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The Phillippines
16 December 2000
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Rome, Italy
16 August 2000
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Kayak Show
1 August 1999
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Arctic Golfing
10 July 1999
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Greenland Natl. Day
21 June 1999
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The Ice Cap II
19 June 1999
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Mount Dundas
23 May 1999
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Bus Assault
20 May 1999
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Greenland National Day
At Thule Air Base Greenland National Day on the 21st of
June is celebrated in the old settlement of Uummannaq. It
couldn't use my "bad weather"- excuse, 'cause the
sun was shining from a blue sky, so around one o'clock I took
the bus over there. To the greenlandic the sun has a very
significant influence, being so dependent on nature as they
are. Therefore the national day is held on the longest day of
the year. For practical reasons though the celebration took
place on sunday, just the day before. As I told the sun was
shining brightly but a little wind kept people from taking of
their coats. It was in fact a bit chilly.
Having safely arrived we got out of the bus and was met by
a magnificent view. Tasting various greenlandic snacks has
become a tradition at this celebration, and this year was no
different. Some dried up seal was the first thing I tried,
small flakes almost dark, because of the high number of red
blodcells in seals. It tasted okay.
Next there was large lumps of narwhale skin with a big
layer of fat on the inside. This is "mataq", and the
greenlandic love it and eat it like it's candy. I tried some
small pieces, but could not find the resemblence in this and
candy... It was very hard to chew, and it didn't taste of
anymore than a glass of water. I tried it both with and
without the fat layer and I must admit that the fat made my
stomach do a quick spin :o)
On the next tray was dried cob which I actually found quite
tasty although hard to chew. After that a large pot with
cooked seal was being offered. Looking at the content of the
pot I felt like just going on the next but I just tried a
little piece and I was very surprised. It certainly had a must
better taste than one would think.
Then another big pot. The lid was taken of and when the
steam had disappeared you looked at a bunch of cooked
dovekeys. Feathers, claws and everything was still there. The
birds had just been cooked as had the landed in the pot
themselves. There was nothing else to do than unzip the bird -
take of it's coat to get to the deliciously tasty meat. Later
large greenlandic shrimps were being served.. yummie!
Suddenly people gathered around a little porch. Two eskimos
showed a traditional greenlandic drum dance. The drum dance is
being used to tell stories and myths. The drum itself is made
out of very thin seal skin attached to some ribs from some
animal. The drum stick is made from the antlers of a caribou.
The two eskimos sang about a woman who was unable to have
children. Instead she nurtured a young polar bear. One day the
polar bear ran away and in dispear she went looking for it
trying to make it come back to her by singing. She never found
the bear and the myth tells that she turned into stone.
On the 21st of June there was an official flag ceremony in
front of the US Air Force Head Quarters. The greenlandic,
danish, and american flags were being raised while the
greenlandic national hymn was played and sung. It was pretty
cold because the wind was strong, but the wind made the flags
look fantastic against the blue sky. A beautiful and memorable
moment.
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