Kalaallisut // Dansk

Memorial for Arnarulunnguaq

In the oldest part of Nuuk, on a tip of the rocky shore, stands a memorial for Arnarulunnguaq.

Together with several others from the Qaanaaq area Arnarulunnguaq (1896-1933) participated in Knud Rasmussen’s 5th Thule Expedition in 1921-1924, from the northernmost part of Greenland to the tip of Siberia, a total of approximately 18,000 km. Although other women participated in several stretches, Arnarulunnguaq was the only one who participated in the entire expedition, from start to finish. Today she is considered a role model for many women, and there has been discussions for some time that her achievements should be memorialised. Since 2008, the Arnarulunnguaq Association has worked purposefully to honour Arnarulunnguaq and give her the place in history that she deserves. On Sunday the 22^nd of September 2024, on the 100th anniversary of the expedition, the Arnarulunnguaq memorial was unveiled at a ceremony.

The memorial is created by artist Aka Høegh (b. 1947) in collaboration with Danish stonemason Thomas Kjær Andersen (b. 1978). The memorial is carved from a Greenlandic gneiss stone, with a portrait of Arnarulunnguaq and eleven Greenlandic sledge dogs around the stone. A large stainless steel sewing needle has been inserted into the stone as a symbol of Arnarulunnguaq’s vital skills. You can also find Aka Høegh’s signature on the stone.

Aka Høegh is one of Greenland’s best-known artists in painting, sculpture and graphics. She has been associated with the Graphic Workshop in Nuuk (today the Greenland Art School), studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and was apprenticed to stonemason Ole Christensen (1932-2000). In 1993-94, Aka Høegh worked on the project “Stone and Man”, which can be seen to this day in the town of Qaqortoq. Her illustrations of the Greenlandic myths are practically canonized in modern Greenlandic culture.

The stone for the Arnarulunnguaq memorial appears raw, almost unworked. You have to get close to the stone to find Arnarulunnguaq, and scan the surface of the stone to find all eleven dogs. In the natural lines and deposits of the stone, you sense Aka Høegh’s line – undulating, poetic, soulful. Aka Høegh has specifically chosen the stone with the idea that the natural expression of the stone should not be changed too drastically. She saw the landscapes in the stone – the landscapes that the expedition travelled across. In the shape and deposits of the stone she has also been able to sense the eleven sledge dogs, and carved them out of the stone. Aka Høegh has studied photographs of Arnarulunnguaq and drawn the sketch for the memorial. Arnarulunnguaq’s slightly smiling face with the annoraaq hood and fur collar is recognizable to many in Greenland.

Aka Høegh has worked with self-portraits throughout her career, portraying strong women with soul and spirit since the 1970s. She has included this way of portraying in her work illustrating the Greenlandic myths – in the portraits, the landscape, and the animals in her undulating style. Looking back at Høegh’s graphic prints, you also find the faces – humans – amid family or surrounded by landscape and animals. Aka Høegh has portrayed Arnarulunnguaq as a strong woman, a one-of-a-kind woman, who lived part of her life on the sledge journey, on expedition.

A neutral stone has been chosen for the base of the memorial. Under Arnarulunnguaq’s name it says in Greenlandic: “Inuit nunaannik kaajallaaqataasoq” which means “the one who traveled to the lands of Inuit”. In 1978, author Aqqaluk Lynge (b. 1947) traveled with journalist Jørn Mathiassen (1929-2003) in the footsteps of the expedition, and in 1982 Lynge published a poem in honor of Arnarulunnguaq. A quote from the poem in Greenlandic, Danish and English is engraved on the base of the memorial:
“Without you the journey would not end“

Artists still find inspiration in Arnarulunnguaq’s story, and among others Ivínguak’ Stork Høegh (b. 1982) has worked with her portraits in digital photo collages. In 1991, Ole Kristiansen (b. 1965) released the album “Pop Uummataaruffimmi” which includes the song “Arnarulunnguaq“. It is not directly said, but it is assumed that the song is about Arnarulunnguaq, who is quiet and thoughtful. Arnarulunnguaq is often described as a humble and quiet person, who experiences grief from childhood, which the song also alludes to. In 2026, you could experience “Den sidste slæderejse” (The Last Sledge Journey), a play about the expedition, at the Bellevue Theatre in Copenhagen, where Nukâka Coster-Waldau (b. 1971) played Arnarulunnguaq. In 2025, Aka Høegh continued working on her sketch of Arnarulunnguaq for the graphic print “Angalaneq” (The Journey), where you can see Arnarulunnguaq’s face with the hood, and footprints in the winter landscape behind her.

For the unveiling of the memorial, Lynge read out his poem from 1982. You can listen to Aqqaluk Lynge reading the poem from his home here:

Ulannaq Ingemann filmed a short documentary (approx. 22 min.) in collaboration with the Arnarulunnguaq Association. Watch the documentary on Youtube:
ARNARULUNNGUAQ (2024)

This article was written by Hanne Kirkegaard, 2026.
Photos: Cebastian Rosing.