As the Greenland ice sheet melts, so does Greenland’s culture. (PHOTOS)
BY: SEBASTIEN TIXIER
When Sébastien Tixier travelled from 67 ° to the 77th parallel north to record the transformations, he found his fantasy cliché images of white landscapes dissolve before his eyes. Things are not always as we expect them to be, and he found himself constantly amazed at the radical changes that have happened to the culture. Very few people still wear furs or hunt seals for a living, and he even met an orphan who wanted to be a mixed martial arts fighter after relentlessly watching Caged on MTV. His book “Allanngorpoq” features 60 photographs about Greenland in transition, for as its environment shifts, its society too inevitably will be forced to adapt to western culture.
“Today, the questions surrounding Greenland extend far beyond its geographical frontiers. In these starkly different landscapes, supermarkets and cell phones are slowly making their way into Inuit culture, and traditional outfits made from animal hides are now only used in the North for sled journeys” he writes.
Technology and tradition are melting together into an unrecognizable blend. The face of the community liquefies in unison with the disappearing sheets of ice.
Uummannaq remains blocked by ice during wintertime and until spring. The boats stay prisoners but the life on the sea ice takes place with traditional sledges.At the frontier between sea ice and open water, about forty kilometers from Qaanaaq, a hunter watches for seals from his sled..Cars and even taxis are now part of the urban landscape. Some “pisiniarfik” (convenience stores) remain open in the evening. Opposite, the town’s bar awaits opening time.Ilulissat harbor at night. The fishing industry is the country’s second largest employer after the public sector. On the right, the museum is open in the evening for cultural activities, such as painting and drawing.Ilulissat provides its inhabitants with the same services as any regular Western town, and continues to expand and grow. In the distance, behind the tanks, icebergs fill Disko Bay.Icebergs stuck in the ice. The black spot at the foot of the nearest iceberg is some abandoned equipment tarpaulins, and gives an idea of the scale. Although the sea ice is still present in Uummannaq, its thickness is declining.Qaanaaq’s wooden church on the outskirts of town in the midnight light of April, symbol of the Protestant monotheistic religion imported from Danish colonialism.A few meters from the camp. Outfits reflect current evolutions in clothing: although “kamik” (traditional boots) and pants made from animal hides and furs are still used, more modern materials are also appearingIn 1953, the town of Qaanaaq and its inhabitants were relocated a hundred kilometers north to enable the U.S. Air Force to expand its military base in Thule. Most houses in town are very simple and still lack running water.As in all “traditional” Greenlandic houses, the walls display memories collected throughout life. Modernity nevertheless installs: phones and televisions are part of everyday life.The unwashed skull of a polar bearThe hunting of sea mammals still occurs in the north of the country, and involves a seven-hour journey across forty kilometres of sea ice to reach the open water. Here we see a hunter on his cellphone.At the edge of the sea ice at around 1 a.m., hunters cut up the seals brought back by the boat after the hunt.Back from the hunting journey, the dogs are attached at the border of town. Their howling sounds will wake the town up at 7am for yet another day in Greenland.