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Fig 1 Island of Uummannaq
Strategic Islands and Dirty Narratives A celebration of the waste dump Uummannaq, Greenland Master’s Thesis Summarizing Report Aarhus School of Architecture Student: Rasmus Romme Brick Maabjerg / No: 2014129 Supervisor: Carolina Dayer Studio: 2A, The Art of Building
Preface
Fig 2* Drawing from the mapping phase. “Passing on knowledge.� (*All figures were produced by the author unless stated)
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ike most civilizations, the Greenlandic Inuit also use storytelling to pass down information throughout generations. The following thesis report is partly written as a story inspired by the myths i got to know on my trip to Greenland. Currently, there is a growing interest among indigenous peoples in the Arctic to bring these stories into modern contexts as a method of celebrating their own cultures. In this design proposal and in my research related to this thesis project, I have sought to honor this interest. I believe that architecture can embody, preserve and learn from the cultural, environmental and spiritual knowledge embedded within such ancient wisdom. The exercise of storytelling has been a personal way of challenging my own understanding of a complex culture and a tool to conceive and represent architecture.
Let the story begin!
Fig 3 Inuit Nunaat : Land of the people (Greenland)
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ituated beside one of the city entry points, right where the ocean meets the land, a large structure emerges in front of me. A stranger nearby mentioned that the building was dubbed the “Strategic Island�. Before I could say anything he started explaining...
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Location of the island of Uummannaq
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he story tells that in the middle of the Arctic wilderness far away from conflict areas and natural catastrophes, there was a sacred place. This place was so unreachable, that one could only go there if the weather would allow it. This place was completely embraced in water, which was a source of life and a magical medium of memory. It was known to behave differently throughout the year, which made it desirable and feared. In this place, the currents dramatically shifted the way in which things moved, and in the course of a year the sun came and left at will, altering the atmosphere of the place entirely. It was in many ways supernatural. In this place, there was a colorful city, which appeared as if it was neatly walking on stilts, making every built structure hover nervously above the cold underlying surface. This city was secured to an island made of rocks. Rocks that had been there longer than any other rock in the world. They told stories of emerging oceans and when the earth became inhabitable. They could do that since they were four billion years old and acted as a physical and spiritual foundation for the island. In the city, a great mix of human and non-human beings coexisted with the mysterious and ever-changing Arctic nature. They had a history dating back so long that no one really knew when it had begun. They were known for sharing stories of great adventures, which informed other places about how it was to live exactly there. As the years went by the place became threatened by forces bigger than anything they could ever imagine. These species came from far away, from places that had been disconnected from nature long enough to no longer care for it. These forces brought with them huge amounts of unfamiliar things, which could naturally not enter the existing cycles of matter. These foreign species still, until this day, dominate this sacred place. They still see nature as something completely different: As a resource more than a living organism. The sacred place has taught itself to adapt to these constraints, however its magical nature is now more fragile than ever. Consequently, the place is not as remote as it once was. Trash is now steadily piling up on the edges of the island. Larger objects are waiting to be brought somewhere else and bodily leftovers silently drift away with the underwater currents. Moreover, the community is threatened by the ground under their feet turning liquid and the rocks beneath the stilts taken away. Although, the place is losing its dynamic link to its surroundings, there is a desire for change deep within the hearts of the locals. The place in this story is Greenland, and the city “Uummannaq”, meaning “the heart shaped mountain.” Four billion years after the rocks were formed and four thousand years after the first person had ever set foot on them, it was my turn to go. I decided to go to Uummannaq, in the search of a purposeful site for an architectural intervention.
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“Garbage is neither one thing nor another, but instead is the remainder of such neatness, and this is one reason why it could be a dubious exercise to reconfigure it, to bring it back into our thinking – to make it something to us.”1
Fig 4 Drawing in garbage system series. Depicting relationship to waste in the city.
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1.. Scanlan, John, “On Garbage” p. 16
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efore you venture onto this island, there are a few things you need to know. This image in front of you shows the containers that stand in front of all the houses. In here, leftovers are placed. The city is experiencing issues with the way the stuff inside these structures are handled. There is too much trash and it is are too far from everything.
Content p...2 Introduction p...4 Scale - Global p...10 Scale - National p...14 “Dirty Narratives”
p...18 Scale - Local p...44 “The Strategic Island.”
p... 57 Literature Glossary + Biogas: Gaseous substance generated by decomposition of organic material. + Dirty Narratives: Double sidedness of geopolitics and trash. + Geopolitics: Consider the links between political power, geography and cultural diversity. + Inuit: “People” / a member of an indigenous people of Northern Canada, Greenland and Alaska. + Local: Person living in Uummannaq. + Strategic Island: An architectural intervention. + The Chocolate Factory: Dump for disposal of human waste.
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Fig 5 Digital drawing from mapping phase depicting a hunter carrying a harpoon - a traditional method of catching animals. This hunting form is common although it is contested by the fast provision by supermarkets.
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or many years, everything consumed, has been re-circulated, but now it is hard to find places for all these new types of trash. Each type of leftover is taken to different dumping areas as each has a different spirit awaiting to turn into something else. These places are called dumps.
Fig 6 Digital drawing from the mapping phase showing the small signs of connections between local and global.
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Introduction “Here I am, just about to succumb to the filth of the humans. Your ignorance dishonors me. Hurry up, hurry up, clean my head comb my hair ”2 In the context of the geopolitical interests in Greenland, where a number of opposing world-views are meeting, how can architecture and indigenous storytelling rework the infrastructures of waste, in order to preserve a locality and create new possibilities for its dwellers and their cultural values? Waste starts as a local concern and there is no single way of handling it. Given Greenland’s dispersed population and lack of infrastructure, there are both environmental, practical and cultural issues to be considered3. In our globalized world people in Greenland produce just as much waste as the rest of us. Only few cities have incineration plants, which is not enough to treat everything that is produced. This project is located in the island of Uummannaq. Despite being one of the larger cities, there is still no waste management plan. Instead, trash is dumped outside the city in various sites. One of these dumps recently caught on fire and blended toxic smoke with the surroundings. Not only Greenland’s waste issue but also the geopolitical fights for resources in the Arctic are reconfiguring how local lives are lived. To approach this, I have tried to understand how the Inuit have culturally perceived their environment. I have read stories in order to formulate ideas for an architecture that can emerge with inspiration from locally embedded narratives and beliefs. There is wisdom within the stories of each civilization, and architecture can embody the tacit knowledge that these often undermined narratives signify. Inuit mythology has strong ties to natural features, such as land, water and (non)living beings. These elements were used to develop spatial concepts of dealing with the waste. This has allowed me to further critique the Western mentality that has positioned nature as a mere resource to be consumed and exploited. My ambition has been to make a intervention that seeks to fulfill the needs of the city, which are currently places to assemble and systems to manage their waste. It will operate as an material and social infrastructural node that responds to its climatic context. Furthermore, the project aspires to create new jobs through waste management and production of knowledge, in order to create a grain of self-empowerment. In a culture thriving on cultural traditions of social gatherings, the thesis looks to encourage users in civil dialogue around local politics, environment and tradition. The project is in its essence what i have termed a “Strategic Island.”
2.. Translation by author from the story “The mother of the sea”: ”Myter og Sagn fra Grønland” p. 21 3.. Hermansen, Per, https://www.eea.europa.eu/signals/signals-2012/interviews/waste-in-greenland
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Fig 7 The “Arctic Domination.” Azimuthal Map Greenland in Global context. Center: 70°40’27”N 52°7’31”W
Uummannaq
Inuit - People(s) of North America
Various waves of inuit migration over a long history normally driven by climatic changes and opportunities for trade or hunting
Ecisting Oil and Gas Fields Possible Reserves
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EEZ EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE
EEZ is a sea zone up to 200 nautical miles from the coast of a state that has its special rights on exploration and resources.
NORTH WEST PASSAGE TRANSPOLAR SEA ROUTE
Military Base(s)
NORTHERN ROUTE
Cable Landing Station / Hub
SUEZ CHANNEL ROUTE
Scale: Global “100 years ago we all lived in communities of under 200 people. Now one quarter of the population lives in the capital Nuuk and only 20% live in villages. In that time we have seen the rapid loss of traditional values.”4 - Aleqa Hammond
(Former Prime Minister of Greenland)
Through the conquering of the Arctic territory, the humans are once again the center of attention in a geopolitical era of climate-change and territorial fighting for resources and power. Humans are no longer spectators of the natural world but are in a position to alter it at will. The Arctic region and countries, such as Greenland, have been one of the ultimate goals in the geographical exploration of the world. Back in history, a series of attempts were carried out to reach the “Cold North”. The expeditions brought not only important information about climate and culture(s), but also acted as the foundation for colonial practices, exploitation and extraction of people, land and native resources5. Today, as the Arctic icecap retreats, the same territory is turning into a military and economical resource and new trade routes connect our world in ways never imagined (Fig 7). Since new land appears, the Arctic again must be documented and re-mapped. The longing to “conquer” the North is once again achievable. The prospect of exploiting new resources is redefining the Arctic environment on every possible scale. There is also a danger these powerful interests are sidelining the autonomy of the indigenous people. The people living in the Arctic are political as well. There is however enormous amounts of water separating the experiences and understandings of those who living in the Arctic and those not6. Many are therefore blind to the challenges that the people in the Arctic are facing. Among those is the issue of waste. I address in my project through another on-going issue: the loss and colonial erasure of local practices and myths. While neoliberal capitalists fancy the wealth of the Arctic world, Greenland is transforming into a “trashcan” in scales ranging from the global to the national to the local level. How can architecture assist and propose ingenious design approaches to these very large issues?
4.. Vidal, John, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/23/climate-change-risks-greenland-arctic-icecap 5.. Weis, Kristoffer, https://www.information.dk/kultur/anmeldelse/2013/09/mennesket-naturkraft 6.. Bravo, Michael, Triscott, Nicola, “Arctic Geopolitics & Autonomy” pp. 15-18, 91-93
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Fig 8 Abandoned military base, East Greenland. The image shows hundreds of oil barrels left by the US. (Image Š Timothy, Allan,)
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hile he was talking, I could easily see tiny things moving around outside of the building in front of me, almost as if the entire structure was alive. As a machine for transforming garbage. Everything seemed to be moving in a carefully planned system. One couldn’t really see what was up and down and the whole thing was almost talking to us through its sounds
Fig 9 First drawing in the political work map. Examining the Island of Uummannaq
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“Arctic nature is considered world heritage which has to be protected, while technology acts as potential destroyer of that heritage. The Arctic thus functions as a repository of the past that at the same time is a guarantee of the future. It is in other words an archive.”7 Geopolitical activity necessarily generates waste, which is a direct spatial effect of power struggle in the Arctic (Fig 8). It is physically shown through changes in natural environments and world views. These spatial threats bring environmental and cultural issues to the foreground for residents all around the Arctic. These processes are out the local peoples control. Inuit communities have undergone huge transitions such as new settled living, technologies and education, which have changed customs, skills and languages. Despite these rapid changes to the fabric of their societies, the Inuit have remained closely tied to the land8.
Colliding World Views It has been important to me to learn from aspects of Inuit world views and the colliding realities that occur when Western neoliberal models enter their culture. The knowledge I have gained, through my visit to the island have influenced the project to be an architecture acknowledging the culture of the place. Opposite the Inuit view, the Western is not promoting equality. Geopolitics are blind to the reality of the Arctic as an inhabited region. Most of us living in the Western world start smiling when hearing stories about supernatural creatures. But we are also far away from the oppressing winter-darkness and the unreal world of the snow - covered mountains. Only when we experience it ourselves, our smiles tend to stiffen9. To the Inuit, nature is a living cosmos. Even excrements are not just “smelly body waste” but a dynamic link between the life of the animal, through the human body and back into nature. The relationship between human and animal used to be so intimate that mythology tells of a time, when humans could transform to animals and the other way around. Inuit believe that nature has consciousness and communicates directly with humans. In this belief, immaterial energy exist as well, such as in the spirits of the dead. These ways of thinking vary from place to place. Common to them is that the physical matter and spirits can embody and transform into very local places. (See appendix for relevant articles)
7.. Frank K, Susi,. Jakobsem Kjetil, ”Arctic Archives, Ice, Memory and Entropy” p. 50 8.. Bravo, Michael, Triscott, Nicola, “Arctic Geopolitics & Autonomy” p. 35 9.. Translation by author from ”Myter og Sagn fra Grønland” p. 9
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Fig 10 Drawing depicting the Western / capitalistic world view where time is linear and everything is considered a valuable resource that can be consumed and trashed, maybe even recycled so it can become more future trash.
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hat you will find here is an attempt to create a place for everyone in the city. Something really needed. For a long time, the wish has been an actual community house. A new value that could be used for a number of cultural activities to the benefit of the citizens and the island.
Fig 11 Drawing depicting the Inuit world view where time is cyclical. The world is a living organism and all living is entangled and part of the natural cycle.
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Fig 12 Digital drawing from the waste cycle map showing the “Chocolate Factory� in Uummannaq. This is where all human excrements end up.
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efore this intervention, gatherings were only possible in places like the sports hall or the church, but as the population grows and more tourists come, this place functions as a social attractor. Fig 13 Digital drawing from the waste cycle map indicating the action, which is performed when the trash is burned.
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SCALE: NATIONAL ”Arctic trashcan” As a result of a rich cultural heritage, it is common for Inuit people to be concerned with their ecosystems. In our time, there has been an awakening in the recognition of climatic change. On one hand, there exist thousands of square meters of unclaimed territory. However, on the other hand, climate anxieties and the uncontrollable issue of waste are increasing. Today’s melting ice is very likely to become tomorrow’s flowing water10. Greenland is known to have endured immense transformations throughout their thousand-year-old history. It has among many things, experienced fundamental transformations in local societies, having gone through a status as colony to being a home - ruling country. With an enormous footprint and only few inhabitants, it is one of the worlds’ most unusual civilizations.
50.000 T The annual amount of waste in Greenland is estimated 50.000 tons but the actual data are scarce
45% Through collected data around 45% (20.000 t) of the waste is burned in incineration plants
50% The rest 23.000 ton waste gets dumped in landfills
5%
Less than fifty years ago, many people still lived in remote settlements along the perimeter of the country, but today the majority lives in larger cities. People live modern lives side by side with cultural traditions11. As technology advances, it is possible to bring to the island every possible object, which eventually will turn out as waste.
The Arctic trashcan Geopolitics, extraction, land, water, migration and waste have all been key concepts in this thesis. Despite the fact that Greenland is an overseas territory of Denmark, the Danes have not done much to preserve and empower one of the most fragile environments on the planet. The trash in Greenland is simply accumulating in nature with no general plan of removing it. The responsibility lies not with the local people but with the governments of Greenland and Denmark. Since Greenland does not have the necessary facilities to get rid of their waste they need clever solutions and help from other nations. When (if) a clever way is found to empty the trashcan, will Greenland become a more independent country?
The rest (5%) mainly metal and hazardous waste gets exported to Denmark12
10.. Bravo, Michael, Triscott, Nicola, “Arctic Geopolitics & Autonomy” p. 18 11.. Andersen, Krogh, Marianne, ”Grønland, Mægtig og afmægtig” p. 14-15 12.. Eisted, Rasmus, ”Miljøvurdering af Grønlands affaldsystem” p. 9
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+ 630
+ 62
Greenland has roughly 560000 inhabitants Greenland imports all sorts of products, including food, clothing and cars, mostly shipped from Aalborg + 1224
There are six relatively big towns, 11 smaller towns
+ 175
There are around sixty settlements of 30 to 300 inhabitants scattered along the coast.
+ 464
Only six towns have incineration plants
+ 3000 + 70 + 2000 + 15.469
+ 2000 + 1700
+ 3100 + 2300
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+ 158
+ 79
Fig 14
Map of Greenland showing placement of settlements, waste treatment plants and shipping routes.
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ow all the daily waste enters a closed system in the structure where everything is taken care of. Things have been given life again instead of being considered just filth.
Fig 15
Map of Greenland showing documented positions of waste incidents such as depots, war waste, buildings and air plain fuel drops.
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Fig 16 Digital drawing from the work map showing facial marking, which has deep meanings stretching all the way back to the Inuit origin stories and the sea goddess Sedna.
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s we moved further towards the structure, I could see it was divided in separate parts; an upper and a lower one. Several worlds were co - existing, some for trash and some for both.
Fig 17 Digital drawing from the work map showing a person carving an object out of a tooth. Originally, the belief was that spirits could live or get trapped inside objects. Today they are also commercialized and sold to tourist.
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Dirty Narratives - a Human Value “Since narratives lie close to the heart of northern indigenous societies, it is tempting to ask how far they really can reach into the geopolitical domains of state-dominated power. Narratives are themselves technologies by which societies have for millennia navigated. The special quality of narratives, is that they are uniquely suited for traveling because they are able to hold complex combinations of knowledge in tension—and therefore together.”13 What I call “Dirty Narratives” refer to the double sidedness of both the political activities in the Arctic and the underlying issue of waste in Greenland. In this thesis, Inuit myths have also informed the meaning of this as they have been read to learn about material culture, natural cycles and social life. 1. Materials: In Inuit storytelling, everything holds powers, which means that everything can be born in a new way. This was used in the intervention to suggest how networks of waste could be reorganized in the city and how to create a new value around items, which were otherwise considered worthless. 2. Nature: Inuit narratives see nature as a source of life and identity, which gives a remarkable sense of locality. This was used as a way to accent specific site qualities and to place the intervention in the landscape. 3. Social life: Inuit value knowledge sharing throughout their community. To this day, the Inuit would place high value in inclusiveness, resourcefulness and decision making. As the social gatherings are important, my intervention was designed to assemble large gatherings. There are numberless stories, and common to them all is that they are used to answer big questions in life, such as where we come from, and how was the world created. They often depict the ruthless nature, but are also stories of harmony through sharing of the good life. They are an important part of passing on costumes from one local community to another.14 ( See appendix for relevant stories) These stories have inspired me to draw, collage and imagine multiple situations that can be seen in the following pages.
13.. Bravo, Michael, Triscott, Nicola, “Arctic Geopolitics & Autonomy” p. 18 14.. Rasmussen, Knud ”Myter og Sagn fra Grønland” p. 7-9
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Fig 18 Digital collage of the “visible world” taking inspiration from the Inuit narrative “The Mother of the Sea.”15
“When he finished combing, he collected all the filth and threw it away. At the same moment everything came to life. As long as you live on earth. You must come and clean me, and the same counts for your children”
Fig 19 Digital collage of the public assembly hall, taking inspiration from the Inuit narrative “The Orphans who saved their settlement.”16
“The day after the whole settlement gathered around party games and spells in one of the biggest houses. There were so many people that they almost outshouted each other.”
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15.. Rasmussen, Knud, ”Myter og Sagn fra Grønland” p. 19-24 16.. Rasmussen, Knud, ”Myter og Sagn fra Grønland” p. 248-258
Fig 20 Digital collage of the “underworld” taking inspiration from the Inuit narrative “the Mother of the Sea.”17
“Here i am lying almost brought to an end by the human filth. Your impurity pollutes me. Hurry up, clean my head, clean my hair”.
Fig 21 Digital collage of the “visible world” taking inspiration from the Inuit narrative “the Mother of the Sea.”18
“He stayed for a long time and got the know the house with all its wonderful appliances. He got to see many things which before were hidden for him”
17.. Rasmussen, Knud, ”Myter og Sagn fra Grønland”, p. 19-24 18..Ibid
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Uummannaq Fjord Appat Island
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t is located here in between gigantic mountains, which act as protective membranes for the ever - changing climate. They change the currents and dictate when the sun appears.
Saattut
Qaarsut
Island of Uummannaq
The “Big� Island
Ikerasak
Fig 22
Drawing of Uummannaq Island, showing its position in the fjord and its relation to local/global networks
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Movement on ice ex. Car Helicopter path Cargo ship path
SCALE: LOCAL “Some islands drifted away from the continent, but the island is also that toward which one drifts; other islands originated in the ocean, but the island is also the origin, radical and absolute. It is no longer the island that is separated from the continent, it is humans who find themselves separated from the world when on an island. It is no longer the island that is created from the bowels of the earth through the liquid depths, it is humans who create the world anew from the island and on the waters.”19
The Island The site for this project is within the 12km2 island of Uummannaq, which I visited in the initial phase of the project. Before the colonization, the fjord was inhabited by more settlers than today. Fragmented pieces of history about the place have been documented, while others have been passed down through generations. Throughout time, the island has undergone changes, from being a Dutch colony in 1763, to becoming a victim of the Danish concentration-policy in 1960. The people fought back and won their right to stay.20 The island is foremost accessed by helicopter from the nearby airport in Qaarsut, but due to the unstable weather any traveler must be patient. In winter the temperature can reach minus 30oC, while temperatures around 15oC are normal during summer. There sun cannot be seen from November until beginning of February but on the contrary it stays up from May until July. The water surrounding the island is frozen during winter, and for a few months the fjord turns into an inhabitable surface. Cars, dog sleds and snowmobiles move around between settlements to hunt, exchange goods and assemble people (Fig 22).
Fig 23 Drawing from the work map of a fishing ship. The main labor of the area is fishing. 19.. Deleuze, Gilles, ”Desert Islands and Other Texts” p.10 20.. Lynge, Frederik, Lauritzen, Philip, ”Uummannaq” p. 8
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Fig 24 Drawing of the island of Uummannaq in plan and elevation, highlighting its natural characteristics.
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20
Heliport
Site City Center
Harbor
City perimeter Location of waste dump
Fig 25, Photo from Google Earth, https://earth.google.com/web/ Aerial photo of the southern part of Uummannaq Island, the location of the city. The map is showing the placement of the waste dumps, the city center and the harbor.
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was told that the idea of the intervention was to adapt to the core needs of the city and to enhance already existing ways of managing waste. Here, the waste is already being separating, but due to the location it stays here way too long.
City of Uummannaq “In the city we really can forget garbage – indeed are urged to do so – because the individual responsibility for garbage has, of necessity, been destroyed. Destroyed as a condition of progress. An interesting result of ruminating on garbage is that it takes one back to the most basic fact of life, to the human body as the primary and original site of physical organization.”21 The city is located along the foot of the mountain (Fig 25), as the rest is impassable for humans. The settlement is home to around 1250 people where ten percent are Danes. Public amenities are placed in the central part north of the industrial harbor. The technical facilities are placed along the coast. Mainly because of its nature, Uummannaq city is as well a tourist destination. The basis for the settlement is fishing and businesses such as domestic industry and small entrepreneurs. Every third month, deliveries come in with cargo-ships, but only if the weather allows it. On the surface everything in the city works, but beneath it one finds waste forming new horrific landscapes. People in the city lack jobs and there are no dedicated spaces for everyone to meet. According to the local municipality, the following goals in the interest of the city are22:
+ Fishing, production and processing are to be further strengthened and developed.
+ Different institutions should cooperate, and short-cycle educations should be given priority.
+ The wish to have an community house is to be
supported.
+ Waste management should be improved
considerably.
21.. Scanlan, John, “On Garbage” p. 163 22.. Avannaata Kommunia, http://qaasuitsup-kp.cowi.webhouse.dk/dk/by-_og_ bygdeplaner/uummannaq/
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Fig 26 (*All photos taken by the author unless stated) Photo looking north towards the city center. The city center is the where the primary public amenities are located.
Fig 27 Photo looking east towards the industrial harbor. This area is used throughout the year to connect the island to its global context. It is from here all potential waste enter the city.
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hen you walk around the city, you easily get lost in the network of empty streets, which are neatly cut out of the rock beneath them. Dogs are howling everywhere reminding you that you are not alone after all.
Fig 28 Photo looking north along a residential street in the city. The houses are built directly in the area closest to the water, respecting the barrier to the central water reservoir.
Fig 29 Photo looking north towards the uninhabited area of the island, with the majestic Uummannaq mountain in the background: The symbol of the city.
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Settlements in Avannaata Kommunia (Commune)
Incineration plant
Qaanaaq Siorapaluk Savissivik Qeqertat Upernavik Kullorsuaq Nuussuaq Nutaarmiut Tasiusaq Innaarsuit Naajaat Aappilattoq Kangersuatsiaq Upernavik Kujalleq Uummannaq Nuugaarsiaq Illorsuit Ukkusissat Niaqornat Saattut Qaarsut Ikerasuk Illulissat Saqqaq Qeqertaq Oqaatsut Ilimanaq
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s you might know, it is believed here that everything in this island is spirited. Everything from the stones to the ocean in front of you contains a spirit, but sadly the place is losing its energy due to the big piles of trash.
Municipal Plan
Private enterprise
Est. Annual Amount of Waste kg/year
Inhabitants
Transport vehicle(s)
458.315
627
Own vehicle
11.040
48
ATV
12.240
56
ATV - wheelbarrow
6.480
27
ATV
815.000
1075
Truck
161.950
445
ATV
71.500
190
ATV & wheels
10.400
45
ATV
63.120
263
ATV + Snowmobile
41.520
173
ATV
13.200
55
On foot + Ship
39.600
165
ATV 6 wheels
37.440
156
Own vehicle
45.120
188
ATV + Snowmobile
890.890
1282
Truck
24.100
100
ATV + Snowmobile
16.800
70
ATV 6 wheels
36.000
150
Own Vehicle
9.360
39
ATV 6 wheels
57.360
239
Mini Tractor
39.600
165
Tractor
52.320
218
ATV + Snowmobile
5.254.221
4557
Waste truck
36.000
161
ATV + Snowmobile
21.600
110
ATV + Snowmobile
8.640
36
ATV + Snowmobile
12.480
58
ATV
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Graveyard Soccer field
Public amenities Entry points to the water Location of public trash cans
500 m
Location of waste dump 400 m
300 m
Graveyard
200 m
Heliport 100 m
Orphanage
Graveyard
Cafe
Sports hall
Primary School
Industrial harbor Supermarket
Fig 30 Map of the eastern part of Uummannaq, relating the placement of public trash cans and waste dumps with the larger assembly points in the city center.
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Public Assembly The wish for a community house
During my visit I experienced the city’s lack of places to assemble larger crowds of people. This means creating room for events relating to local traditions and political decision making. Currently, public buildings occupy several functions at once. The existing school acts as the main library, dentist and bingo club while the sports hall acts as a motel and space for political gatherings and events. I do not see this as negative but as an opportunity for my intervention to coexist alongside existing ones, as a space dedicated to various activities. All the larger buildings capable of gathering more people at once are placed in the city center (Fig 30). Following this, my thesis investigates the possibility of opening up the center by bringing activities such as dumping waste closer to the heart of the city. Attending several events during my time in the city, I experienced the people of Uummannaq as a group that places high value on being together. The intention with the project has been to honor this by setting aside areas for celebrating the act of being together. This happens by bringing back the waste dumps into the consciousness of the inhabitant, by simultaneously introducing new programs together with the act of dealing with waste.
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he return of the sun is surely a magnificent experience. There are gatherings in front of the school to witness the very first glimpse of the sun, which has on this day not been seen for several months. It brings back the energy to the entire area.
Fig 31 Photo taken the fourth of February 2020 showing children celebrating the cosmic event: the return of the sun.
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1
(1)
4
2
500 m
400 m
300 m
200 m
4 100 m
3
Fig 32 Map of the location of the waste dumps in comparison with the existing city.
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Problems of Waste and a Strategic Future “Waste ties to the understandings of the “hidden” and “the forgotten” and the western habit of separating valuable from worthless. It is defined through terms such as “garbage, shit, and rubbish” but all retain a conceptual unity in referring to things that are removed and devalued. It is something which conceal unseen and non – material properties of power and identity.”23 Waste management is a big issue in settlements with no incineration plants to handle it. The other alternative is landfills, which is not feasible in many cities as there is not enough space. The current waste system in Uummannaq is based on landfills and open burning, including export of metal. There are five different sites, each dedicated a specific type of waste. Waste is brought to the locations by a waste service or by the locals themselves. The dumps are located along the eastern part of the island (Fig 32), further away from the center. This thesis seeks to integrate the dumps with the existing infrastructure, based on the culturally rooted argument that the discarded things hold an inherent value, and that the well-handling of trash, can give life to a place for gathering. 1 .. The household waste dump. (1).. The “Chocolate Factory” - disposal of human waste
2.. Large item waste dump containing boats, cars, scooters. 3.. The metal waste dump (Project site) 4.. Graveyard Fig 33 Drawing showing the management of bodies as a form of waste, where the spirit of the body is given back to nature.
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aste and people enter the intervention from the same location, making the transformation of waste visible to the visitor. From here, waste and people are thought of as being part of the infrastructure of the intervention. Let’s have a look!
23.. Scanlan, John, “On Garbage” p. 9-12
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Fig 34 The household dump where all burnable material is deposited.
R Fig 35 The large item dump where all objects, which are too big, are placed according to type.
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ight when the stranger and I were about to enter, the large gate opened as if it was waiting for us. It was a special sight, since things were moving all around us . I felt the energy of the place.
Fig 36 “The Chocolate Factory� where all the human waste is directed into the ocean.
Fig 37 The metal and hazardous waste dump next to the heliport placed in piles according to size.
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Fig 38 Drawing of a waste production within domestic infrastructures.
Fig 39 Current domestic waste management. No separation of waste.
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Fig 40 Drawing of the waste service. The truck picks up the waste from the houses and takes it to the specific waste dumps.
Fig 41 Drawing from within the Chocolate Factory. Discharging of untreated waste.
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Graveyard
Heliport
Metal dump
Project Site
Fig 42 Drawing of the chosen site, showing its position between land and water, entry point and waste dumps.
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The Project Site An entry-point for waste The site was chosen based on its existing function as a waste dump. This was to integrate the project within the current infrastructure in the city. The site is approximately 2800m2. The site for the intervention is a rocky plot of land, right where the ocean meets the edge of island (Fig 42). Firstly, it is an area exposed to the changing nature of the ocean. Moreover, it has the potential to incorporate the existing activities surrounding it. Next to the site is the heliport, the main entrance to the city. The site is therefore one of the first thing to be seen when you arrive to the island. The site is currently used for both discarding objects and storing materials. Additionally, it is located right next to the main road, which connects the center of the city to the waste dumps in the northern part of the island.
Following photos document the objects found on site.
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nside the structure, you see life everywhere. Some people are looking at exhibited objects, while others are studying the large cylinders. Objects are coming from the level above and from behind. In front of me, I have a clear view towards the water, reminding me of the place I am in.
Fig 43 Photo from the site looking towards the mountain and the heliport.
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Fig 44 Fridges, cables and tires.
Fig 45 Oilbarrels in rows.
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any of the discarded objects around the city are placed within the structural system of the building. Many of which you see in these pictures. They are all containing spirits which can be transformed and brought back to life.
Fig 46 Various electrical equipment.
Fig 47 Barrels, freezers and metal shelves.
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Fig 48
Fig 49
The prominent toilets play an important role in the production of energy within the intervention.
“The library of disregarded objects.�
Fig 50
Fig 51
The Trash schute : individual spaces to let go of your waste.
Celebrating the important fishing tradition heated by energy produced by the citizens.
Site Programming “(…) To conserve the Arctic is to treat it as a museum or an archive, both as a repository of a past state and a storage of memory and information. (...) The lives of indigenous populations in the circumpolar regions function as archives of historical experience and cultural heritage.”24 The programmatic layout of the site began with the knowledge I found in the myths, waste systems as well as my own visit to the island. By imagining the way in which things circulate into the site, the layout of the intervention slowly started to emerge. Following is the list of programs with their ambiguous condition of trash, tradition and culture.
1.. Dumping portals
Public place to drop off and bring matter back to life.
2.. Library of disregarded objects
Spaces containing the bulky waste before and after its transformation.
3.. Waste Workshops
The dissection of matter in order to develop skills through observation and practice. The sharing of knowledge.
4.. The Common Kitchen
The feast - sharing meals and stories.
5.. The Assembly Hall
The city meeting point for local events.
6.. The Changing Rooms
Changing clothes according to the season and activity.
7.. Energy Lobby
Recirculation matter into power.
8.. The Seasonal Marketplace
Link between the life of the intervention and the ocean.
24.. Frank K, Susi,. Jakobsem Kjetil, ”Arctic Archives, Ice, Memory and Entropy”, p. 51
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Fig 52 “Waste cartoon� looking into spaces and bringing programs together.
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he stranger tells me that the floor we are on mixes the management of waste with the social events and educational spaces. Waste is now handled with a greater care as something of value. This floor is where you learn about technical processes as get your hands dirty.
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Fig 53 Illustration of the densities, which the project is dealing with. The measuring of waste is the primary tool for investigating possible treatments.
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”The Strategic Island” “The body’s physiology, and the entirety of its metabolic loop, is historically a disenfranchised narrative, excluded from contemporary concerns. Although we tend to think of human waste as a phantom, our ejecta infiltrates the air and water we breath.”25 Encountering waste The architectural intervention should be perceived as a “strategic island” in the way that it takes care of people and their waste. It transforms this interaction into an experience. It consists of a receiving station for the physical matter and manages a monthly cycle of waste. The thesis uses architecture to celebrate the waste dump(s) as a place where the city can gather around traditions and discussions about local politics. Waste is either transformed, stored, or dissected as methods to encounter the forgotten value of the given “stuff.” To commence, the idea was to find out how and what type of waste the city actually produces. This meant that i had to find general information on densities and from that investigate how much waste my intervention could manage. I decided that my proposal will deal with the following waste: organic, non-organic and bulky waste. The organic material will be used to make energy, and the non organic will be either compacted or stored for shipment. The bulky waste is restored or reconfigured in order to produce knowledge and share creative processes. The following calculations were carried out in order to get an idea of the general amounts of trash and its possible energy outcome.
25.. Kallipoliti, Lydia, ”The Architecture of closed worlds” p. 17
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Fig 54 Diagram showing the estimated monthly volume of household waste produced in the city. Illustrated through the main storage object on the island, namely the shipping container.
ESTIMATED MONTHLY VOLUME OF UUMMANNAQʼ HOUSEHOLD WASTE
1m3
1 day: 1040 kg household waste is approx. produced by the inhabitants of Uummannaq
1m3
1 week: 7280 kg household waste is approx. produced by the inhabitants of Uummannaq
1 month: 31200 kg household waste is approx. produced by the inhabitants of Uummannaq 4.8 m
1m3
[1282 inhabitants x ~ 0,8 kg of daily household-waste] = 1026 kg daily 7182 a week 28728 kg a month Worldwide, waste generated per person per day averages 0.74 kilogram but ranges widely, from 0.11 to 4.54 kilograms26. The household waste in Uummannaq is picked up once or twice a week.
[28728 kg / 481kg (1m3)] = ~ 60m3 Household waste has the approximate density of 481 kg /m3*, and is separated in following categories27 43 % organic waste 30% Burnable waste 8 % Paper 7% Glass 12% Metal, Plastic, Hazardous Any organic waste has the ability to create biogas! Approximate time periods range from 5-7 days up to 10-15 days, depending on the makeup of the feedstock.28 10kg of biowaste is needed for 1m3 of biogas the amount contains app. 6 kwh of energy.
43%(~12,300kg) / 10kg ~ 1230m3 Biogas
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26.. “Density of Garbage, household rubbish”, https://www.aqua-calc.com/page/density-table/substance/garbage-coma-and-blank-household-blank-rubbis 27.. Eisted, Rasmus, ”Miljøvurdering af Grønlands affaldsystem” p 9 28.. “Anaerobic Digestion of Biowaste in Developing Countries”, p 12
Fig 55 Diagram showing the estimated monthly volume of excrement produced in the city. Illustrated through one of the main storage objects on the island, namely the container.
ESTIMATED MONTHLY VOLUME OF UUMMANNAQĘź HUMAN WASTE
300 cm
1 day: 230 kg feces is approx. produced by the inhabitants of Uummannaq
200 cm
1 week: 1592.5 kg feces is approx. produced by the inhabitants of Uummannaq
1 month: 6400 kg feces is approx. produced by the inhabitants of Uummannaq
100 cm
[1282 inhabitants x 0,230 kg of daily household-waste] = 320 kg daily 1610 kg a week 6440 kg a month Feces are normally removed from the body one or two times a day. About 100 to 250 grams of feces are excreted by a human adult daily. The human waste is picked up 3 times a week in the city.
[6440 kg / 1000kg (1m3)] = ~ 6,5m3 The density of excrement is approximately the same as water. 100kg / Liter = 1m3
6440 / 10kg ~ 644 m3 Biogas
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Fig 56 Diagram of a simplified digestion process, which is implemented in the intervention. The system is fed with the organic material produced in homes and in the intervention.
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Bringing back life designing a system “Throughout the world, there are examples of local production of renewable energy close to, and within, the places that consume it, and this self-sufficiency can strengthen the viability of peripheralised communities (...) and thereby strengthen the very survival of cultures and cultural heritage.”29
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will soon have to leave you behind, but make sure to take a look at the other floor. Here, you will find spaces that celebrate the everyone on this island being together. Here we can share our thoughts and ideas amongst each other. You can leave you belongings in the changing rooms.
During this thesis, I have been investigating systems able to transform matter into value celebrating the act of giving back life to often disregarded leftovers. Anaerobic digestion is a process where organic matter (usually human and animal waste) is decomposed in absence of oxygen30. The process is common in natural environments such as lakes and our own stomachs. The process generates two products: biogas and fertilizer. Biogas can be used for heating, cooking or electricity and can also be stored31. The fertilizer can be stored as well and shipped somewhere else. By understanding this process, I propose to implement the digestion system into the circulation of matter within the intervention. The biogas produced will be used for electricity and heating during the winter and stored during the summer. It will be used for cooking in the communal space and excess energy is stored in portable containers. The process will be visible in the intervention both for educational purposes and for honoring the inherent spiritual value of the community’s leftovers.
Fig 57 Diagram of the “waste temple”, which houses the bulky waste ranging from a battery to the oil barrel. These are placed according to size within the system of the proposal.
29.. Carruth, Jayne, Susan, “Infrastructural Urbanism that learns from place” p. 7 30.. “Anaerobic Digestion of Biowaste in Developing Countries” p. 11 31.. Ibid p. 49
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3
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Fig 58 Home intervention diagrams.
The Domestic Intervention Most of the waste in the city is generated withing the domestic setting. To engage the locals in waste management, i have been investigating the possibility of designing an intervention, which makes use of the existing infrastructure of the city. Before you can use household waste to produce energy, it needs to be separated in the desired groups of organic and non - organic. My project proposes that this separation happens in the home and will be brought to the building in containers. This means that the inhabitants of Uummannaq actively engage in the dialogue about what happens to the physical matter on the island. (Fig 58)
1.. Current waste separation system. 2.. Containers are brought the site the same way as already done. 3.. Proposed waste intervention. 4.. Drop off portal. 5.. Portable container. 6.. Easy handling. 7.. Emptying of content: either organic or non-organic. 8.. Containers are cleaned and prepared to re-enter the city once again.
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said farewell to the stranger, as he left the building. I continued to the floor above me. Here, it looked like people were preparing a meal while moving and setting up tables. Maybe an event was coming up? I quickly ran to the toilet, which almost radiated behind me.
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Fig 59 Fishing is the primary profession in the city, which both happens with boats during summer and on snowmobiles and dogsleds during winter.
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here are only around 1300 people on the island, but there are still many to do. The new intervention, proposed by the strange the architect student, shows how it is possible to bring in new value to the city, where many of our interests can co-exist.
Fig 60 The city has its own police station, and also their own primary school which has around 250 children.
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The Demographics Following drawings depict the people, whom I have targeted my design for. As the city contains a great mix of people, who work with everything from craftsmanship to making burgers. I found it important to understand the role of the different people in the city.
Fig 61 The city contains several people working within service such as supermarkets and a few cafes.
Fig 62 The city has its own hospital, orphanage and is a popular tourist destination.
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could hear voices from somewhere. Several of them at once. I heard the movement of people. Just as i was about to enter the central stair again, I was met by a crowd. I looked at the wall and saw there had been a meeting. I guess I missed it. I wonder what they have been talking about.
Fig 63 Throughout the thesis, multiple parts of the structure have been developed as technical sketches, directly informed by the proposed activity of the space. Here showing the section of the initial development of the assembly hall.
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Fig 64 Throughout the thesis, multiple parts of the structure have been developed as technical sketches, directly informed by the proposed activity of the space. Here showing the initial development of the cross-section.
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was feeling tired. I needed to find a place to sleep. I left the building and called a taxi. As we drove away, I saw the building I had been introduced to. In a way, it stood there as an island, illuminating the area while, we drove into the heart of Uummannaq....
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Literature Andersen, Krogh, Marianne, ”Grønland, Mægtig og Afmægtig”, Gyldendal, 2009. Bravo, Michael & Triscott, Nicola, ”Arctic Geopolitics & Autonomy”, Hatje Cantz, 2011. Breum, Martin, “Når Isen Forsvinder”, Gyldendal, 2011. Carruth, Jayne, Susan, ”Infrastructural Urbanism that learns from Place”, Dissertation, Aarhus 2015. Deleuze, Gilles, ”Desert Islands and Other Texts 1953 - 1974”, Semiotext(e), 2004. De Ostos, Ricardo., Jackowski, Nanette, ”Ambiguous Spaces”, New York, Princeton Architectural Press, 2008. Eisted, Rasmus, ”Miljøvurdering af Grønlands Affaldsystem”, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark: Technical University of Denmark, 2011 Frank K, Susi,. Jakobsem Kjetil, ”Arctic Archives, Ice, Memory and Entropy”, Bielefeld, Transcript Verlag, 2019 Fristrup, Børge, ”Uummannaq”, Fiskers Forlag, 1988 Kallipoliti, Lydia, ”The Architecture of Closed Worlds”, Lars Müller Publishers, 2018 Larsen, Hejlskov, Ane,. Steffensen Erik,. Kirkeby, Per, “Per Kirkeby og Grønland Det Hemmelige Reservoir”, Danmark, Ordrupgaard, 2012 Lynge, Frederik, Lauritzen, Philip, ”Uummannaq”, Grønlandsposten, 1980 Moore, W, Jason, ”Capitalism in the Web of Life, Ecology and the Accumulation of Capital”, Verso, 2015 Nuttall, Mark., Dodds, Klaus, “The scramble for the poles”, Cambridge, Polity Press, 2016 Rasmussen, Knud, ”Myter og Sagn fra Grønland”, Sesam, 1994 Scanlan, John, “On Garbage”, Reaktion Books, 2005 Vögeli ,Yvonne,. Riu, Lohri Christian, Gallardo, Amalia, Diener, Zurbrügg, Christian, Stefan, “Anaerobic Digestion of Biowaste in Developing Countries”, eawag, Binkert Buag AG, 2014
Websites Aqua-Calc, “Density of Garbage, household rubbish”, https://www.aqua-calc.com/page/density-table/substance/garbage-coma-and-blank-household-blank-rubbish, accessed 25052020 Avannaata Kommunia, “Uummannaq”, http://qaasuitsup-kp.cowi.webhouse.dk/dk/by-_og_bygdeplaner/uummannaq/, accessed 24052020 Djursing, Thomas, ”Jeg tror ikke på global opvarmning”, https://ing.dk/artikel/groenlands-energiminister-jeg-tror-ikke-paa-global-opvarmning225244, accessed 14042020 Hermanssen, Per, “Waste in Greenland”, https://www.eea.europa.eu/signals/signals-2012/interviews/waste-in-greenland, accessed 24052020 Veirum, Munk, Thomas., Kristiansen,Ivik, “Dump-brand i Uummannaq er faldet til ro”, https://knr.gl/da/nyheder/dumpbrand-i-uummannaq-er-faldet-til-ro, KNR, accessed 14042020 Langlois, Krista, ”Why Scientists Are Starting to Care About Cultures That Talk to Whales”, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science/talking-to-whales-180968698/, Hakai Magazine, accessed 14042020 Veirum, Munk, Thomas, ”Dump-brand i Uummannaq er faldet til ro” https://knr.gl/da/nyheder/dump-brand-i-uummannaq-er-faldet-til-ro, accessed 25052020 Weis, Christopher, “Mennesket er selv en naturkraft” https://www.information.dk/kultur/anmeldelse/2013/09/mennesket-naturkraft, accessed 24052020
Videos Extreme, Alaska, “The Clever Hands (Inuit ingenuity and creativity)”, Tuktu, [Online Video], https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=hAzlmOvVH4c&t=523s&frags=pl%2Cwn, accessed 27052020
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Appendixes “I don’t necessarily believe in global warming. I believe that the world has a natural cycle. In this cycle it is now warmer, which me must adapt to. We cant control nature, it is nature which controls.”32
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32.. Djursing, Thomas, ”Jeg tror ikke på global opvarmning”, https://ing.dk/artikel/groenlands-energiminister-jeg-tror-ikke-paa-global-opvarmning-225244
“The idea that Indigenous people have spiritual relationships with animals is so well established in popular culture it’s cliché. Yet constricted by Western science and culture, few archaeologists have examined the record of human history with the perspective that animals feel emotions and can express those emotions to humans.”33 Why Scientists Are Starting to Care About Cultures That Talk to Whales | Science | Smithsonian Magazine
10/03/20 22.16
Why Scientists Are Starting to Care About Cultures That Talk to Whales Arctic people have been communicating with cetaceans for centuries. The rest of the world is finally listening in
“Tattooed Whale, 2016” by Tim Pitsiulak. Screen-print on Arches Cover Black. (Reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts) By Krista Langlois, Hakai Magazine smithsonianmag.com April 6, 2018 230K
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This article is from Hakai Magazine, an online publication about science and society in coastal ecosystems. Read more stories like this at hakaimagazine.com. Harry Brower Sr. was lying in a hospital bed in Anchorage, Alaska, close to death, when he was visited by a baby whale. Although Brower’s body remained in Anchorage, the young bowhead took him more than 1,000 kilometers north to Barrow (now Utqiaġvik), where Brower’s family lived. They traveled together through the town and past the indistinct edge where the tundra gives way to the Arctic Ocean. There, in the ice-blue underwater world, Brower saw Iñupiat hunters in a sealskin boat closing in on the calf’s mother. Brower felt the shuddering harpoon enter the whale’s body. He looked at the faces of the men in the umiak, including those of his own sons. When he awoke in his hospital bed as if from a trance, he knew precisely which man had made the kill, how the whale had died, and whose ice cellar the meat was stored in. He turned out to be right on all three counts. Brower lived six years after the episode, dying in 1992 at the age of 67. In his final years, he discussed what he had witnessed with Christian ministers and Utqiaġvik’s whaling captains. The conversations ultimately led him to hand down new rules to govern hunting female whales with offspring, meant to communicate respect to whales and signal that people were aware of their feelings and needs. “[The whale] talked to me,” Brower recalls in a collection of his stories, The Whales, They Give Themselves. “He told me all the stories about where they had all this trouble out there on the ice.” Not long ago, non-Indigenous scientists might have dismissed Brower’s experience as a dream or the incoherent ramblings of a sick man. But he and other Iñupiat are part of a deep history of Arctic and subarctic peoples who believe humans and whales can talk and share a reciprocal relationship that goes far beyond that of predator and prey. Today, as Western scientists try to better understand Indigenous peoples’ relationships with animals—as well as animals’ own capacity for thoughts and feelings—such beliefs are gaining wider recognition, giving archaeologists a better understanding of ancient northern cultures. “If you start looking at the relationship between humans and animals from the perspective that Indigenous people themselves may have had, it reveals a rich new universe,” says Matthew Betts, an archaeologist with the Canadian Museum of History who studies Paleo-Eskimo cultures in the Canadian Arctic. “What a beautiful way to view the world.” It’s not clear exactly when people developed the technology that allowed them to begin hunting whales, but scholars generally believe Arctic whaling developed off the coast of Alaska sometime between 600 and 800 CE. For thousands of years before then, Arctic people survived by hunting seals, caribou, and walruses at the edge of the sea ice. One such group, the Dorset—known in Inuit oral tradition as the Tunit—were rumored to have been so strong the men could outrun caribou and drag a 1,700-kilogram 33.. Langlois, Krista, ”Why Scientists Are Starting to Care About Cultures That Talk to Whales” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science/talking-to-whales-18…wqPViNbkQ9zkhhSfJ1FBYmLV7nNeZ2txoya8Q#.XkRyP9g-S44.facebook
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THE THUNDER SPIRITS34
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wo sisters, men say, were playing together, and their father could not bear to hear the noise they made, for he had but few children, and was thus not wont to hear any kind of noise. At last he began to scold them, and told them to go farther away with their playing.
When the girls grew up, and began to understand things, they desired to run away on account of their father’s scolding. And at last they set out, taking with them only a little dogskin, and a piece of boot skin, and a fire stone. They went up into a high mountain to build themselves a house there. Their father and mother made search for them in vain, for the girls kept hiding themselves; they had grown to be true mountain dwellers, keeping far from the places of men. Only the reindeer hunters saw them now and again, but the girls always refused to go back to their kin. And when at last the time came when they must die of hunger, they turned into evil spirits, and became thunder. When they shake their dried boot skin, then the gales come up, the south-westerly gales. And great fire is seen in the heavens whenever they strike their fire stone, and the rain pours down whenever they shed tears. Their father held many spirit callings, hoping to make them return. But this he ceased to do when he found that they were dead. But men say that after those girls had become spirits, they returned to the places of men, frightening many to death. They came first of all to their father and mother, because of the trouble they had made. The only one they did not kill was a woman bearing a child on her back. And they let her live, that she might tell how terrible they were. And tales are now told of how terrible they were. When the thunder spirits come, even the earth itself is stricken p. 112 with terror. And stones, even those which lie on level ground, and not on any slope at all, roll in fear towards men. Thus the thunder comes with the south-westerly gales; there is a noise and crackling in the air, as of dry skins shaken, and the sky glows from time to time with the fire from their firestone. Great rocks, and everything which stands up high in the air, begin to glow. When this happens, men use to take out a red dog, and cut its ear until the blood comes, and then lead the beast round about the house, letting the blood drip everywhere, for then the house will not take fire. A red dog was the only thing they feared, those girls who were turned to thunder.
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34.. Rasmussen, Knud, Worster, W, ”Eskimo Folk Tales”, Kessinger Publishing, p. 111, https://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/inu/eft/eft42.htm, accessed 02062020
HOW THE FOG CAME35
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here was a Mountain Spirit, which stole corpses from their graves and ate them when it came home. And a man, wishing to see who did this thing, let himself be buried alive. The Spirit came, and saw the new grave, and dug up the body, and carried it off. The man had stuck a flat stone in under his coat, in case the Spirit should try to stab him.
On the way, he caught hold of all the willow twigs whenever they passed any bushes, and made himself as heavy as he could, so that the Spirit was forced to put forth all its strength. At last the Spirit reached its house, and flung down the body on the floor. And then, being weary, it lay down to sleep, while its wife went out to gather wood for the cooking. “Father, father, he is opening his eyes,” cried the children, when the dead man suddenly looked up. “Nonsense, children, it is a dead body, which I have dropped many times among the twigs on the way,” said the father. But the man rose up, and killed the Mountain Spirit and its children, and fled away as fast as he could. The Mountain Spirit’s wife saw him, and mistook him for her husband. “Where are you going?” she cried. The man did not answer, but fled on. And the woman, thinking something must be wrong, ran after him. And as he was running over level ground, he cried: “Rise up, hills!” And at once many hills rose up. Then the Mountain Spirit’s wife lagged behind, having to climb up so many hills. The man saw a little stream, and sprang across. “Flow over your banks!” he cried to the stream. And now it was impossible for her to get across. “How did you get across?” cried the woman. “I drank up the water. Do you likewise.” And the woman began gulping it down. Then the man turned round towards her, and said: “Look at the tail of your tunic; it is hanging down between your legs.” And when she bent down to look, her belly burst. And as she burst, a steam rose up out of her, and turned to fog, which still floats about to this day among the hills.
35.. Rasmussen, Knud, Worster, W, ”Eskimo Folk Tales”, Kessinger Publishing, p. 84, https://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/inu/eft/eft42.htm, accessed 02062020
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