Fortællingen om Namak: De bærer søsterens lig 1859 - 1861

Aron from Kangeq made this black ink drawing on paper, called "The Tale of Namak: They Carry the Sister’s Body," at an unknown date. It depicts two men carrying a body wrapped in cloth, with a mountainous landscape behind them. Kangeq was an Inuit settlement, now abandoned, in Greenland, and Aron was one of the first Inuit artists. Many of his drawings documented traditional Inuit life and stories, offering a rare glimpse into a culture undergoing rapid change due to European colonization. The stark depiction of death and mourning here speaks to the harsh realities of life in Greenland at the time, and the importance of community support. As historians, we need to consider how the power dynamics of colonialism shaped Aron's artistic practice, and how his work was received by both Inuit and European audiences. Museum archives, historical records, and anthropological studies can shed light on the complex social context of this image.