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| Tasiilaq is an Inuit village of about 1,800 people on an
island just off the eastern coast of Greenland. The village clings
to the side of several hills providing lots of exercise for any visitor. Yes, there are a few cars -- and allegedly even a taxi -- but the so-called roads make riding almost as uncomfortable as walking. |
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In Greenlandic Inuit culture the tupilaq was an avenging monster carved from various animal or even human bones. it was given life by various rituals and chants, then placed into the sea to seek and destroy a specific enemy. The use of a tupilaq was risky, however, because if it was sent to destroy someone who had greater magical powers than the one who had formed it, it could be sent back to kill its maker instead. Local lore says tupilaqs are still in use for their original purpose by some remote Inuit people. But for the most part they are a staple in Inuit art and souvenirs. Carving them is a popular passtime like whittling or making model boats, and you see locals sitting around the village busy with knife and bone. |
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The newest building in town is the church. Lovingly built, with local art throughout, it sits atop a hill not far from the old church which is now the museum building. A particular attraction of the church were the kneeler covers made of sealskin. | |
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| The museum was touted as one of the
attractions visitors should see. So three of us made the arduous
hike up the rocky hill to be educated on local culture and history. But the museum was closed. No, that's not quite right. It was open and we went in, but the curator -- a rude Dane -- was balancing his books, he said, and threw us out! Let it be said that throughout Greenland the local Greenlanders (mostly Inuit) were welcoming and friendly. But the ruling folks from Denmark were not. Here we had to be satisfied with outside exhibits that included old fishing boats and a sod house of a kind in use in the area until very recently. |
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| Soccer is the major sport in Greenland, with
the championships just ending before we arrived. The reigning
champs -- "Tasiilaq, of course!" This tiny school produced many players who were often seen practicing on the field. But every morning it was again perfectly groomed. The blue building is the school, while the red is a dormitory. Children come here from other east Greenland villages to spend the school year. |
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To enlarge these other views of Tasiilaq (below), click on the thumbnail. |
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I couldn't convince Miriam to try on the fashionable handmade seal skin hiking shorts. "What's the use," she joked, "I can't take them home." |
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| A Greenpeace ship, Artic Sunrise, was in the
Tasiilaq harbor during our visit. We expected fireworks! But
none occurred. A research ship conducting glacier ice studies, it was welcome here. There were numerous scientists in town during our visit, preparing for a big news event the next week where many recent findings about melting glaciers and possible connections to global warming were released. I shot this picture from way up on the hill at our hotel at about 3 a.m. If you'd like to read a little about the ship's visit to Tasiilaq, check out this article written by one of its scientists: http://blogs.discovery.com/earth/2009/08/tasiilaq.html |
