By 
I was born in 1982 in Moriusaq, a small village in the Thule region. On my grandfather’s side, we come from Pituffik. In the early nineteen-fifties, the entire village was relocated to Qaanaaq to make way for an American military base. People had no say in the matter. It left wounds that haven’t healed — even today, families still carry the memory of it.
When I was young, we had no television, not even electricity. Life was simple, but we never went without. Now I have every modern comfort, and it’s true that life is easier this way. But at the same time, I see a lot of people around me who have grown idle. The days stretch on — people sleep longer, sit around with their phones, their screens… Before, you did everything yourself. You had no choice, and that’s how you learned.
Today, everyone has a phone, video games, just like everywhere else in the world. But how many people still know how to handle a kayak? Build a sled? Drive a dog team — understand the dogs, read them, care for them? That knowledge is disappearing. The change is already here, right in front of us. We are at a crossroads: the culture fades a little more each day, and it must be preserved. Yet few young people truly care, because no one has shown them why any of it matters.
In the old days, when hunters came back from the sea with a seal or a walrus, they always shared — with family, with neighbours. Always. It was natural. No one kept everything for himself. I learned that generosity early, just by watching, and I carry it with me today. It matters — for others, for keeping the heart warm, for not letting money be the measure of everything. Money cannot replace human bonds. Life is worth more than money.
Being half-Danish has brought criticism from both sides at times. Some Greenlanders thought I was too Danish; some Danes thought I wasn’t Danish enough. Even at school, as a child, I heard it — sometimes from teachers. Those words stay with you. But I keep myself neutral — I have no taste for conflict or division. We are simply people. We live here, together. That is all that matters.
Testimony gathered by Thierry Suzan, Qaanaaq, Greenland, October 2025.
