Greenlanders embrace pre-Christian Inuit traditions as a way to proudly reclaim ancestral roots
In recent years, Greenlanders like her have been embracing pre-Christian Inuit traditions, including drum dancing and Inuit tattoos. For some, it’s a way to proudly reclaim their ancestral roots. It’s also a way to reject the legacy of European Christian missionaries who colonized Greenland in the 18th century and suppressed their traditions, labeling them as pagan.
Text and photos by Luis Andres Henao
Trump fuels Greenland’s independence fight with his talk of seizing the island
“My concern,” says the 23-year-old hunter, fisher and tour company owner, “is that Trump will come and take Greenland.” He then repeats what has become a mantra for Greenlanders in the weeks since U.S. President Donald Trump pushed their Arctic homeland into the spotlight by threatening to take it over.
Text by Luis Andres Henao, Photos by Emilio Morenatti
Most Greenlanders are Lutheran, 300 years after a missionary brought the faith to the remote island
About 90% of the 57,000 Greenlanders identify as Inuit and the vast majority of them belong to the Lutheran Church today, more than 300 years after a Danish missionary brought that branch of Christianity to the world’s largest island.
Text by Luis Andres Henao, Photos by Emilio Morenatti