Shot narwhal with his two daughters

Paninnguaq sails with his two daughters, Petra and Naja Vena, somewhere in the Uummannaq fjord.

The girls have been very excited as they want to go hunting with their mother.

It's the weekend, which suits Paninnguaq perfectly since there's no school. So they can go narwhal hunting together in peace and quiet.

They sail away from the other boats because it can get quite dangerous when many boats try to shoot narwhals at the same time.

The fresh, cold air gently nibbles Paninnguaq's cheeks. For her, the cold feels like a familiar breath from her childhood, when she followed her father out onto the ice. Back then, they would dog-sled and fish together, and the sound of crunching snow and the dogs' barking still lingers like a warm memory in her body.

Out of the blue, a narwhal appears, and the girls quickly sail towards it. The air is heavy with salt and excitement. Some other boats – but few – have also seen the whale.

Paninnguaq tries to figure out where the whale will swim. The first time she can't throw the harpoon. It was impossible. The waves rock the boat tirelessly, as if the sea is also testing her patience. Suddenly the whale appears on the surface right next to the boat. Paninnguaq can see that it has a long and beautiful tooth. She shoots it. Immediately the sea turns red - a sign that she has hit the whale.

For Paninnguaq, it is an indescribable feeling. She knows narwhal hunting, but only as her husband's partner. This season she is on her own for the first time, and that gives the hunt a new weight. A giant narwhal richer and sure that there will be food for the whole family and mattak for the coffee mic, the girls head back to land.

Self-employed fisherman

Paninnguaq A. Qvist is 37 years old and lives in Uummannaq with her husband and their three children.

- I have been a fisherman since 2017, but I had difficulty getting a license because I was over 30 years old, Paninnguaq A. Qvist tells AG.

After several years of waiting and various other jobs here and there, Paninnguaq – earlier this year – could finally call himself an independent fisherman.

- I was so happy, and shut up, I fished a lot, she smiles.

Because that's where Paninnguaq A. Qvist is supposed to be. At sea and fishing. She's had other jobs before, but mostly out of necessity.

- I had a child early, so I couldn't be away from the child for a long time, so I had to get a job ashore, she says.

But it has been difficult to sit inside, especially in the summer and especially when the weather is fantastic.

- Also in the spring it becomes quite difficult for me to sit inside and work. The desire to sail is irresistible at that time, says Paninnguaq A. Qvist, who also goes muskox hunting, seal hunting and in the spring she tries to shoot seals on the ice.

- But fishing is my highest priority. And I also dream of going reindeer hunting one day, and walking very far in the mountains, I've never tried that before, she says.

Paninnguaq A. Qvist shows – with hard work and stubbornness – that the courage to follow one's dreams can carry one far.

- I'm not the best hunter. But I learn something every day and get inspiration every day. It's always exciting, she says.

The first narwhal

The year 2019.

- That was the year I caught my first narwhal with my husband. He shot it first and I threw the harpoon and killed it, says Paninnguaq A. Qvist.

She doesn't have a count of how many narwhals she has helped catch.

The feeling of being able to shoot and kill a narwhal is overwhelming and brings a lot of pride to her.

- When you have shot a whale yourself, flayed it, taken it home, the children want to eat it, or you can serve it to the coffee drinkers... It is an indescribable feeling, says Paninnguaq A. Qvist.

You never know if you'll catch something, as sometimes you come home empty-handed.

- Sometimes you are very unlucky, but other times you are very lucky. That's how it is. The only year since 2019 that I haven't caught a narwhal was two years ago, she says.

"There aren't many female narwhal hunters, and I'm very happy to be one of them. I love it," she says.

Since the catch itself can be life-threatening, doubts and concerns occasionally arise in Paninnguaq A. Qvist.

- My thoughts run a bit when it's narwhal season. Especially when you have children. What if I don't come home again? But I always try to push the negative thoughts away, she says.

Mattak suasat

Mattalaat, mattak with suasat, or small pieces of mattak cooked with meat, seasoned with onions and sauce, are some of the ways Paninnguaq and her family prepare mattak.

- We also put mattak in a narwhal intestine. We use the narwhal in many different ways. For example, we also dry the meat, says Paninnguaq A. Qvist.

The sky is the limit with mattak. Filled with vitamins, it makes any coffee a little better, a little more filling, and at the same time brings a festive spark to the table.

Behind the mattak, there are hunters – who may have risked their lives – so that others can enjoy it. Paninnguaq A. Qvist is one of them. In a profession dominated by men, she leads the way as a role model for other women who want to create their own path.