(Post 1 of 5) Soriina Davidsen works with sealskin. “It is so beautiful, and it’s different every time.” She is a designer in Sisimiut and learned her craft through courses at the municipality and the Knud Rasmussen Folk School. The skins comes from hunters around Greenland who supply to a company called Great Greenlandic. Soriina…
(Post 2 of 5) This guy came into the sealskin and wool workshop in Sisimiut, Greenland as part of a calendar, and he never left. Three young women work here creating clothing out of sealskin and muskox wool. “The one who is washing the dishes can look at him.”
(Post 3 of 5) Soriina Davidsen, designer She is proud of these vests; the fabric is 100% sealskin. “I work a lot. At home, I don’t do any sewing. My boyfriend had to wait two years to get a zipper on his jacket.”
(Post 4 of 5) Vera Larsen, seamstress Vera learned this craft from Soriina. “We all have the feeling that the things can be more beautiful, but we are proud of what we make.”
(Post 5 of 5) Magdalene Berthelsen, knitter Magdalene she works with qiviut, the underfur of muskox. It’s an expensive fiber, but what you get is deliciously soft and several times warmer than lamb’s wool. “This one I’m really proud of. I just made it last week.”
“Maki” Ulrik Lybert. “If you want to survive in Greenland, you have to be able to do everything.” So this teacher became an entrepreneur. He’s banking it all on seaweed. It’s pure; it’s simple; it’s healthy . . . and it’s all over the place. Maki takes his boat out, drags the kelp up using…
(Post 1 of 3) The Arts & Crafts Workshop sits down by the harbour in Sisimiut. The dust from carved antler and bone reaches your nose as you climb the stairs. It’s pretty quiet inside; but it’s full of stories. Tuku’s parents, Axel Lund Olsen and Makka Nykjær recommended that I come here to meet…
(Post 2 of 3) Maria Nielsen. Artist, teacher, mother, business owner, elected official. I met her in the Arts & Crafts workshop on a break from selling some of the art she has been producing for 45 years. When her kids were growing up, sometimes she would only sleep for one hour. Now, her son…
(Post 3 of 3) We arrived at the elder hostel in time for a small birthday party. The cakes were fantastic, and our hostess, Emelia Lennert, greeted us with smile. Emelia had to leave her home just a few months ago after breaking her leg. She’s 84. Emelia was an elected official for 34 years….
A danish hostel breakfast in Greenland, thanks to the Sisimiut’s Sømandshjemmet (Seaman’s house). Little did I know that this would be a big day for #meetthenorth: six interviews, a translator, and two birthday parties. Stories from Sisimiut’s elders coming up.