Tallurutiup Imanga to Greenland Expedition: Update 2
We were relieved and grateful when the ice cleared around Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet). A build-up of sea ice had put our visit to the small community in question—but the ice cleared just in time for us to be their first ship visit of the year. Greeted by a community guide carrying her grandson on her back, we were ushered into Mittimatalik’s community centre for a cultural presentation. As we entered, we were able to buy crafts from local artists. Inside, the community put on a performance that included traditional Inuit games, throat singing, and drum dancing amongst other things. It was truly a turning point in the trip.
The next two days were spent on the sea—crossing the Davis Strait from Canada to Greenland. Unique ice conditions persisted, forcing us to travel around an ice pack that sat smack dab in the middle of the Strait. Those two days at sea were filled with expert-led workshops about a variety of cultural, historical, and scientific topics. They also came with a lot of deep discussion and relationship-building within the group. Though we couldn’t see much past the fog and open ocean—our days at sea were some of the most important for reflection and connection.
Arriving in Ilulissat was a much-needed breath of fresh air. After two days of travelling, we were eager to get onto the water and sea. Before visiting the town, we took an early morning zodiac cruise. It turned out to be one of the most eventful mornings of the whole trip: in quick succession, we saw a seal hunt taking place, an iceberg flipping, and a humpback whale breaching the surface of the water. It was a beautiful sunrise.
The town itself was amazing: a fishing village that expressed its Inuit cultural identity through art and language. Just outside of town is the Ilulissat Icefjord, one of the largest iceberg calving areas in the world, where billions of tonnes of new icebergs are pushed into the ocean every year. We were able to reach the peak of the mountains around the fjord—listening to the ice as it was born. We learned even more as we visited the Icefjord Centre—which told us the story of Illulissat’s environment and people through an impressive multimedia exhibition. Most of us ended the day with a coffee, some local craft shopping, or a Muskox Burger.
Our final stop was Sisimiut, the second-largest municipality in Greenland. There, we were walked around the town by a local tour guide. He told us about the impressive investments that the Greenlandic government has made into the city’s social and physical infrastructure. Though we knew that Sisimiut had its problems, it laid bare how far the Canadian government had to go in terms of supporting its Northern communities. It was a good, and slightly hopeful, way to end our trip.
We point to “hope” because it is something we needed by the end. The Arctic is beautiful, and the Inuit are amazing – that was clear to see throughout the trip. But, the natural environment and local communities are under threat. Climate change is destroying bird habitats, causing erratic ice patterns, and threatening the survival of several species. With all of that, Inuit communities are having their lives and livelihoods threatened. Mercury in seal meat is reaching toxic levels, the disappearance of permafrost is creating a threat of infrastructure collapse, and the global desire to live in excess shapes lives, families, and communities every day – there was no way not to see that.
Our group spent a lot of time processing all we had experienced, and grappling with the inherent tension of our visit: as we were trying to learn about this beautiful place, we were putting it at risk. We had something, though, that helped us turn all of that tension, frustration, and sadness into a deep commitment to making this part of the world better: we had each other, and that was life-changing.