Shot narwhal with his two daughters

Paninnguaq sailing with his two daughters, Petra and Naja Vena, somewhere in Uummannaq's fjord.

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

Paninnguaq sailing with his two daughters, Petra and Naja Vena, somewhere in Uummannaq's fjord.

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

That is the weekend, which suits Paninnguaq perfectly, since there is no school. Therefore can they are free to go narwhal hunting together.

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

The fresh, cold air gently stings Paninnguaq's cheeks. For her, the cold feels like one familiar breath from childhood, when she followed her father out on the ice. Then drove those with dog sleds and fishing together, and the sound of crunching snow and the barking of dogs still lies as a warm memory in the body.

Out of the blue a narwhal comes into view and the girls quickly sail towards it. The air is heavy of salt and tension. Some other boats – but few – have also seen the whale.

Paninnguaq trying to figure out where the whale will swim to. The first time she can't throw the harpoon. It was impossible. The waves rock the boat tirelessly, as if the sea too testing her patience. All of a sudden 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 the narwhal hunt, but only as her husband's mate. This season, she stands on her own two feet for the first time, and that gives the chase a new weight. A giant narwhal wealthier and the certainty that there will be food for it the whole family and thanks to the coffee mickey, the girls head back to land.

Independent fisherman

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

- I have been a fisherman since 2017, but I had hard to get the license because i was over 30 years, Paninnguaq A. Qvist tells AG.

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

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

Because that's what Paninnguaq A. Qvist has to be. On the sea and fishing. She has 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 in the country, says she.

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

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

- But fishing is my top priority. And I also dream of going reindeer hunting one day, and going very far in the mountains, I haven't 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 prisoner. But I'm learning something every single 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 has no count of how many narwhals she has helped to catch.

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

- When you have shot a whale yourself, flayed it, take it home, the children will eat it, or you can serve it to coffee maker... It's an indescribable feeling, says Paninnguaq A. Qvist.

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

- Sometimes you are very unlucky, but others Sometimes you are very lucky. That's how it is. The only year, since 2019, where I hasn't caught a narwhal, is two years ago, she says.

- There are not many female narwhal catchers, and I am very glad that I am one of them. I love it, she says.

Since the catch itself can be life-threatening, dolls the doubts and worries in between up at Paninnguaq A. Qvist.

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

Mattak suaasat

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

- We also put carpet in a narwhal gut. We uses the narwhal in many different ways. For example, we also dry the meat, he says Paninnguaq A. Qvist.

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

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