NUUK, Greenland (AP) 鈥� Sitting on the pelt of a polar bear hunted by her family, Aviaja Rakel Sanimuinaq says she鈥檚 proud to be part of a movement of Greenlanders reclaiming their Inuit traditions and spirituality.
The shaman, who has Inuit facial tattoos, works with spiritual healing practices to help people connect with their ancestors and heal generational trauma. A sign outside her studio in the Greenland capital of Nuuk conveys her role: 鈥淎ncient knowledge in a modern world.鈥�
In recent years, like her have been embracing pre-Christian Inuit traditions, including drum dancing and Inuit tattoos. For some, it's a way to proudly reclaim their ancestral roots. It's also a way to reject the legacy of European Christian missionaries who colonized Greenland in the 18th century and suppressed their traditions, labeling them as pagan.
鈥淭he sacredness of Christianity is still sacred in my eyes. But so is Buddhism, so is Hinduism, and so is my work,鈥� Sanimuinaq said in her studio, surrounded by skulls of seals, raven feathers and medicinal herbs. They help the "angakkoq," or shaman, communicate with 鈥渟ilam aappaa鈥� or the other world 鈥� the spiritual world.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 where I stand 鈥� that the arising of our culture, and us as a people, is also to get the equality within our culture, to acknowledge that our culture is legit; that it has to have a space here.鈥�
The Inuit have survived and thrived for generations in one of the most remote, vast and鈥� , hunting for seals, whales and polar bears. Their traditional religion is animist.
Inuit believe that 鈥渆very animal and bird, every stone and every piece of earth, the rain and the snow all have a spirit and a right to be respected,鈥� authors Gill and Alistair Campbell write in their travel book, 鈥淕reenland.鈥�
About 90% of the 57,000 Greenlanders identify as Inuit and . A to the world鈥檚 largest island more than 300 years ago.
Greenland is now a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, and Greenlanders increasingly favor getting full independence 鈥� a crucial issue in a recent .
Some say鈥疓reenland鈥檚 independence movement received a boost鈥痑fter U.S. President Donald鈥� 鈥痓y threatening to take it over.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to walk silenced anymore,鈥� Sanimuinaq said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the change we see 鈥� that the voice we get out in the world has been forbidden even within our country. Now that we鈥檙e opening, we have more freedom.鈥�
The spiritual and social value of Tunniit 鈥� the traditional Inuit tattoos
The suppression of Inuit drums and facial tattoos were part of a broader effort to Christianize and assimilate Inuit into the European way of life, said Asta M酶nsted, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. She researches Inuit oral history and its connections to Greenland鈥檚 archaeology.
鈥淒rum songs and drum duels were central to Inuit spiritual and social life, but the missionaries viewed them as pagan practices and superstitions that needed to be replaced with Christian hymns and prayers,鈥� she said. 鈥淒rums were confiscated or destroyed in order to break the connection to the pre-Christian beliefs.鈥�
In some parts of Greenland, though, the drum songs and knowledge of drum-making were preserved without the church鈥檚 knowledge.
鈥淭attoos were also linked to Inuit cosmology and rites, but missionaries labeled them as pagan and especially viewed the facial tattoos as a defilement of God鈥檚 creation,鈥� said M酶nsted. 鈥淭hey promoted the European ideal, where the human body should remain unmarked.鈥�
"Tunniit," the traditional Inuit tattoos, were etched by poking sod from soapstone lamps onto the skin with a needle or by dragging a sod-covered sinew thread underneath the skin.
Women generally got tattoos as they experienced menstruation and childbirth, viewing them as protection against illness and malevolent spirits, M酶nsted said.
But resistance to Inuit tattoos deterred many Greenlanders across generations from getting them; some who had tattoos hid them, fearing repercussions.
Growing up, Therecie Sanimuinaq Pedersen recalled how her grandmother covered her facial tattoos in soot because she didn鈥檛 want to be alienated from her community.
Therecie only got the tattoos that now cover her face 鈥� the way she remembered her grandmother鈥檚 鈥� after her daughter, Aviaja, got them in recent years.
鈥淭he tattoos I have goes from mother to daughter for thousands of years,鈥� Therecie said in Greenlandic, translated by her daughter. 鈥淚 have the same as my grandmother 鈥� that鈥檚 my heritage."
These days, when she鈥檚 out on Nuuk's streets and encounters others displaying Inuit tattoos, she feels encouraged, especially when she sees them on young Greenlanders.
鈥淲hen I see them, it鈥檚 like we have a connection,鈥� she said. 鈥淲ithout knowing them, and them knowing me, we say hi. Some come, give a hug, and say thank you.鈥�
Inuit drum for conflict resolution and restoring pride in ancestral tradition
For the Inuit, the "qilaat" played a crucial role in conflict resolution through drum duels.
The drum, M酶nsted said, had three main functions: for entertainment and socializing, as a tool for the shaman鈥痙uring their seances, and as part of a pre-colonial juridical system.
鈥淚n the drum duels, opponents used songs, insults, and exaggerated body movements to argue their case before the community, which would stand in a circle ar ound them,鈥� M酶nsted said.
She said the crowd鈥檚 collective laughter often determined the winner without the need for a formal ruling.
While some duels helped ease tensions, others ended in public humiliation, sometimes forcing the losing party to leave the community and become a "qivittoq鈥� 鈥� a person living in nature outside of society. This exile could be tantamount to a death sentence in the frigid Arctic environment.
until 1953, when it became a province in the Scandinavian country. In 1979, the island was granted home rule, and 30 years ago became a self-governing entity. But Denmark retains control over foreign and defense affairs.
The former colonial ruler is accused of committing abuses against Greenland鈥檚 Inuit, including removing children from their families in the 1950s with the excuse of integrating them into Danish society and鈥� in the 1960s and 1970s 鈥� allegedly to limit population growth.
Some Greenlanders believe the recent global attention on their mineral-rich country and a unified call for independence from Denmark has allowed them to speak more openly about abuses committed by their former colonial ruler. Some have grown closer to their rich pre-Christian Indigenous culture.
鈥淥ur culture is very spiritual ... I want to bring that back,鈥� said Naja Parnuuna, an award-winning singer-songwriter.
鈥淚 want to be in that wave with my fellow young people鈥� I feel like we鈥檝e been looked down for so long, and we really haven鈥檛 had a voice for a long time.鈥�
Growing up, she said she felt that it was 鈥渃ooler to be a Dane, or to speak Danish, and was ashamed to be Greenlandic and follow Inuit traditions. 鈥淢aybe not embarrassing,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut it was taboo or weird to do the drums or be Inuk.鈥�
Her father, Markus Olsen, is a former Lutheran pastor who was dismissed from his church position in 2022 after he allowed drum dancing during a National Day service at the Nuuk Cathedral. He knew that was risky but did it because he believes the quilaat, the Inuit traditional drum, needs to be reinstated into its valued position in religious services and other aspects of Greenlandic life.
Olsen, who wears a collar with a small qilaat and a crucifix, takes inspiration from the movement, which holds that the teachings of Jesus require followers to fight for economic and social justice. He also takes inspiration from the , the Rev. . and civil rights activist .
Parnuuna feels inspired by her father. She began to embrace her roots through her music, which encourages Greenlanders to value their Inuit culture and history.
鈥淭he more I practiced my art, singing and writing songs, I began to realize how important it is to accept 鈥� my roots, to have more self-respect, to have higher self-esteem and in that way have a healthier way of living and a more positive view of the world,鈥� she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to bring that back, so that we can love ourselves again.鈥�
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Luis Andres Henao, The Associated Press
