Kalissi Kristen TROLLE - Hunter and fisherman

Saattut _ Latitude 70 48 NR - Longitude 051 38

270 inhabitants

Interviewed in July 2009

We can no longer forecast the weather as our ancestors used to do. By virtue of what they observed, they were able to predict changes in the weather three days in advance. That has become impossible today. Changes are sudden and violent. These last years, between October and December, a very strong wind has made its appearance. At the beginning, it was exceptional, but nowadays it tends to reappear more and more frequently. When it comes, our house is shaken from top to bottom by violent gusts of wind. In the past, I was never worried about our house.

I continue to hunt the same way as my parents did. I use the same methods, the only difference being that I use a motor boat for going fishing in the summer months. In winter, I go fishing with my sledge and my dogs. My clothes are exactly the same as my father wore. My trousers are made of bearskin, and my jacket from the hide of a dog. But many traditions are being lost – our children are no longer able to make these clothes. The young girls can’t sew. Our boots come from Canada. I’ve drawn the attention of our community to the situation. We could put in place workshops to safeguard our knowledge, but that hardly seems to interest them.