Julie Bech - 81 years old

 Itilleq - Latitude 66° 34' N - Longitude 053° 30' W

125 inhabitants

Interviewed in July 2010.

The village had its own identity. We had a common history, we were interdependent and lived together from the cradle to the grave. Today people move around too much, and too quickly. The young ones no longer want to help their parents, they get bored, and they don't know which way to go.

We had two outfits for the year - one for winter and one for summer. We also had three pairs of "kamiks" (sealskin boots) and an anorak made of reindeer skin. Our national costume is still made with the skins of seals. For daily wear, however, it's China and the local shops which provide our clothes.

In summer, I accompanied my father when he went hunting for caribou. Starting in the 60’s, significant amounts of water started to flow from the glaciers. The ice which we had never seen moving began to recede, and this phenomenon has never stopped.