Buying local and authentic products as souvenirs is so much more meaningful than raking a bunch of mass-produced magnets in your tote at duty-free, don’t you think? Luckily, Greenlanders are a highly creative people, so you have a lot to choose from – furniture and home goods to clothing and jewelry.
Here are just a few ideas to get you started. On your next adventure in Greenland, why not buy…
Wild Greenlandic herbs like thyme, Labrador tea, juniper and chamomile often find their way into locals’ backpacks on the way home from a weekend getaway in the fjord. Greenlanders Pipaluk Silassen and Anne Mette Koustrup Nielsen, the daughter and mother-in-law duo behind Inua Care, harnessed this tradition to make a beautiful line of skincare right in Qaqortoq, South Greenland. Visit InuaCare in person at their boutique and wellness center in town or shop online.
A tablecloth with a story. Greenlander Liss Stender is inspired by the environment and culture of her country. She takes the millennia-old shapes of human faces, female and male figures and hunting tools and gives them a twenty-first century boost in the form of fabrics and home decor by the name of inuk Design. While you are in her city center boutique in Nuuk, be sure to also check out her wooden figures and porcelain dishware with the same motifs. Get a taste for the recognizable inuk Design style.
inuk Design Fabric. By inuk Design
No matter what the occasion, there is always a cute find at Dooit Design, the boutique and glass art workshop in Nuuk run by Greenlander Dorit Olsen. Some of her funniest pieces are glass cacti that can stick into real flower pots – perfect for someone without a green thumb, or for the constant jet-setter with no time to water the flowers. Dorit also sells timeless sun catchers, candle holders and large conversation piece bowls, to name a few. Check out her designs in the Facebook page.
By Dooit Design
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Bone carvings are a highly sustainable product in Greenland as they are created from by-products of animals hunted for subsistence. The tupilak, a little statue with scary looking faces and creatures, is probably the most common souvenir found in Greenland but there are also polished necklaces, bracelets and rings as well as wine corkscrews and even knitting needles. If you happen upon work by Greenlandic carving greats like Kristian Fly in Ilulissat and Gideon Qeqe in Tasiilaq, you know you are getting quality craftmanship. Just be sure to consult the CITES pamphlet provided in the boutique so you know which materials you are allowed to buy and take with you. Watch Gideon Qeqe in his element.
The Greenlandic national costume for women is an explosion of colour from the patterned bead tops to the intricate embroidered boots. Greenlander Kuluk Budek takes inspiration from it and fashions a lighter more everyday version in the form of beaded necklaces that all can wear. Browse her designs at kulukis.gl or buy them at her day spa in Nuuk called Kulukis Hudpleje.
By Mads Pihl – Visit Greenland
South Greenlander Buuti Pedersen’s classic piece of a curled up polar bear would suddenly transform any home’s wall into a gallery. She even gives the chance to get inside her mind and creative space, literally. Browse her gallery online at buuti.dk or purchase a piece in person at, for example, Glacier Shop in Ilulissat.
By Buuti Pedersen
Though fragile, Greenlander Kristine Spore Kreutzmann’s handmade small dishes, candle holders, vases and mugs make fabulous gifts. She even made a special line of Christmas tree decorations around the holidays. Using clay from Greenland and glazes in earth tones, she maintains a classic neutral look. Browse her gallery at kristinesporekreutzmann.com or purchase her creations Nuuk Art Museum and IQ Naasut boutique, both in Nuuk.
By Kristine Spore Kreutzmann
Not even joking. Muskox wool, called qiviut, is so incredibly soft and insulating that it is the only layer you need, even during Snowmageddon. Greenlander Anita Høegh runs the sustainable production from the hunt to the pelt treatment all the way to the knitting. The woven gold gets turned into ponchos, hats, gloves, scarves, baby clothes and wrist warmers that are especially popular with arthritis sufferers. Visit Qiviut in person at their boutiques in Sisimiut and Nuuk or shop online.
By Qiviut APS
