Disko Island, Greenland

Paurngaqturumaviit?

Would you like some crowberries?

Eva Aariak and I gathered so much of this fruit yesterday. While exploring Disko Island in Greenland, we discovered a bumper crop. Joy!

We planned on hiking but ended up with our hands in the crowberry bushes much of the time. These berries are perfectly ripe, with the best balance of juice, sugar and bitterness. Eva is teaching me about what to gather from the land. She’s an Inuk from Baffin Island, Canada, she was the premier of Nunavut, and she is a language expert. I am already looking forward to visiting with her again.

Meet the North is, in part, about gatherings: gathering people together, gathering stories, gathering what the land has to offer. I could not make this journey without guides like Eva.

Photo by Brent Stephenson.