Ole Jørgen Hammeken

Ole Jørgen Hammeken
Born	1956 Nuuk, Greenland
Nationality	Greenland Inuit
Occupation	polar explorer, social worker
Spouse	Ann Andreasen
Parents	Maritha and Motzflot Hammeken

Ole Jørgen Hammeken − born in 1956^[1] in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland,^[2] of Maritha and Motzflot Hammeken − is a Greenlandic explorer and social worker, based in Uummannaq, a town in northwestern Greenland.

Career

Polar exploration

He led the 2006 'Global Warming Dogsled Expedition' – a journey of over 500 km (310 mi) up and over the Greenland ice sheet from Uummannaq Fjord to Ilulissat,^[3] intended to draw people's attention to climate change and global warming.

In 2008, Hammeken completed a circumpolar voyage in a motorized open boat. In February 2009, Hammeken planned a centennial dog sled trip from northern Canada to the North Pole, 771 km (480 mi), one-way, minimum distance, retracing the footsteps of Robert Peary.^[4][5] He is a member of The Explorers Club.^[6]

Acting

In 2009 Hammeken played the lead role of Ikuma in Le Voyage D'Inuk, a French-Greenlandic film in the Greenlandic language. The film premiered on 20 April 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden.^[7]

Personal life

In 1993 Hammeken returned from Denmark, having abandoned judicial career, deciding to settle in Uummannaq with his Faroese wife Ann Andreasen.^[2] He assists his wife in operating The Children's Home Uummannaq for more than 30 disadvantaged children aged between 7 and 18.^[8][9] Andreassen was awarded the Parish Day Care Centres Prize for her social work of over 20 years, with the prize presented by Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.^[9]

“	It is important to have all these things right because we were colonized so long ago, we can't remember what we forgot.	”
—Hammeken commenting on the Danish-to-Greenlandic name changes in cartography[10]

Hammeken is an advocate of traditional Greenlandic arts, preservation of dogsledding and historical hunting techniques, working through the Uummannaq Polar Institute.^[11]

References

1. ^ "Nødstedt i Ishavet" (in Danish). Berlingske Tidende. 13 September 2003. http://www.berlingske.dk/danmark/noedstedt-i-ishavet. Retrieved 17 July 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Ehrlich, Gretel (2001). This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland. Random House. pp. 5–9. ISBN 978-0-679-75852-5. 
3. ^ "Vil åbne ny slæderute mellem Ilulissat og Uummannaq" (in Danish). Sermitsiaq. 19 March 2007. http://sermitsiaq.gl/klima/article4138.ece. Retrieved 17 July 2010. 
4. ^ "Expedition to follow in Peary's tracks". Sermitsiaq. 19 October 2008. http://sermitsiaq.gl/indland/article59705.ece?lang=EN. Retrieved 17 July 2010. 
5. ^ "Greenlandic explorer Ole Jørgen Hammeken to commemorate Peary’s centenary". Explorersweb. http://www.thepoles.com/news.php?id=17908. Retrieved 17 July 2010. 
6. ^ "Grønlænder i eventyrerklub" (in Danish). Sermitsiaq. 4 January 2008. http://sermitsiaq.gl/indland/article26575.ece. Retrieved 17 July 2010. 
7. ^ "Filmen 'Inuk' havde premiere i dag" (in Danish). Sermitsiaq. 20 April 2010. http://sermitsiaq.gl/kultur/article115762.ece. Retrieved 17 July 2010. 
8. ^ "Children's Home Uummannaq". Children's Home Uummannaq, Official Website. http://www.bhjumq.com/UK/index.htm. Retrieved 17 July 2010.  (iframes required)
9. ^ ^{a b} "Suluk 2010 No.1" (PDF). Air Greenland. http://airgreenland.com/files/pdf/suluk/100401_Suluk_2010_No_1.pdf. Retrieved 17 July 2010. 
10. ^ Ehrlich, Gretel (2001). This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland. Random House. pp. 265. ISBN 978-0-679-75852-5. 
11. ^ "Bardot Proviant Klub: media, misunderstanding and Greenland". Mediamatic. http://www.mediamatic.net/page/130706/en. Retrieved 17 July 2010.