Articles by Shannon Knowski

NUUK, Greenland — Higher education in Greenland is not as common as it is in America, for a multitude of reasons. Associate Professor Lars Demant-Poort of the University of Greenland: Ilisimatusarfik, spoke to these reasons, but also talked about the positive opportunities that college-level education can and does have. Demant-Port is an associate professor in […]

NUUK, Greenland — On the top floor of the Nuuk Center shopping mall, tucked away in the very back down a long corridor, you will see a sign for a shop full of knick-knacks and Greenlandic art. The shop sign reads “ASIARPA”, named for its owner, Asiarpa Fredriksen-Lund, a half Greenlandic half Danish woman. Lund […]

NUUK, Greenland — Three months ago, Hanne Kirkegaard took over as the museum director for the Nuuk Art Museum in Greenland. Having grown up there with her parents, brothers, and extended family, she is able to attest to how important art is to the culture and community there. The culture of Greenland is a stark […]

The education in Greenland has drastically changed since the country gained home rule in 1979, with the Greenland Home Rule Act referendum. Associate Professor Naja Trondhjem of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark was able to witness that change firsthand. Trondhjem is an associate professor of Greenlandic and Arctic Studies in the department of Cross-Cultural […]

NUUK, Greenland — Greenland has a much deeper culture and history than what is being portrayed in the media, and Aqqalu Jensen, an Inuit fisherman, spoke about what makes his homeland so impressive. From the people to the way of life, he talked about what it means to be Greenlandic. Jensen grew up in a […]

This story is part of a semester-long investigative reporting project into Greenland’s people, history, and culture. It was created by an advanced reporting class in the Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies program at UW-Milwaukee. Other stories from the project are available on Edge of the Arctic: Greenland, the Land of the People. This work was […]

NUUK, Greenland — Greenland has become a political hot spot in the media, which has heavily impacted the number of tourists and journalists that citizens are seeing daily. Being a territory of Denmark, the question shouldn’t be whether the United States will broker a deal to buy the land, but what the people living there […]

NUUK, Greenland — Greenland has been thrust to the forefront of the world’s political stage, which has led to a steep increase in tourism and journalists visiting the country and talking to its people. However, this has caused issues for many who call Greenland home, making some of their local hangouts no longer feel like […]

NUUK, Greenland — Greenlandic culture differs heavily from American culture, focusing heavily on being a part of and respecting the space and land around them. Arnakkuluk Kleist attested to this sentiment. Kleist grew up in Greenland, influencing her passion for educating these businesses about the way of life there. She is the co-owner of Pikiala […]

NUUK, Greenland — Greenland currently has a population of roughly 56,000 people, which creates the problem of not having enough workers or enough diversified skills for certain demands. Two major areas where Greenland lacks manpower are education and healthcare. Through Denmark, Greenland has access to free education and healthcare. However, according to T. Aagaard and […]

When stepping off the plane in Nuuk, Greenland, the first thing that hits a person is the wind. The strong, biting gusts almost knock people off their feet and nips faces. These cold conditions sink deep into the bone, making it hard to warm up, even when back inside next to a heater. This is […]

Type one diabetes has been an autoimmune disorder that has affected 9.5 million people worldwide, and me personally for the last 22 years. Despite becoming more and more prevalent, this disease is still heavily misunderstood and unnoticed. In this short documentary, Shannon Knowski showcases the life hardships diabetics face daily, as well as what goes […]