Uaajeerneq Greenlandic Mask Dance

Text: Karina Møller
Photos: Maliina Abelsen & Visit Greenland
Article from the former magazine, Greenland Today

Uaajeerneq, pronounced »ooaaah-yernerk« is perhaps the oldest dramatical expression among the Inuit People of Greenland.

It was an important part of the old Aasivik, the summer gatherings where serious questions in the community were solved, but also songs and dances were shared.

Still practiced

Mask dancing is still practiced on the East Coast of Greenland, and was further developed by the Tuukkaq Theater in the 70s into what is perhaps the most known form of Greenlandic Mask Dancing today.

The dance was and is done primarily for entertainment, but it also has an educational factor to it. The dancer plays around with three elements: fear, humor, and sexuality. All used to teach, especially the young ones, how to deal with the above, when faced with them in real life.

The mask

In the traditional form, the dancer could either wear a carved wood mask or paint his face with soot and wear a wooden stick in the mouth and often bind up the nose with a string to deform the face.

The dancer, if it was a male dancer, would often dress up as a woman, sing, drum, and dance by himself.

Modern version

The modern form of Uaajeerneq is slightly different as the dancer uses black and red and draws lines so the »mask« gets a more dramatic look. They use a wooden stick in the mouth to deform the face, sometimes they bind up the nose and usually make the hair big and wild.

The dance is a free form of dance, using the body as an extension of the mask. The dancer will usually not be singing or drumming, as it is a very physical form of dancing.

Symbolic

The colors of the mask and the custom have symbolic content. The black stands for the unknown, magic, and what you face when living in the harsh Arctic.

The red: life, love and temperament. The white: Clearness, the bones, ancestors, and purity.

It is important that the contemporary mask dancers know the old symbolism and the roots of the ancient use of the Uaajeerneq.

Personal expression

That way the Uaajeerneq becomes a part of the dancer himself, but of course, it is also important that the dancer makes it a personal expression. Not two mask dancers are alike!

It is a very dramatic experience being in the audience when the mask dancing is performed. Provoking and very entertaining.

Read more articles from Guide to Greenland