Gallery: Traditional Life and Lady Gaga Collide in Modern Greenland
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A hunter named Frank wears traditional “kamik” boots and pants made from animal skin and fur, along with a modern coat.
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A boat sits imprisoned by ice in northern Greenland. When the water in the harbor freezes, people use traditional sleds and snowmobiles to get around instead of the boats.
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A church on the outskirts of Qaanaaq, the northernmost settlement in Greenland. Inuits historically practice Shamanism, though Dutch colonialists introduced Protestantism to the country.
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Tarpaulins lie abandoned at the foot of an iceberg in Uummannaq.
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Hunters cut up seals they’ve caught. They divvy up the pieces and leave them on the ice to freeze at night. They eat the meat and also use the skins.
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Some houses in northern Greenland do not have access to a sewage system, so wastewater flows from homes and freezes in the streets. A specialized municipal collection team services toilets.
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In the 1960s, the Danish government built housing projects. The era marked the beginning of an exodus from rural areas into urban ones.
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Fishermen drill holes into the sea ice to fish, then lower a 656-foot weighted fishing line that has bait attached roughly every three feet.
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A snow storm in Uummannaq, northwestern Greenland.
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Knut lives in a traditional Greenlandic house. His walls display photographs of family and various trinkets.
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The unwashed skull of a polar bear sits on a kitchen counter. Polar bear sightings happen from time to time in Qaanaaq. Hunting is regulated, and kills must be declared.
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Ilulissat sits at the heart of Disko bay on the western coast. With more than 4,000 inhabitants, it is Greenlandl's third largest town. Its harbor is extremely important to Greenland’s fishing industry, which is the second largest employer in the public sector. Fish and seafood accounts for about 90% of Greenland’s exports.
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A hunter watches for seals from his sled in northern Greenland, some 25 miles from the closest settlement.
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A man calls another hunter on his cellphone to stay abreast of shifting weather. They’ve journeyed seven hours from Qaanaaq on a dog sled that pulls the boats they use for hunting.
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Hunters store meat and dry fish in small wooden sheds.
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An Arctic fox killed by a hunter lies on the ice.
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Ilulissat means “icebergs.” The town is home to the UNESCO-protected Ilulissat Icefjord, one of the fastest-moving glaciers in the world.
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A car dumping site at the edge of Ilulissat. There is no major road network in Greenland, but cars and taxis have become a part of the urban landscape. Most people use planes or helicopters to travel to other cities.
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Ilulissat was once isolated by the sea ice in wintertime, but the harbor has not frozen in a decade. At right, a museum hosts cultural activities.
