Ukivik & Sisimiut, Greenland
What drives humankind to search beyond their shores? In days gone by it may have been a need for space to grow or food to feed famished families. Now we feel somewhat secure no matter where we live and yet that need to venture forth still grasps firmly at our souls.
Afloat upon the sea grayness enveloped us as the morning light drew near. A drizzly mist condensed on our vessel and trickled down the window pane. Greenland’s shores were merely charcoal silhouettes, gray on gray except for where a tiny crimson sliver slipped between the peaks to tell us which way was east. Surely sailors of the past in boats both big and tiny looked upon the dawn of day with the same sense of wonder. When the sun had finally crossed the sky, what new awareness would have been attained?
We randomly chose an island upon which to land. It was close. We were ready to go so why not simply explore? A sloping sandy beach provided perfect access to the shores of Ukivik. Rounded rocky outcrops created hills and valleys, all painted in the gold and crimson colors of fall. Autumn in the tundra is an amazing sight to see. Crowberry with its prolific ebony berries mingles with mosses and lichens to create a patchwork carpet of greens and silvery grays. Woven in the fabric of this verdant mass miniscule leaves of dwarf willows were edged with orange while northern willows glowed in shades of sunshine yellow. Our practiced eyes soon saw a disruption in this pattern. Grasses grew on hillsides that didn’t look quite normal. Excitement rippled as we discovered an ancient Thule house, its rocky foundation fitting the form that today might be called an igloo. Snuggled next to this construction was a rectangular foundation. And then there was another and then another. Soon our imaginations built a tiny village, each edifice on the plan of a warm and cozy turf house which stood abandoned at the far end of the island. Who were these people? Where were they from and where in the world did they go?
Little did we know that the answer to all of our questions lay not far away, in Sisimiut, our afternoon destination. The Thule people had come first, around the year 1200. Their lives were simple, living off the sea in summertime and sharing the closeness and warmth of their abode in winter. Dutch whalers and Danish colonists followed, the location seemingly ideal. But then two hundred and fifty years or so ago the people from our island packed up their belongings and joined with others to found the town of Sisimiut. Here the sea still provides. Fishing boats and even whalers filled the harbor. The docks bustled with huge containers readied with shipments for overseas. A kaleidoscope of colors cascaded over the rocks, houses climbing higher and higher into the valley beyond. It seemed as if every road led uphill as we meandered about the town.
So, as the sun sets in the west and our vessel sails southward we look back upon our day and synthesize our thoughts. What joy there is to be found in exploring!
What drives humankind to search beyond their shores? In days gone by it may have been a need for space to grow or food to feed famished families. Now we feel somewhat secure no matter where we live and yet that need to venture forth still grasps firmly at our souls.
Afloat upon the sea grayness enveloped us as the morning light drew near. A drizzly mist condensed on our vessel and trickled down the window pane. Greenland’s shores were merely charcoal silhouettes, gray on gray except for where a tiny crimson sliver slipped between the peaks to tell us which way was east. Surely sailors of the past in boats both big and tiny looked upon the dawn of day with the same sense of wonder. When the sun had finally crossed the sky, what new awareness would have been attained?
We randomly chose an island upon which to land. It was close. We were ready to go so why not simply explore? A sloping sandy beach provided perfect access to the shores of Ukivik. Rounded rocky outcrops created hills and valleys, all painted in the gold and crimson colors of fall. Autumn in the tundra is an amazing sight to see. Crowberry with its prolific ebony berries mingles with mosses and lichens to create a patchwork carpet of greens and silvery grays. Woven in the fabric of this verdant mass miniscule leaves of dwarf willows were edged with orange while northern willows glowed in shades of sunshine yellow. Our practiced eyes soon saw a disruption in this pattern. Grasses grew on hillsides that didn’t look quite normal. Excitement rippled as we discovered an ancient Thule house, its rocky foundation fitting the form that today might be called an igloo. Snuggled next to this construction was a rectangular foundation. And then there was another and then another. Soon our imaginations built a tiny village, each edifice on the plan of a warm and cozy turf house which stood abandoned at the far end of the island. Who were these people? Where were they from and where in the world did they go?
Little did we know that the answer to all of our questions lay not far away, in Sisimiut, our afternoon destination. The Thule people had come first, around the year 1200. Their lives were simple, living off the sea in summertime and sharing the closeness and warmth of their abode in winter. Dutch whalers and Danish colonists followed, the location seemingly ideal. But then two hundred and fifty years or so ago the people from our island packed up their belongings and joined with others to found the town of Sisimiut. Here the sea still provides. Fishing boats and even whalers filled the harbor. The docks bustled with huge containers readied with shipments for overseas. A kaleidoscope of colors cascaded over the rocks, houses climbing higher and higher into the valley beyond. It seemed as if every road led uphill as we meandered about the town.
So, as the sun sets in the west and our vessel sails southward we look back upon our day and synthesize our thoughts. What joy there is to be found in exploring!
