SEPTEMBER 29, 1875

GREENLAND INUIT LYRICIST, PAINTER INTEL’ERAQ (HENNING JAKOB HENRIK LUND) BORN

Born in Nanortalik, Greenland, Lund grew up near a community of relocated East Greenlandic Inuit.  Of mixed Inuit/European descent, he learned to love music and poetry through both his family and a local German Moravian mission.  After attending the Danish Lutheran seminary in Godthaab, Lund became the catechist at Angmagssalik in East Greenland in 1900.  In 1909, he returned to West Greenland and ultimately became the pastor at Narssaq.  From 1923-32, he also served on the South Greenland provincial council.  A composer of hymns and poetry, the second issue of a Greenlandic songbook, Erinarssûtit, features his first published poetry, including Upernalermat or “As Spring Is Coming.”  Lund’s poem, Nunarput Utoqqarsuanngoravit or “Our Country Who’s Become So Old,” was adopted as the national anthem of Greenland in 1916.  The Danish king awarded him the two orders: Dannebrogsmændenes Hæderstegn and Ingenio et Arti.  Lund died June 17, 1948 in Narssaq, Greenland.

Source:  Sven Frederiksen, "Henrik Lund, A National Poet of Greenland," Proceedings, American Philosophical Society, Vol. 96, no. 6.  Retrieved 7/14/2019, https://books.google.com/books?id=J9BWRNOWkqQC&pg=PA653&lpg=PA653&dq=%22Henrik+Lund%22+Greenland&source=bl&ots=ukkOb3PAEs&sig=Ztnbz0dMyTyalOx0vRzT5btZE74&hl=en&ei=gPr6StGBF4PUsQORu9CDAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CCQQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=%22Henrik%20Lund%22%20Greenland&f=false
Photo:  Frederik Carl Peter Ruttel (1859-1915), 7/3/1911.  Public Domain in the US:  Pre-1/1/1925.  Public Domain elsewhere where copyright term is author’s life plus 70 years or less.