Atuagagdliutit/Grønlandsposten facts for kids
Atuagagdliutit/Grønlandsposten, often called AG, is a very important newspaper in Greenland. It's one of only two newspapers that are delivered all across the country. This newspaper comes out twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday. What makes AG special is that it was formed by combining two older newspapers: one in Kalaallisut (the language of Greenland) called Atuagagdliutit, and another in Danish called Grønlandsposten. Because of this, every single article in AG is printed in both languages!
Contents
Discovering Atuagagdliutit: Greenland's First Newspaper
The newspaper Atuagagdliutit started way back in 1861. It was created by a Danish geologist and inspector named Hinrich Johannes Rink. He was worried that the Inuit people of Greenland were losing some of their unique culture and traditions. Rink believed that a newspaper could help keep the Greenlandic oral tradition alive by giving people a way to print and share stories about life all over the country.
A Window to the World
At first, Atuagagdliutit was only published in Kalaallisut. Its main goal was to focus on the Inuit identity and culture. For many years, this newspaper was the only way most Inuit people could learn about what was happening in the outside world. It's even said that a color picture published in Atuagagdliutit in 1861 was the very first color illustration ever seen in a newspaper! This picture was a woodcut showing the American navy visiting Nuuk, Greenland's capital city.
Changing with the Times
Over time, the newspaper changed its focus. By the 1930s, it started to move away from just publishing tales. Instead, it began to cover more everyday news and important social issues.
The Story of Grønlandsposten
During World War II, Greenland was quite cut off from the rest of the world. Because of this, a new newspaper called Grønlandsposten started up in Nuuk, the capital. This newspaper was published in Danish.
A Popular New Paper
Grønlandsposten became very popular with people in Greenland. It was so well-liked that it continued to be published even after World War II ended. It kept going until 1952, which is when it joined forces with Atuagagdliutit.
How the Two Newspapers Joined Together
In 1952, Atuagagdliutit and Grønlandsposten merged to become one newspaper, which is the Atuagagdliutit/Grønlandsposten we know today. This merger brought together both the Kalaallisut and Danish languages into a single publication.
How Often Was AG Published?
The original Atuagagdliutit used to come out once a month. This schedule continued for a while even after it merged with Grønlandsposten. In the 1960s, the newspaper started to be published more often. First, it came out every two weeks, then once a week, then twice a week, and even three times a week! However, in 1993, the newspaper went back to being published only twice a week. This change happened mainly because of difficulties getting the newspaper distributed to everyone across Greenland.
A New Chapter: Merging with Sermitsiaq
In 2010, Atuagagdliutit/Grønlandsposten merged again, this time with Sermitsiaq, which was the other main newspaper in Greenland. Now, if you try to visit the old websites for either Atuagagdliutit/Grønlandsposten or Sermitsiaq, they will send you to the new combined website: Sermitsiaq.AG.
See also
- List of newspapers in Greenland
