap aluttuillaqqissut meerai pinnersuussapput:"
Woman who is good at licking will have beautiful children.

"Nuliarissoqqajartorluni tikiaartarpoq:"
A kajak haunter who has a beautiful wife comes early home from haunting.

"Piniartoq ullut tamaasa pisaqamalerpat oqartarput arfeq pituppaa:"
If a hunter catches something everyday means whale has bound him.

"Utoqqaat qiivinik meeqqat piiasarniassapput nannullullattaartuujumagunik:"
If children wants to be lucky to catch a polarbear someday, they shall pick grey hair out of their old people.

"Annoraaminik salleqisitsisoq tassa ulloq taanna nannuttussaq:"
A person who puts his/her anorak opposite will catch a polarbear exactly as the same day.

"Tikeraat nerlerneqarnatik anigunik aallarunik silaannarmut qangattassapput tammarlutillu:"
Guests who you haven't invited for dinner will rise up in the air when they leave the house, then the'll disappear.

"Ilerfit ilivitoqqalluunniit ammarterneqaqqunngilaat siallileqinammat:"
You shall not open graved to avoid rain.

"Qimmeq toqunneqarpat illumi tassani qanittunnguakkut puisittoqassaaq:"
When someone kill a dog then someone in the house will soon catch a seal.

Qanaaq is the furthest north permanent settlement in the world. Robert E. Peary, Jr. lives here (Admiral Peary's grandson), and he told me I could land my airplane on the sea ice in front of the village. Now, this picture shows a new year-round airstrip that has just been built.

Greenlandic Sledgedogs are the workhorse of Greenland. It was my job to help feed the dogs in Ilulissat, and each one got one fish head per day. I was told that "the hungry dog pulls harder." The eskimoes say you can also tell the strength of the wind by the height of the dog off the ground. In the high "Piteraq" or katabatic winds off the ice cap, the winds can easily reach over 100 miles per hour. The slope of the dogs back chained to the ice, can form an airfoil that lifts it and chokes it against its tether.

I have never felt so alone as I did on one particular night when a dog team had taken off down a mountainside and ripped the sledge apart. My friend, Niels, had taken off in one direction after some of the dogs, and I took off in the other. I eventually found three huddled together in the darkness. They let me approach, and we sat together in the -30 degree C cold. I was wearing a sealskin jacket and "kamiks" (boots). It was still cold, but what struck me the most was the quiet. There was not a sound. No wind, and just no sound. This image of a solitary figure reminds me of that moment. I was recalling with some slight humour the expression "three dog night" in reference to the number of dogs one must sleep with in order to survive a very cold night. Niels came back with the rest of the dog team an hour later, and we were on our way.

Only about 10% of the iceberg sticks up out of the water. As it melts beneath the ice, its center of gravity changes, so it can be a little bit risky to walk up next to them. However, the ice of an iceberg makes excellent ice for your drinks. As it melts in your glass, the highly pressurized air that is released spins the ice around in your glass. Sometimes, the air has been trapped in the ice for over a thousand years.

Narsarssuaq Airstrip in southern Greenland was built for trans-Atlantic flights during the Second World War. Further up the valley is the remains of an old hospital used for American soldiers injured during the Korean War. There are three fjords parallel to each other. You have to fly up the correct one to find this airstrip. It is a bit tricky in low cloud conditions.