U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio went to Capitol Hill last week. One subject was Greenland. The Trump administration wants to acquire the island over national security concerns. Rubio told lawmakers that the uproar over within NATO is calming and that talks are underway about how to deal with Trump's demands. APR News focused on Denmark’s 1909 “Alabama Expedition” to explain how long the dispute over Greenland has been going on. The White House’s ambitions prompted a loud response in Denmark last month.
Last month tens of thousands of Danes and Greenlanders poured into the streets of cities across Denmark. They were protesting President Trump’s proposed annexation of Greenland. Local politicians, indigenous activists, and concerned citizens alike were all unified in a common message: Hands Off Greenland!
The Trump administration says it had good reasons for acquiring Greenland. There are national security concerns. The White House doesn’t want Russia or China to take the island. The President says he won’t use military force to take Greenland, but he still wants it. That position may make sense in the Oval office, but there are those who don’t like it..
“Just so baffled as to why this is happening, I don't understand, and I guess there's a lot of Europeans that don't understand, and obviously, maybe also Americans that don't understand,” said Astrid Mikkelsen.
She is the great-granddaughter of Ejnar Mikkelsen, a Danish explorer who visited Greenland over 100 years ago. APR listeners heard of his voyage during the so-called Alabama expedition. That’s how the story came to be on Alabama Public Radio.
Ejnar Mikkelsen’s epic journey was portrayed in a 2022 Netflix film, “Against the Ice.” in 1906, the United States wanted a chunk of Greenland believed to be an island. The so- called Denmark expedition was launched to dispute that claim, but disappeared.
Ejnar Mikkelsen’s Alabama expedition was late and disproved the U.S. claim. The voyage made the polar explorer a national hero.
“It's just really warming my heart. I mean, Denmark and Greenland,” said Astrid.
The Mikkelsen family has maintained strong connections with Greenland and its people since Ejnar’s time. Astrid says she was proud to see the outpouring of support for Greenland amid Trump’s effort to take the island.
“We obviously share the same kingdom, and we have a long history with both like good and bad, as I guess many states that have been in the same sort of relationship has, and obviously it has been troubled at times and for good reasons,” Mikkelsen observed.
Denmark ruled Greenland for hundreds of years. Today the island is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. The relationship between the Danish government and Greenlandic people has not always been positive. But, people like Ejnar worked tirelessly to build connections between the two lands. Astrid says her great grandfather remained a strong supporter of the native Greenlandic people, the Inuit, throughout his life.
:When he was done with the expeditioning and adventuring, he really just wanted to do what he could to contribute to the welfare and and, like a sufficient life for the Greenlandic people,” said Astrid.
Ejnar’s work in Greenland was centered on a small village on the northwest coast of Greenland. Astrid says it’s one of the most remote settlements in the world.
“What was that time called Scoresbysund. It's now called Ittoqqortoormiit. It's very difficult to spell and pronounce. If you're not native to the tongue. It has a lot of eyes and T's and Q's in it,” Mikkelsen said.
Astrid is dismayed at President Trump’s plan to take Greenland—and she thinks her great grandfather Ejnar would be too. This isn’t the future that the explorer envisioned for the land and people he loved.
“I think he (Ejnar) would be, I think he I think it would be very sad. Obviously, he had the Greenlanders quite close at heart, and he was very supportive in not only their traditional way of living, but also their kind of involvement into being a modern day people,” she said.
Ultimately, despite the current political tensions, Astrid’s position is the same as it’s always been: that the Greenlandic people have a unique culture and history, and deserve to approach the world on their own terms.
“And obviously, as with many ethnic groups in the world, I mean, they they're adjusting to modern day life, but, but these are not you don't have to feel sorry for the Greenlanders. They have a really strong history and culture that they're proud of,” Mikkelsen added.
While Trump has backed away from Greenland for the time being, it’s likely this issue could re-emerge as a standoff between Greenlanders and Danes on one side, and Trump on the other.
