Ilannquage EDEGE - Municipal employee and guide on the commune

Niaqornat - Latitude 70 47 NR - Longitude 053 39 W

65 inhabitants

Remarks collected in July 2009

Before coming to Nioqornat, I initially lived on the east coast of Greenland, as well as further south. The south of Greenland is more developed, and it was there that I was able to practise English as well as Danish. This allows me to act as a trilingual guide when the opportunity presents itself. As you have no doubt noted, very few people speak English in the north of Greenland. I’m new in this village – it’s basically the village of my in-laws. My husband and I have been here for four years. Nioqornat is a very small village of sixty inhabitants. I’ve been lucky to get a job as a local authority employee. Many things are new for me here.

Unlike in the large town of Uummannaq, we only see a few tourists. Since one year, we have every week in the summer the arrival of a cruise boat. The passengers disembark for a couple of hours. This motivates the people of the village to create some traditional artifacts, the sale of which improves, if only a little, their daily lives. We try to welcome the passengers as best we can. For the occasion, the entire community is present. Most wear the traditional costume, which gives a party atmosphere to the village. Each villager has his role, and mine is to act as a guide for our visitors.

Last winter, with the good quality of the ice-barrier, I began the drive of an attachment of dogs. Like me, my dogs are initial. That is not easy to guide an attachment. I was risée of old. With more experiment, I hope to progress the next winter and thus in the long term, to improve my incomes with fishing on the ice-barrier, and why not, later, with tourists. I hope simply that the ice is with go.