Relationship between Greenland dog and sealskin gloves

Birgitte, surrounded by fur, was sewing in the youth hostel's dining room. Gloves made of sealskin were piled up on the table. In natural gray, crimson, green etc... They were made in various colors, shapes, and sizes.

Birgitte making mittens, it takes 1 to 3 hours to make one pair

"Is it difficult?" I asked Birgitte.
She said "It's not so difficult. It is hand sewn as well as partially done by sewing machine. It just the right kind of work to do on a gloomy, rainy day such as this."

Sealskin, one sheet costs approx. 300DKK

The mittens had a warm, smooth texture. Tanned sealskin was used at the palm side. The fur around the wrist portion is of Northern Greenland husky.

Mittens made of sealskin and husky fur

When sled dogs get old and weak, they are put to sleep and reborn as hand gloves. "It's like the milking of cows in Europe." Said Brigitte, who hails from Denmark.

I talked about this to Arne, she's from Uummannaq, Greenland, and she disagreed with this.

"Greenland husky is not livestock. They fulfill their duty as sled dogs, and after that they reborn as furs to serve us again. There is no waste indeed."

Often I see people walking their dogs on the street in Narsarsuaq. Hugo and Bertha, who I just became acquainted with, have two dogs also. Last weekend, their families went to a mountain by snowmobile, and their dogs followed them yelping and rolling all over the snow.

At first I got terribly frightened seeing dogs released, as I had been taught from Ohba-san that Greenland dogs may suddenly bite. Hugo's dog came behind me and started to sniff around my hips.
"Always do it to a person they first meet. Please forgive it for that." said Hugo with a wry smile.

In the south, there are sheep ranges where Greenland huskies work as sheepdogs. There is quite a difference between the north and the south in the way people associate with the dogs. In the north, dog sleds are essential means for living and hunting; whereas, the south does not need dog sleds.

Kaffemik

April 7th is Bertha's birthday. After satisfying our hunger with curry soup and fresh Greenland shrimps prepared by Bertha, we headed for Kaffemik. It was Jacky's idea to go to Kaffemik for Bertha's birthday, I assumed there was a restaurant called Kaffemik and we would have a birthday party. I said to Bertha that Kaffemik is such a pretty name.

She then taught me, "When you put ‘mik’ after a word, it means get together to do something. For instance, ‘dancemik’ means enjoying dancing together." So Kaffemik means getting together to have tea while enjoying each other's company.

The car trembled and stopped in front of a house. Warm light was leaking out of the window.

"Here is the Kaffemik?"
"Yes, Hugo's house." Jacky said it and went into the house.

I entered a room and found Hugo and Bertha's families and a young couple with a baby relaxing on a sofa. Decorated cakes and sweets were put side by side on the table.

Homemade cake, a bit too sweet for my taste, but it was delicious

Kaffemik is not a place but a traditional custom of celebrating birthdays where with the door opened all day people of all sorts are coming in and out to have fun by eating and drinking. Customarily the Kaffemik is held until the 14th birthday. Bertha, turning 37 today, greeted us with her happy smile and said, "To tell you the truth, I'm a little too old for a Kaffemik, but it's OK because it's fun to eat and drink together with all."

People of different nationalities sat around the table. We were from Greenland, France (Jacky), Denmark (Birgitte), and Japan, "It's like an international conference," we laughed.

We were chatting and joking around when we realized it was almost twelve midnight. Even so, the children were all awake and having fun in the living room (probably because the next day was Easter).

A fun time at Kaffemik

When we were about to leave, Hugo told me that the door is always open and I can drop in anytime I want. Then I asked Hugo, "Do we have Kaffemik tomorrow again?" He was laughing with Bertha and replied, "Ha ha ha. Maybe tomorrow is this dog's birthday. The day after tomorrow is the other one's birthday. Why don't we declare a birthday for somebody everyday and do the Kaffemik? Anyway you can visit me anytime even if it's not a Kaffemik."

I headed home with Arne's words ringing in my head: "Greenland will answer you if you open up your heart, laugh always, and make an effort to step closer."

Noriko Miyashita