"Nunarput, utoqqarsuanngoravit" (Greenlandic: [nʉnɑpːut‿ʉtɔq:ɑs:uaŋːɔʁavit]; Danish: "Vort ældgamle land under isblinkens bavn", [vɒt ˈelˌkɑmlə lænˀ ɔn⁽ˀ⁾ɐ ˈiˀsˌple̝ŋkn̩s pɑwˀn]; English: "You, Our Ancient Land") is the national anthem of Greenland, an autonomous state of the Kingdom of Denmark. Written by Henning Jakob Henrik Lund in 1912, it was officially adopted in 1916. Music for it was later composed by Jonathan Petersen in 1937.[1]
| English: You, Our Ancient Land | |
|---|---|
 | |
Co-national anthem of Greenland | |
| Lyrics | Henning Jakob Henrik Lund, 1912 |
| Music | Jonathan Petersen, 1937 |
| Adopted | 1916 |
| Audio sample | |
1977 choral vocal recording (first verse) | |
The reference to Kalaallit as "half-grown children" yearning to join the "advanced nations" of the world has been considered controversial in modern times. Since 1979, "Nuna asiilasooq" ("The Land of Great Length"), an ethnic anthem used by the self-governing Kalaallit, has also been officially recognised by the government.
History
editThe song was written in 1912 by Greenlandic priest Henning Jakob Henrik Lund,[2] originally set to the melody of the Swedish national anthem, "Du gamla, du fria". It was one of the first Greenlandic national songs and has been suggested to have been written as a national battle song for politicians pushing for a bill on home rule.[3]
In 1937, organist and piano teacher Jonathan Petersen composed a melody for the anthem.[3][4] In 1916, it was translated into Danish by Eskimologist William Thalbitzer.[3][5] It was the only Greenlandic song translated into Danish, and remained so for many years, and as such was given official status as the national anthem of Greenland by Denmark. It was performed in this role at the University of Copenhagen in 1921 for the 200th anniversary of missionary Hans Egede's landing in Greenland and in 1937 for King Christian X's 25-year jubilee.[3] In 1985, Thalbitzer's Danish translation was refined by theologian Mads Lidegaard.[5][6]
Lyrics
editThe fifth verse is more often sung after the first verse than the second verse in short versions.
| Greenlandic lyrics[5][6] | IPA transcription[a] | 1916 Danish translation (by William Thalbitzer)[6][7] |
1985 Danish translation (by Mads Lidegaard)[5] |
Literal English translation of Lidegaard's translation | Poetic English translation[8][9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I |
1 |
I |
I |
I |
I |
Notes
edit- ^ See Help:IPA and Greenlandic language § Phonology.
References
edit- ^ Liza. "Celebrating the National Anthem of Greenland - Exploring its Roots in Traditional Music". Desher Barta. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ UNESCO Conférence Générale; Staff, Unesco; Helander-Renvall, Elina; Unesco (1990). Arctic Languages: An Awakening. Unesco. p. 346. ISBN 978-92-3-102661-4.
- ^ a b c d Adriansen, Inge (2003). Nationale symboler i det Danske Rige, 1830-2000: Fra fyrstestat til nationalstater (in Danish). Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 404. ISBN 978-87-7289-794-3.
- ^ UNESCO Conférence Générale; Staff, Unesco; Helander-Renvall, Elina; Unesco (1990). Arctic Languages: An Awakening. Unesco. p. 346. ISBN 978-92-3-102661-4.
- ^ a b c d "Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit". hojskolesangbogen.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Christensen, Birthe Dam (1991). Nordiske sange: – en nordisk folkehøjskolesangbog. Nordic Council of Ministers. p. 88. ISBN 978-87-7303-577-1.
- ^ Thalbitzer, William (1945). Grønlandske digte og danske: gamle og nye kvad (in Danish). E. Munksgaard. p. 33.
- ^ "Greatest Places Music: Greenland: Nunarput..." www.greatestplaces.org. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ Minahan, James B. (23 December 2009). The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 701. ISBN 978-0-313-34497-8.