In the Meteorite Country

After four days on the rocky sea and many heart stopping adventures we have finally arrived to Avanersuaq – the Thule District.

It is a place that stirred the minds of the white explorers and nurtured the myths and legends for centuries.  In these legends Avanersuaq has often been portrayed as paradise island made out of black rock.

It’s a place that few Greenlanders have been to. On our Avannaa extended team only two people out of seven have managed to come here before: Ole Jorgen Hammeken and Alberth Lukassen. Even such experienced travelers as Else and Jaakuaraq are coming to Avanersuaq for the first time in their lives. Needless to say, that this is a very emotional moment for them.

There is no final knowledge why this place has been called “Thule”; there are several competing hypotheses. The history goes back to 1910 when Knut Rasmussen founded the northernmost trading post at the old Inughuit site of Uummannaq and named it ‘Thule”.

Our journey in Avanersuaq has started with our arrival to Nallortoq (Cape Melville)

And to the port of Savissivik – the first settlement in the Polar Bear country. Here the Kings of the Arctic are ever-present. Frequently they even show up downtown wandering the settlement in search of food or just out of curiosity.

Someplace not far from here lies Ullorissat Anai – the Meteorite Country. In translation from Kalaalissut it literally means the “Shit of the Stars”.

Meteorites are the sacred stones the Polar Eskimo had worshipped and made tools from, such as knives and harpoons - the best ones in Greenland at the time. Compared to the Southern tools made out of Kalliaq, the meteorite tools of the North were absolutely superior.

One should travel to Qaanaaq with a history book in hand; so many significant things had happened along this route.

This is a Robert Peary monument that his widow Josephine has erected in the end of the 1930's.  The letter “P” for Peary is visible from the sea.

From Innaanganeq we followed the “feared” Sanerarsuaq – the coastal way where one would not find shelter for almost 200 km. There is literally no place to land here; so if the storm strikes, bad things may happen.

Like everyone else, we too were fearful of this stretch and we did not know what to expect. The weather in Sanerarsuaq can change in a matter of minutes; there is absolutely no way to forecast things.

In the previous days we heard from many in Savissivik  that they  had tried to go up this stretch in the last 2 weeks but had no luck. Of course, passing Sanerarsuaq is not a big deal for a big boat, but Greenlanders do not travel in big boats. They travel in small open boats, exactly like ours in Expedition Avannaa.  The unpredictable moods of Sanerarsuaq partially explain why Savissivik is one of the most isolated communities in the North. Two obstacles seperate Savissivik from the rest of the world - Sanerarsuaq to the north and Melville Bay to the south.

But now we can say that we were really blessed. We were obviously blessed by Sila that helped us to make this absolutely uncertain journey in a matter of a few hours. And of course, we are thankful.

Soon after passing Sanerarsuaq we reached the waters of the North Star Bay. Someplace here in 1968 a B-52 bomber on a reconnaissance mission crashed here not far from the American Thule Air Base. 130 tons of fuel, conventional weapons and 4 nuclear bombs ended up in the sea ice of North Star Bay. One bomb went down through the ice and rumor has it that it still lies here on the sea bed someplace underneath of our feet.

Soon we could spot Uummannaq – the famous mountain of the Thule Land. There are many Uummannaqs in Greenland further South, but this one is unlike any other.

Back in 1951 Uummannaq was probably the most quiet corner of the world. Only 300 people lived here. And then the quietude was abruptly disrupted by the arrival of 120 American ships that have come here  to build the Pituffik Thule Air Base that could host 10,000 soldiers. At the time it was the most expensive US air base outside of the country.

Uummannaq was the main village of Inughuit; people were coming here both from the north and from the south to get together. It was the epicenter of Inughuit life. So when the American government displaced these people in order to clear the grounds for its new base it caused a big loss for the Inughuit community and an absolute tragedy for the residents who have never been compensated for their loss.  

In 1953 Inughuit were moved to New Thule, to Qaanaaq. They were given only 3 days to pack. Qaanaaq was not a good place for hunting but that could not have bothered the American government who was after the flat land that ideally fit the construction criteria of a major runway for strategic bombers and other heavy planes.

Eventually, the Americans built the new houses in Qaanaaq for the misplaced Inughuit, but as most of us know material goods do not necessarily mean happiness. Happiness as Inughuit knew before has been lost forever.

But no matter how sad their history was, Qaanaaq is now a reality and it is a home to many fantastic people who welcomed us here upon our arrival.

Children and hunters have spotted us from afar when we were  approaching the shore.

The waters are shallow here and there was no way for us to land. Amidst our confusion, people on the shore have disappeared and then five minutes later re-appeared carrying a light boat in their hands.

Here you can see our captain, Ole Jorgen Hammeken, tirelessly moving our crew from the Avannaa boat ashore.

Dan Normann, a young school master, generously let us stay on his ground for the night and in the morning Ole Mathiasen – a leader of the community administration in the town of Qaannaaq helped us to find a more permanent shelter.

We are grateful to the people of Qaanaaq, a center of the Avanarsuaq, who welcomed us into their life. We did not tell them about our arrival; they new nothing about our journey and yet they made everything possible that we would feel at home here. “Welcome to Qaannaaq!” they said offering us food and blessings.

I would like to finish our report with insights of our captain, Ole Jorgen Hammeken who summarized the latest advance of Expedition Avannna:

“What should have been a 2-3 day expedition transformed into a 6 day cultural journey through the settlements of Upernavik District. And this is a good example of why we call Avannaa a “purely” Greenlandic Expedition. It is not about speed, but about bringing people together. We were lucky to visit the people in Aappipattoq, Tassiusaq, Nuussuaq, Kullorsuaq and the town of Upernavik itself.  And the weather related delay did not become a disadvantage to our further advance into Nares Straight since the sea ice in Cane Basin has just broke up. So, now we are in an even better position to continue with our journey and we hope to reach Hans Island in the days to come."