Photo Journal Monday: Corina Gamma---"Sila"

“Panorama After Hunt.” © Corina Gamma, Breaking Down the Sea Ice Camp, north east of Siorapaluk, Greenland 2018, 130 inches Panorama.

Subsistence hunters Qillaq Danielsen and Peter Avike are taking down their sea ice camp after a hunting trip.

Words and Photography by Corina Gamma

Photo Edits by Xinxin Zhang

“The word “Sila”, in Greenlandic, has multiple meanings, including weather, consciousness, breath and the universe. This complex layering of concepts in the word Sila implies that humans owe respect towards their surrounding and their origin. It also suggests, that all which exists within its own time frame, is still interconnected. “

“Hunter.” © Corina Gamma, Subsistence Hunter Otto Simigaq, Siorapaluk 2011

“Hunter.” © Corina Gamma, Subsistence Hunter Mads Ole Kristiansen, Qaanaaq, Greenland 2011

“Dogs Team” © Corina Gamma, Greenlandic Sled Dog Team, Avannaa, Greenland 2015

A sled team can be up to 13 dogs. Greenlandic sled dogs are of a unique breed that only exists in Greenland north of the Arctic Circle. No other dog breeds are allowed north of the Arctic Circle in Greenland, to keep the breed pure.

“My interest in exploring Sila, combined with a deep yearning for authenticity, led me to the world’s most northern settlements in Greenland. In this ancient Arctic landscape that breathes the past, many Inuit families to this day survive on subsistence hunting and ice fishing. The people in the Arctic have a profound understanding of their surrounding and hold decades of knowledge of climate change, which has been overlooked by the rest of the world.”

“Sila Fishing Houses”, © Corina Gamma, Fishing Huts on the Sea Ice #1, Qaanaaq, Greenland 2018
[Fishing huts are used as temporary shelter during ice fishing. They are transported by sled after the sea ice has firmly formed, and brought to the sites for the fishing season.]

“Sila Fishing Houses”, © Corina Gamma, Fishing Huts on the Sea Ice #2, Qaanaaq, Greenland 2018
[Fishing huts are used as temporary shelter during ice fishing. They are transported by sled after the sea ice has firmly formed, and brought to the sites for the fishing season.]

Modern and traditional artifacts there may seem familiar and yet strangely unfamiliar to an outsider. The juxtapositions are metaphorical of a culture in transition, in which the western-influences collide with their old values. These objects are reminiscent of the fleeting and fragile presence of human life there. Over the past decade, I repeatedly visited these communities to photograph and to also produce a documentary film examining the impact of global warming on indigenous Inuit communities. These photographs are diaries of my experience there.

“Sila Window and Walrus”, © Corina Gamma, Untitled, [Japanese window curtains and walrus soup], Siorapaluk, 2015

“Sila Window and Crystal Chandalier”, © Corina Gamma, Untitled, [Frosted window and crystal chandelier], Siorapaluk, 2018

“Sila Window and Butterflies”, © Corina Gamma, Untitled, [Butterflies and hunting garments], Itilleq 2011, Qaanaaq, 2015

“Sila, Window and Polar Bear Rug”, © Corina Gamma, Untitled, [Snow and reindeer kamiks], Qaanaaq, 2015