CollectorGREENLAND

TOWN OF QAANAAQ50 YEARS

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STRONG FISH INWILD WATER

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SUBSCRIPTION MAGAZINE FORCOLLECTORS OF GREENLAND STAMPS

VOL. 8 – NO. 2 – MAY 2003

GREENLAND’S CULTURALHERITAGE

FINAL PART

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"EUROPA" STAMP2003

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THE ARCTIC TEAMCHALLENGE

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ROTARY AND QAANAAQ

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Dear Reader,Welcome to the summer edition of the

Greenland Collector. This summer’s Greenlandissue contains 4 stamps, which are described inmore detail inside the magazine. Besides theintroduction of the stamps once more we havea variety of exciting articles about Greenlandicculture and nature.

On 20 October, for the second time we shallissue four new stamps in our ships series withdesigns featuring navigation in Greenlandicwaters. In this connection we have decided toissue a book in two volumes – the first 8 stampsof the series are featured in the first volumeand the last 8 stamps in the second volume.The book is a chronological history of theGreenlandic navigation since the Viking ageuntil today – a very well written book by OleVentegodt, M.A. The book will be sold indivi-dually and will not be included in subscrip-tions.

For technical reasons POST Greenland isobliged to delay the issue of the additionalvalue stamp until the issue on 20 October 2003.This year the additional value stamp is infavour of the Santa Claus of GreenlandCommittee, which no longer receives supportfrom the Home Rule. In the last edition ofGreenland Collector 2003 Santa Claus ofGreenland will be introduced in a substantialarticle.

POST Greenland is delighted with the verymany positive responses to our Greenlandstamps. We regard the growing interest inGreenland philately as a very positive challengeand will do everything possible to meet allenquiries and constructive suggestions fromour many customers and collectors around theworld.

The heat and the height of summer areapproaching along with the GreenlandicNational Day on 21 June. The National Day isalways an exciting event with lots of culturaland cosy activities everywhere in Greenland. InNuuk the sealers are able to go sailing all yearround, but in other places where more comfort-able weather conditions are preferred, the sail-ing season only commenced about six weeksago. It is with great expectations we lookforward to the many adventures of summer.One of the certain events is the whales, which,after the winter and to the delight of all, havereturned to the fiords in the area around Nuuk.

Have a nice summer and enjoy your reading.

Sincerely,Søren RosePhilatelic Manager

Publisher: POST GreenlandService: POST Greenland, FilateliaP.O. Box 121, 3913 Tasiilaq, GreenlandPhone +45 70 26 05 50 and +299 98 11 55Fax +299 98 14 32Email : stamps@tele.glHomepage : www.stamps.glEditors : Søren Rose, Chief Editor, Lene Skov Meyhoff, Anja Panduro Pedersen, Pertti FrandsenLayout and production : TELE Greenland,Napp WilcheISSN : 1397-8632Cover photo : Kevin O’Hara �

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�A child and youth centre in Qaanaaq has

now been realised. The result of a coalitionbetween the Sirius Expedition 2000, theSave the Children Fund and Rotary has bornfruit; a centre for the children and youth ofthe town is operational!

Qaanaaq lacked a childand youth centre

In a previous edition of the "GreenlandCollector" I wrote an article about the basisfor a coalition between the SiriusExpedition 2000 and HRH Crown PrinceFrederik, the Save the Children Fund andRotary to establish a centre for children andyouth in the world's northernmost munici-pality, Qaanaaq.

Together the fundraising in the Rotaryclubs in the Rotary District 1470, the sale byThomas Høiland of the gift to the "QaanaaqProject" from POST Greenland in the shapeof 300 reversed surcharged Greenland stam-ps denomination DKK 4.25 and the effort bythe Save the Children Fund have made theimplementation of our goal possible. Awell-suited building was rented from KNIPilersuisoq (the Greenlandic grocery chain).The building has been restored and conver-ted in accordance to current safety rules.Lots of equipment, instruments, computersand vari-ous games have been shipped toQaanaaq,

which is not the easiest thing in the world.After all, Qaanaaq is situated quite close tothe geomagnetic North Pole.

Collaboration with themunicipality of Qaanaaq

In collaboration with the local committeeof the Save the Children Fund the munici-pality of Qaanaaq attends to the daily ope-ration of the child and youth centre, and theRotary District 1470 is a substantial contri-butor. A professional manager has beenhired and a user group has been appointed,in which the users of the centre – the chil-dren and youth – also have a seat and avoice in the undertakings of the employ-ment of the centre. In the company of themanager of the centre one youth of the usergroup went on an excursion to Ilulissat toobserve the workings of a similar child andyouth centre.

The centre is used from early morning tolate evening. Before noon the centre worksas a kindergarten, in the afternoon as anafter school youth centre and in the eveningas a youth club. In this way all the childrenand youth of Qaanaaq, who have a greatneed for new challenges, benefit from theresult of our joint efforts.

Planning for the futureAn operational agreement with the muni-

cipality of Qaanaaq has been entered, secu-ring the collected funds going uncut tocover the working expenses for the first fewyears, meaning rent, electricity, sanitation,equipment, etc. after which the municipali-ty gradually takes over the commitmentsand, as of 2008, it alone will have responsi-bility for the operations. The financial situa-tion is indeed shipshape! The Rotary fund-raising alone procured approx. DKK 1.4 mil-lions in favour of the project.

Rotary and our mottoRotary is probably the largest private

humanitarian and educational organisationin the world. There are approximately 1.3million Rotarians worldwide – in Denmark11,600. The standing motto of Rotary is"Service above Self". The purpose of Rotaryis to encourage and strengthen the desire toserve others as the basis of all good activi-ty.

Each year has a certain theme. The yearwhen the Rotary District 1470 collectedfunds for the "Qaanaaq Project" the themewas "Mankind is our business". The RotaryDistrict 1470 thoroughly fulfilled both ourmotto and the theme of the year in carryingout the "Qaanaaq Project".

Now all that is missing is the official opening ofthe centre, but that is sure to come!

&RotaryQaanaaq

By Palle Sanvig, former governor of District 1470

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4 In honour of our 50-year anniversary,Qaanaaq welcomes everybody to thenorthernmost municipality of Greenland.

Qaanaaq is the youngest town inGreenland and is experiencing an immenseexpansion.

The municipality of Qaanaaq has a totalof 864 inhabitants, of whom 653 actuallylive in the town and from this number 275people are under the age of 25.

The municipality has 5 settlements, thenorthernmost is Siorapaluk with 79 inha-bitants; Savissivik is the southernmost with76 inhabitants; Moriusaq is closest to theThule Airbase with 29 inhabitants;Qeqertat, which is situated at the head ofthe Qaanaaq fiord, Inglefield Bredning, with23 inhabitants and the closest settlementsituated approximately 25 kilometres fromQaanaaq is Qeqertarsuaq (Herbert’s Island)with 4 inhabitants. Of all the people livingin the settlements 86 are under the age of25.

Qaanaaq is situated at the mouth of theInglefield Bay opposite Politikkens Glacier,and during summer there is plenty ofopportunity to watch the narwhales migra-te from the town – in fact this is the trade-mark of the town, which is the only placeleft in Greenland where, from the windows,

you can watch the traditional kayak whalingof the narwhals.

The Thule District has an exciting history,especially because of the many famouspolar expeditions originating from thispoint. The many famous expeditions wouldnever have become that famous, however, ifall these "white people" had not had skilledassistants among the local Inuits, acting assledge drivers and hunters expert at survi-val in this harsh white arctic world.

From times of old, Qaanaaq has been a

place of transit during the many dog sledgejourneys, especially during the long polarnights of the winter, when people from thenorthern part of the district went visitingtheir families and friends in the southernpart of the district and vice versa.

When the compulsory transfer of thepopulation of Pituffik / Dundas

Uummannaq took place in May 1953,Qaanaaq was established as a town. Peoplelived in tents from the month of May untillate autumn, October / November 1953,while the workmen were busy buildingreplacement houses for the families of thewhalers/sealers, so the people of Qaanaaqare a severely tested population.

One of the members of the whaling/sea-ling council of 1953, the whaler/sealer JessQujaukitsoq had appointed the place at themouth of the Inglefield Bredning as beingappropriate for buildings, since the sum-mer months provided rich opportunities forwhaling narwhals, and this trade nowadaysis still the largest source of income of thewhalers in the town. Sadly, though, Jess isnot able to experience the 50-year anniver-sary of the town’s establishment, since hepassed away last year due to old age; allhonour to his name.

During the last 50 years the town ofQaanaaq has made immense progress,especially in the years following 1980 thingsdeveloped rapidly as the town expandedprimarily to the northwest. In 1984 only onehouse was standing on the other side of theriver. Nowadays there are 103 occupiedhouses in the new part of town, as we nowcall it. In the month of September 2001 thetown opened an airport, and we are confi-

The town of Qaanaaq – 50-year anniversary

By Axel Lund Olsen, Vice-mayor, Qaanaaq

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dent that it will become a gateway for visi-tors to the district.

The course of the year is characterised bythe contrasts that are far more marked herethan any other place on the planet.Particularly the four seasons are very muchfelt on both the body and the mind.

Summer does not set in until the end ofJuly, when the ice is breaking up and the

narwhaling seriously begins, then peoplecan stay outside and not go to bed untilthey become tired, no matter what the timeof day.

Autumn approaches when it is gettingchilly and the new ice is beginning to format the heads of the fiords. Nights slowlygrow darker around 10 September and thenthe sealing really begins.

In the beginning of October, when thewalrus hunting begins and the ice hasbegun to settle, the long winter sets in.When the ice has settled, sealing with netsreally begins and the polar night sets in.The sun takes a last look at the town on 24October and does not emerge again until 17February.

When the sun returns, the hunt for polarbears begins and continues until latespring, which slowly approaches when thesnow starts to melt and the sparrowsreturn. Spring, however, does not really setin until the little auk returns.

The light Northern nights begin aroundmid April. People from the town travel tothe headland to fish for polar cod and theyspend more and more time outdoors as theheat begins to return. Narwhaling commen-ces along the ice etch supplemented bybearded seal and walrus hunting to gatherplenty of dog food for most of the winter.The light Northern nights end at the begin-

ning of September. The children really

enjoy the springtimeand the summer.Outsiders may not

understand why the children are allowed tostay out at such late hours, and the youngpeople can stay out all night and enjoy theiryouth outdoors and the rays of the sun as itburns all 24 hours. You must have beenhere to fully experience the atmosphere ofthe town during the spring, which for manypeople is the best time of the year.

Visit and experience Qaanaaq and formyour own impression of the place. You haveto experience it yourself.

We welcome everybody to the town ofQaanaaq.

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y

All photos by Hans Jensen, Qaanaaq, http:/iserit.greennet.gl/hansje/index.html

01100309Qaanaaq 50 yearsDKK 15.00Issue date: 16.06.200350 stamps per sheetSize: B - horizontalPrinting method: OffsetPaper: HS4 yellow fluorescentArtist: Ina RosingOutside measurements: 31.08 x 23.60 mm

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Silamiut TheatreThe Silamiut Theatre was established as

a theatre troop in 1984 and so far is the onlyprofessional theatre in Greenland. Todaythe permanent theatre staff consists of atheatre manager, a project manager and asecretarial employee. In addition to thesethree, the theatre has a number of projectstaff members who are connected to cur-rent productions of plays and other types ofperformances. Silamiut Theatre is an inde-pendent institution with a managementand is economically supported mainly bysubsidising funds supplied by Greenland’sHome Rule. The theatre has practice roomsand a small stage in the community centre ofNuussuaq, a suburb of Nuuk. The goal of thetheatre is to become the national theatre of

Greenland through permanent legislation.Silamiut is a project oriented theatre

troop, which has produced more than 20children’s, family and adult plays through-out the years. It performs experimental the-atre, cabarets, song performances, rock andfolk music, traditional drum dancing andmask plays, modern dancing, video and TV-productions, publishing of music and muchmore.

As a modern theatre, Silamiut includesvarious themes and topics on current as-pects of society in the plays. Aspects andcustoms of the traditional Inuit society,however, have always been included as animportant element. Drum dancing andsinging and the East Greenlandic inspiredmask and role-playing, uaajeerneq, have

been practised as an important ingredientin the Greenlandic theatre world and areconstantly developed through seminarsand courses for young people.

The theatre also runs courses and a theatre college for e.g. student nurses andpublicly employed teachers as well as courses for the young unemployed, follow-ed by the production of the plays.

Throughout the years the theatre hastoured in Scandinavia, in Europe and in allthe Arctic countries. The originators of thetheatre troop – who are still active on theGreenlandic theatre, music and culturestage – have all been educated at therenowned Tuukkaq Theatre, known as oneof the few theatres in the Fourth World.

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Deputy chairman of the Silamiut management, Daniel Thorleifsen, has kindly sent us this account ofthe establishment and cultural work of Silamiut in today’s Greenland.

�Europa stamp

2003The artist Georg Olsen has created the motif for

POST Greenland’s "Europa" stamp 2003. Themotif represents a poster, advertising a play by theonly professional theatre troop in Greenland,Silamiut. In addition to his pictorial artwork,Georg Olsen has been an active member ofSilamiut himself.

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�The Silamiut Theatre has been a greatasset to the cultural life of the young HomeRuled Greenland and to its politics throughthe task of strengthening and developingthe Greenlandic identity. Because of this,the theatre has gained recognition by re-ceiving various awards and grants such asthe culture award 1999 by Greenland’sHome Rule, the Hans Lynge culture grant,the Home Rule’s encouragement award, theculture grant by Malene and Henrik Lundand the culture award by the ChristmasSeal Committee. Furthermore, the SilamiutTheatre was invited as one of two theatresto be represented at the Sydney OlympicsCultural Festival 1997 and also participatedin the City of London Festival 1998.

01100310"Europa" stamp, "Poster Art"DKK 5.50Issue date: 16.06.200340 stamps per sheetSize: G - verticalPrinting method: OffsetPaper: HS4, yellow fluorescentArtist: Georg Olsen/SilamiutOutside measurements: 39.52 x 28.84 mm

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The comb was a necessary tool for thetraditional Greenlandic hair fashion.Ordinarily it was carved in bone.

As Gustav Holm (who led the expeditionwhich in 1884 obtained the first contactfrom the outside world with the EastGreenlanders, ed.) writes about the EastGreenlandic woman: "The females art com-monly very cleanly and hath always theirhair beautifully put up."

As in the case of any other tool, the combwas also very beautifully decorated. Thepattern could be dots or stripes; a pattern

which is also a part of the women’s tattoos.A very common ornament which can be

seen on many tools is the seal, or rather therear part of the seal, which then developsinto a figure divided in three. It is hard to sayif this is the design of the comb featured onthe stamp, but it could very well be.

Both men and women had long hair andthe hair of the women was rolled into awide top tied with a piece of leather withstrings of beads hanging down the hair.Small beads were also fastened to the fringes, hanging down the forehead.

All hair washing, as well as washing hidesand clothes, took place in the urine bucket.Hardly a problem when everybody uses thesame "shampoo".

If hair had to be shortened, a cutting toollike a knife with shark’s teeth was used,because according to superstition peoplewere afraid of their hair making any contactwith iron.

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Greenland’s Cultural 01100311Greenland’s Cultural Heritage - CombDKK 0.25Issue date: 16.06.200340 stamps per sheetSize: F - verticalPrinting method: OffsetPaper: HS4, yellow fluorescentArtist: Anne-Birthe HoveOutside measurements: 33.44 x 28.84 mm

With the two beautiful stamps of a comb and an ice bucket respectivelyPOST Greenland ends the popular series of "Greenland’s Cultural Heritage".We are delighted that the director of Ammassalik Museum, Ole G. Jensen, hasagreed to write an introduction to the two stamps COMBS

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The famous water pots of East Greenland,richly decorated with beautifully fashionedfigures, are the epitome of superbGreenlandic handcraft. The pots are made asordinary, everyday utensils with elementsfrom nature and mythology worked in.The water pots are made in the same way asbarrels, i.e. a series of narrow, flat, woodenslats carved in driftwood are fitted togetherwith precision. The bottom of the barrels fitsinto a groove near the end of the slats. Theslats are drawn together at the top with bonemounts and riveted with small wooden pegs.Decorations of seals, whales and mythologi-cal figures are riveted on to the sides of thepots. A lump of ice is put into the pot, whereit slowly melts. Sometimes, as a specialrefinement, one of the slats can be hollowedout and finished with a hollow bone tip fordrinking - like a built-in drinking straw. Itmakes it easier to take a drink without remov-ing the lump of ice. Alternatively, a long-hand-led ladle can be used.The same technique was used to make theslightly larger urine buckets, which were mademore simply and usually not decorated. They

had their place under the bed and the con-tents were used to wash hair and for tanninghides.These pots were already being made whenGustav Holm came to Ammassalik in 1884,but it is not known where the people of EastGreenland learned the technique. It is prob-able that the East Greenlanders, with theirability to assimilate new tools and tech-niques, learned the art from seeing barrelsused to store oil in their sporadic contact withsouthernmost Greenland. It is just as prob-able that they found barrels of different sizeswashed up along the coast, debris from whal-ing ships wrecked over centuries in the icealong the coast. East Greenland has alwaysbeen favoured by plenty of driftwood andmany exciting items have washed ashore tobe carefully and parsimoniously utilised bythe local people.The craftsmen of East Greenland still makethese beautiful water pots to a very highstandard. A fine range of water pots and beautiful woodcraftsmanship from East Greenland can beseen at the museum in Tasiilaq.

Heritage Final Part

Everybody needs water - especially a dietconsisting of meat and fat requires lotsof cold, fresh water. When you have the

world's purest and most delicious water withinreach, it will surely only heighten your enjoy-ment if the water is served in a beautifully deco-rated container. This must have been the philo-sophy of the people of East Greenland, whosewater pots are an expression of Greenlandichandicraft at its most beautiful.

01100312Greenland’s Cultural Heritage - Ice BucketDKK 1.00Issue date: 16.06.200340 stamps per sheetSize: F - verticalPrinting method: OffsetPaper: HS4, yellow fluorescentArtist: Anne-Birthe HoveOutside measurements: 33.44 x 28.84 mm

IceBuckets

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Ammassalik Island, in the very heart ofEast Greenland's magnificent nature, is thesetting in which the annual adventure race,The Arctic Team Challenge is taking place.

During five race days teams of four per-sons each will cover a distance of over 250km and more than 9000 metres in height.They will participate in mountain biking,mountain trekking, climbing, glacier trek-king and canoeing, before the winner cantake home the first prize of DKK 100,000sponsored by Pilersuisoq (the Greenlandicgrocery chain). ATC is taking place for the3rd time and this year from 18 July to 28 july.

Due to the remote location ofAmmassalik and the awkward accessibilityof the island, the logistics are of such com-plexity that the number of participatingteams is limited to 15. They are not allowed

to bring along any support crews. The parti-cipants’ registration began on 15 November2002 and, by 4 February 2003, 13 teams hadregistered for participation from the fol-lowing countries respectively: Australia,Austria, Canada, Denmark, Greenland,Iceland, Russia, Turkey, and the USA.

The district ofAmmassalik Ammassalik belongs to one of the most iso-lated habitations in the world. To the westthe ice cap rises up to 2,500 metres, to theSouth Summit, to the east the solid field icefrom the Polar Sea rests in the DenmarkStrait, obstructing navigation for aboutseven months of the year.

The landscape on the island ofAmmassalik is just as rough as it is beauti-ful. A mosaic of steep, dramatic mountains,

countless lakes, streams and rivers, water-falls, glaciers and green valleys - radiates apurity, which has overwhelmed and fasci-nated visitors through all times.

Nature has, due to its total dominance,had a decisive influence on the populationin Ammassalik, which is considered todescend from an earlier immigration thanthe West Greenlandic population. The EastGreenlandic culture differs in many waysfrom the rest of Greenland. The languageand the mentality are different. The facialfeatures are different. The sledges are differ-ent. The drum dancing is still practised, tho-ugh to a limited degree. In this connection itis essential to note that Ammassalik had nocontact with the outside world until the endof the 19th century, which among otherthings is the reason for so many traditionalvalues still being intact in the district.

The Arctic Team ChallengeThe Ultimate Test of Human Endurance and Survival Skills

�by Anders Stenbakken, Race Director

The Polheim Mountain: The Austrian TeamKTM Generali, led by the photographer ErwinReinthaler, on their way to the top of the PolheimMountain on the second day of the race.

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�11

��"The Ultimate Test of Human Endurance

and Survival Skills", is the subtitle of ATC,but could very well be the headline for theway of life in Ammassalik of olden days. Thetraditional culture can be characterised as aculture of survival and in few places, if any,have human beings had to struggle harderfor existence.

Even though Ammassalik in many waysis a modern society today – nature stillrules uninhibited and has a domineeringinfluence on life in East Greenland.Tasiilaq, the larger of two towns on the eastcoast of Greenland, is situated with its tinymulticoloured wooden houses partly pro-tected in an almost closed fiord, surround-ed by steep mountains. However, if you gojust a few kilometres away from town, youwill find no sign of people having inhabitedthe area for centuries.

The Idea for ArcticTeam ChallengeHans Christian Florian and AndersStenbakken created Arctic Team Challengeand both possess a broad knowledge of thetrekking and climbing possibilities of thearea, dog sledging and expedition support.

The basic idea was to create an annuallyrecurring adventure race with internationalstature. Not as a large event with manyparticipants, but as a unique combinationof an overwhelming arctic experience ofnature and an extremely challenging race.

Another basic idea was for ATC to be anobvious television event and therefore col-laboration with the Danish TV-ProductionCompany Ace&Ace was established in con-nection with the first ATC event in 2001.

Sermilik: Team ESCAPE from Canada on the Sermilik fiord west of the island of Ammassalik, 35 km in a canoe among the large icebergs in the fiord.

Half of the KTM Team on their way to the Base Camp by the Sermilik Fiord

Today, both The Arctic Team Challengeand Ace&Ace own the media rights to ATC,and ATC has up till now been shown onBBC2, DR1, DR2, KNR and, during 2003, willbe shown on Eurosport. Furthermore vari-ous articles have been printed in severalGreenlandic, Danish and foreign magazinesand newspapers.

Through broad media coverage, ATC is tocontribute to bringing the Ammassalikdistrict and its multitude of trekking andexpedition possibilities into positive focus.On ATC’s website www.atc.gl you will, apartfrom information about the race and pic-tures, find a vast amount of informationabout the Ammassalik district, history, cul-ture and pictures of nature.

Arctic Team Challenge is a non-commer-cial adventure race and a considerableamount of the profit is donated to youthsports in Ammassalik.

For further information, please visit www.atc.gl orcontact the race staff on atc@greennet.gl

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12 Greenland is a big buffet for anglers.Everywhere world-class angling adven-tures are waiting. This goes for the "biggame" of the sea like sharks and halibutof more than a hundred kilograms, giantcod and other heavyweights. It also goesfor the temperamental and strong arcticchar, which can be found more or lesseverywhere in Greenland, and which forthousands of years has been a treasuredpart of the Greenlandic larder.

If you have once experienced the linebeing tightened by a arctic char, whichwith a reckless force is pulling downstre-am, you will actually be hooked yourself.Hooked by the excitement and the thrillof nature. A primitive gene is aroused,and you just cannot swish the spinnerout into the rapid stream soon enough.

The FightFor a couple of seconds you let the

spinner sink. Then you reel in. You feelthe pull and the resistance of the rota-ting blade. No, the line has not beenwound round the blade. The spinner isgoing, as it should. All senses are con-centrated on it.

Alluring and provocative the spinner ismoving up through the water. It is best topull it along the edge of a hollow in the

ground or closely past a large stone,where the arctic char will be waiting inshelter from the current, collectingstrength for yet another lap on its way tothe spawning ground. You spin quicklyand slowly compared to the current. AndBANG. Suddenly there is a jerk in theline. The rod bends in a vibrating move-ment.

It is an age-old ritual between manand nature, the struggle for prey. Theangler puts a constant, but none toohard pressure on the char. It would liketo stick to the ground or attempt a furi-ous run for it. Perhaps it will jump out ofthe water with great vigour in order thento swim off stubbornly. But if it is pro-perly hooked and you hold it high up inthe water, it will not be long before thebeautiful fish is lying on the bank.

Primitive man has yet again providedfood. This is of real significance in thiscountry, where the fish will often be cooked on the spot, e.g. simmered in apot of melted snow and angelica obtai-ned from the riverbed. Or the char areused for winter supplies and are saltedor smoked with heather. This is one ofthe very popular delicacies of the coun-try, which has been a local specialitysince the beginning of time.

Two variantsIt is correct that there are arctic char

everywhere. But weight, size and colourare different from place to place. Nearlyeverybody has caught an arctic charintheir childhood either with their barehands among the stones of a torrent orwith a single hook on a string.

For centuries fishers and anglers havehad their own traditional angling spots,where in the summer the family went tocatch arctic char with snares, nets andtraps. They still do, and the fish stocksare protected by preservation rules andregulations regarding the use of fishingtackle. There are two variants of arcticchar, one which remains stationary infresh water, and another one which goesout to sea to gorge on the vast larderbefore in the summer it returns fat andstrong to the torrent where it came fromin order to spawn. Like all other fish inthe arctic area the arctic char growsslowly. The sea-going char, however,grows faster than its sedentary "cousin",which prefers to stay in fresh water all itslife. Typically it therefore takes a trout 15– 20 years to reach a weight of 1 kilo-grams.

By Christian Schultz-Lorentzen

Strong fish in wild waterGreenland offers world-class arctic char angling

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Proper equipmentFor the tourist angler there are count-

less possibilities of becoming acquaintedwith the arctic char. Not least the torrentsof the Maniitsoq district offer excellentangling.

If the thrill and close contact are to beoptimal, it is important not to use tooheavy fishing tackle. Even if arctic charare caught up to five, well even up to 7 –8 kilograms, most of them weigh between300 grams and two kilograms. If youexclude the sensitive and more advancedfly-fishing, it is important to have a fish-ing-line of 0.25 mm, a small, solid fixed-spool reel, a none too soft carbon fibrerod of six to eight feet as well as somesmall spinners like Vibrax and Mepps andsmall spinning baits like Jens Tobis andFlipper at a weight of between 3 and 12grams. Extra line and some good, strongsnoods are also necessary because theline will be worn quickly from being pul-led over the stones. Then you are alsofully equipped for thrills fit for aHemmingway at the torrent, which eithermeanders calmly through green, rich val-leys or zigzags with wild spray betweenthe rocks in a rugged, stony landscape.

Three favouritesEspecially the Maniitsoq district is

known amongst arctic char anglers, wherethe three torrents of Robinson,Amitsuarsuk and Kangia have becomefavourites.

Robinson has gradually turned into aclassic. Anglers from all over Europe havetried their luck in the strong and unpol-luted torrent. Robinson stretches fromthe lake system just below the ice cap

and approximately 10 kilometres out tothe fiord of Kangerlussuaq (SøndreStrømfjord).

Amitsuarsuk is crystal clear and parti-cularly well suited for both spinners ang-ling and fly-fishing. The torrent is situ-ated cosily at the bottom of the very nar-row fiord of Amitsuarsuk, and the streamis fast on the bottom couple of hundredmetres after which it changes betweenpool and current along a flat part filledwith large stones.

Kangia is a major stream lying at thebottom of the fiord of the same name,south of Maniitsoq. The average fish isapproximately 1.5 kilograms and the lar-gest ones are over 4 kilograms!

A more or less fully colouredgiant of just over four kilogramscaught in a Greenlandic torrent.

It is easier for the passionateangler to ignore the mosquitonuisance, which is best eliminatedby mosquito nets or wind.

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final saleFrom our on 31 March 2003, we are pleased to announce the following stock figures

New Book from POST Greenland

The first volume of "Ships in Greenlandic Waters"will be published on 20 October 2003

POST Greenland has allied itself with theDanish author Ole Ventegodt. An exciting andchronological story in two volumes about thenavigation in Greenlandic waters has been theresult of this collaboration – covering Erik theRed’s discovery of Greenland at the end of theViking age till modern navigation in theGreenland of today.

The first volume in this maritime history ofGreenland will be published on 20 October 2003.Volume 1 also contains the first 8 stamps in theships series, which were issued in 2002 and laterin 2003. Volume 2 will contain the last 8 stampsin the ships series.

The Ships Book, as we call it, will not be in-cluded in subscriptions, but is already availablefor pre-ordering.

Ships in Greenlandic Waters IItem No. 01303015. DKK 149.0064 pages. The Ships Book is available in English, German, Greenlandic or Danish.

Methods of payment – The ChristmasSeal Committee

Payments to the Greenland Christmas SealCommittee can be made to:

The Bank of Greenland, P.O. Box 1033, 3900 Nuuk,GREENLAND. Account No. 6471 – 1406970 or to: BGBank A/S, Girostrøget 1, 0800 Høje Taastrup, DEN-MARK.

Account No. 1199-60072868.Furthermore it is also possible to pay by cash,

cheque, international reply coupons or by credit cardto: The Greenland Christmas Seal Committee, P.O.Box 19, 3913 Tasiilaq, GREENLAND.

You can pre-pay your subscription to ChristmasSeals 2003, as long as you advise us when sending usthe payment. It is not possible to use POSTGreenland’s giro accounts in Denmark or other coun-tries, since the Greenland Christmas Seal Committeeand POST Greenland are two individual companies.

01100276. 05.02.2001Nature moves inDKK 10.00Stock figure: 222,351

01100284. 16.10.2001Seal DKK 8.00Stock figure: 252,268

01100285. 16.10.2001Polar bearDKK 21.00Stock figure: 140,657

01100292. 05.03.2002’Paarisa’. DKK 4.50 + 0.50Stock figure: 203,357

New from POST Greenland

POST Greenland will participate in thefollowing stamp exhibitions up until theend of October 2003:

• "Collector Prague 2003",

Prague, 12 to 14 September

2003

• "Stamps in Svedala", Svedala, Sweden

13 to 14 September 2003

• "Nordia 2003", Reykjavík,

16 to 19 October 2003

• "Int. Briefmarkenbörse",

Sindelfingen, 24 to 26 October 2003

• "Frimærker i Forum '03",

Copenhagen, 24 to 26 October 2003.

Greenland special cancellations will be pro-

duced for the exhibitions in Prague, Reykjavík,

Sindelfingen and Copenhagen. Envelopes to be

cancelled with these special cancellations must,

as always, be received by POST Greenland,

Filatelia no later than the day before the opening

of the respective exhibitions.

On 29 August 2003 Nuuk (Godthåb) will cele-brate its 275th town anniversary. POSTGreenland will mark this occasion with a beau-tiful special cancellation. To obtain this cancel-lation, please forward legibly addressed envel-opes to POST Greenland, Filatelia, so that wereceive them no later than 28 August.

Souvenir folders Norden 2002 and JointIssue ICES sold out

The souvenir folders "Norden 2002 -Contemporary Art" at DKK 65.00 and the JointIssue ICES at DKK 56.50 were sold out by POSTGreenland, Filatelia on 16 April 2003.

The stock figures for these popular collector'sitems will be announced in the next GreenlandCollector, No. 3/2003.

Novelty: Discount on accessories

For all our customers who have takenout a subscription with us

As a subscriber to POST Greenland,Filatelia you will automatically receive a 15%discount on all accessories, when these areordered through Filatelia, e.g. the book"Stamps tell the story of Greenland", our T-shirts, golf balls and Zippo-lighters featuringstamp motifs, the AFA-catalogues in bookformat and on CD-ROM, the DAVO luxuryalbums, etc.

This means that, as a subscriber to stampsor philatelic items, you do not have to claimthe 15% discount whenever ordering anaccessory item. We shall automaticallydeduct the 15% subscription discount on theinvoice you will receive from us.

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Worth knowing…Please send your orders/amendments to:POST Greenland, FilateliaP.O. Box 121, 3913 Tasiilaq, GREENLANDPhone: (+45) 7026 0550 and (+299) 98 11 55Fax: (+299) 98 14 32Email: stamps@tele.gl

Any change in name, address and/or subscription must bereceived by POST Greenland, Filatelia no later than 5 weeksprior to an issue.

When exchanging stamps worth more than DKK100.00, POST Greenland, Filatelia charges a fee of45% of the face value. No more than 3 exchangesper customer per year are allowed. The maximumannual value of exchanged stamps per customercannot exceed DKK 50,000 in nominal value. Thestamps are always exchanged into new stamps ofthe customer’s choice. The fee of 45% must alwaysbe paid in cash and is therefore not payable usingother stamps. For further information please con-tact POST Greenland, Filatelia.

NOTE: Please do not write your order on a girotransfer form as computers process these auto-matically.

How to pay:By giro:Denmark: BG Bank A/S, Girostrøget 1, 0800 HøjeTaastrup, Account No.: 1199-940 4120

Sweden: Postgirot Bank AB (publ) Vasagatan 7,105 06 Stockholm. Account No.: 41 45-9

Norway: Postbanken, Kunderegister Bedrift, 0021 Oslo. Account No.: 7878.06.5531

Finland: SAMPO BANK, UNIONINKATU 22, 00075,SAMPO. Account No.: 800016-70617928

The Netherlands: Postbank NV, Account No.: 3487172

Switzerland: Postscheckamt, Office de chequespostaux, Ufficio dei conti correnti postali, 4040 Basel. Account No.: 40-6773-5

Germany: Postbank, Niederlassung Hamburg,Überseering 26, 22297 Hamburg. Account No.: 541414200 BLZ 200 100 20

United Kingdom: Alliance & Leicester Giro Bankplc, Bridle Road, Bootle, Merseyside, LiverpoolGIR 0AA. Account No.: 358 7118

Luxembourg: Postes et Telecommunications,Division des Postes, Service des ChequesPostaux, Secretariat, 38 Place de la Gare, 1090Luxembourg. Account No.: 26606-28

France: La Poste, Centre Régional Des ServicesFinanciers, de la Poste en ile-de-France, 16 ruede Favorites, 75900 Paris. Account No.: 250.01 F020

If you transfer an amount from outside Denmarkthrough our giro account 1199-940 4120 inCopenhagen, Euro Giro will charge you a fee foreach transaction.

Credit cards:Access, Eurocard, Maestro, JCB, MasterCard, VISA,VISA Election.

Check- in your own currency.

Cash: - to be sent by value registered mail

Postal order IRC (IBRS)- International reply coupons: value DKK 6.00 each.

1-year deadline for claimsAny claims concerning stamps and philatelicitems purchased from POST Greenland mustreach POST Greenland, Filatelia, no later thanone year dated from the last day of the month inwhich the items were dispatched. The date of thepostmark or the invoice is valid as the date ofdispatch.

Fees for registered letters and parcels dispatched from GreenlandFees for registered letters in Greenland or toDenmark and the Faroes are DKK 35.00. E.g.:Postage for a registered letter stamped with 4.75(max. 20 g) comes to a total of 39.75. For postageon letters to Scandinavia, Europe and other coun-tries, see: www.post.gl

Payment within 14 daysPayment of our invoices is to be made within 14days from the date of the invoice.We kindly ask you to note that the registration ofyour payment will take approx. 2 weeks or more.Therefore, the situation of you receiving an in-voice with a balance which does not include yourrecent payment may occur.

All information on prices, fees etc. are subject to printer’serrors.

Anja Panduro Pedersen,Sales Assistant.Danish, English, German

Lene Skov Meyhoff,Correspondent.Danish, German, English

Bjarne AndersenCorrespondent. Danish, German, English,French

Kristian „Karé“ Pivat,Assistant Clerk. Greenlandic, Danish

Andreas Fett, Sales Assistant.German, Danish, English

Lars Anker-Møller, Head of Sales.Danish, English, German

We are your service teamWe are the people you reach whenever you write, fax, email, or telephone POST Greenland. Some of us have been here for several years whilst others are fairly new. We look forward to being of service to you regarding your philatelic inquiries.

Pertti Frandsen, Head of Production.Danish, English, German

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In the next issue, read about

• The Santa Claus of Greenland Committee

• The next four stamps in the ships series

• The book "Ships in Greenlandic Waters – volume I"

• Preliminaries to "Frimærker i Forum ‘03"• The Christmas Stamps

• The 2003 Year Pack

• Arctic Circle Race

• Participate in the election of the stamp of the year.

• Reindeer hunting

• And much more…

NOVELTY!Yearly draw

As something completely new POST Greenland introduces a yearly recurring draw among all our sub-scribers. If you have already taken out a subscription to POST Greenland’s stamps and/or philatelic itemsyou will automatically participate in the draw for a beautiful piece of Greenlandic craftwork.

The winner of the main prize – which has not yet been produced – will be announced in the last editionof the Greenland Collector, which is issued in mid September.

A general draw will be arranged among all subscribers. In addition to the main prize a draw for 10 "con-solation prizes", in the shape of beautiful Greenland philatelic gifts, will take place.

If you have not taken out a subscription yet, there is still time! The deadline for receipt of your sub-scription and participation in the draw is 1 August 2003.

Prepaid Telephone Cards in Greenland

As something completely new in Greenland,TELE - POST Greenland A/S has introduced pre-paid telephone cards for mobile phones. The newservice is called TUSASS, which means ‘Talk toyou later". So far there are three different prepa-id telephone cards in Greenland: one for DKK100.00, one for

DKK 200.00 as well as one of for DKK 500.00The designs of the telephone cards will be ex-

changed for new ones whenever a new edition isproduced.

The TUSASS cards can be ordered from POSTGreenland, Filatelia.

Please use the enclosed order form.

Nuuk 275 years

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