A Qivittoq is a frightening, often evil creature – a ghost man living in the mountains. Like all good scary stories, the story of Qivittoq is rooted in truth. In days gone by, if a Greenlandic man was guilty of some crime, he could be banished. If that happened, it was a death sentence. No one can survive alone in Greenland. Everyone needs the support of the community. So once gone, he was effectively dead, and regarded as such. These banished men could possibly survive some time, living a frightening life alone in the hills. So travelling in the hills put one at risk of meeting a Qivittoq, who would invariably be hungry and aggressive. But Greenlanders also believe that Qivittoq continue this way, beyond their deaths, living eternally as wandering ghosts. It’s not just a spooky story to tell on a dark night. To most Greenlanders, Qivittoq are as real as you or I.
A colleague of mine, university educated, and with many years experience working in different countries and cultures, told me of the first time he saw a Qivittoq. Walking in the hills near his home in North Greenland, he saw human bones under a pile of rocks. This is not so uncommon in Greenland, where people were historically buried in the wilderness and the climate is cold and dry, so that bones are long-preserved. He had heard of this man who had been banished – a Qivittoq – and had long feared meeting him. Terrified that the Qivittoq would attack, he ran home.
Similarly, having returned from camping and walking in the hills near Kangerlussuaq one summer, my husband was asked by a wide-eyed, frightened Greenlander “Did you see Qivittoq?” Some Greenlanders will never walk inland, and certainly not alone, for fear of meeting one. My husband was told he should carry special items to protect himself – matches, a needle and thread. These could be used to trade with the Qivittoq should he ever meet one, in the hope he might escape unharmed.
And it’s not just the banished Greenlanders one should fear in the mountains. One Greenlander told the story, with a nervous laugh, of the ghosts who speak English. Unable to understand the language, but aware it was English these ghostly men spoke, he told of hearing voices in the hills – the voices of long dead American whalers. They were shipwrecked and still trying to survive their fate as they searched for rescue, far from home. Far not just in distance, but also now in time.
