The elders of Greenland say, “I am the first one that put the footsteps on the big ice and I will be the last one to put footsteps on the big ice.” As a people, the elders of Greenland know more about ice than most scientific experts on the matter of climate change impacts on the glacier.
The elders of Greenland want it to be evidently clear that the changes required to combat climate change are not from the people in the front – the global leaders, but by the ideas and actions of the people in the back, you and I.
Before boarding my flight for London and the G20 Summit, I sat down with Angaangaq (Uncle) to receive messages from the Indigenous elders on Greenland.
Angaangaq is the runner for the elders on Greenland and he has been circling the globe meeting with communities and leaders to share information about an important climate change event happening this summer on Greenland – the Fire and Ice Ceremony.
This is really the most significant climate change gathering on earth. This is the first time the elders of the people who live with the big ice have offered their input into the debate on climate change.
Angaangak says, “The people of London and other major cities around the world are under a real threat from climate change and no government on earth is prepared to deal with the rising waters and climate change that are already underway.”
“People know, but they don’t want to change.”
Climate changes are clearly evident on the island of Greenland
“Robins are now being born on Greenland, but the people do not have names for them.” The different kinds of fish and mussels they are catching are different than those that have been harvested for millennium. Trees are growing that the traditional people do not have names for. They are unfamiliar to generations.
We have plants that come up and we say, “Welcome home, but who are you?”
Negotiations are generally approached with each party attending to meet their own needs
The indigenous people on Greenland are beginning to surface for the first time and tell others of the changes that are happening on earth. They are the first ones to see the manifestations of climate change and they are calling on people to change their provincial – me first mind-view and join them in acting for the benefit of all people on earth.
Angaangak begs us to use our knowledge and wisdom wisely. What will we do with the many millions of people who will be displaced by climate change? Who will pay for the relocation of these people?
Greenland becomes a Rose Garden
The elders of Greenland want the world to know, “We’re going to be O.K., Greenland is going to become a rose garden.” But others around the world are going to be significantly impacted. The elders are thinking of others first. They don’t want the millions and millions of people to be left behind.
The elders of Greenland are perhaps the first community in history that have recognized the global implications of climate change. They recognize that while they stand to gain an improvement in their environment, many others will see their homeland diminished in its ability to support human life. The elders of Greenland are calling on all the nations of the world to stop and change, for the wellbeing of all.
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