Qupanuk Olsen

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Qupanuk Olsen
Personal information
Born
Qupanuk Egede

(1985-05-06) 6 May 1985 (age 39)
Qaqortoq, Greenland
Other namesQ
Websiteqs.gl
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2020-present
Genre(s)Education, travel
Subscribers436,000[1]
Contents are inEnglish, Kalaallisut
100,000 subscribersSeptember 2023

Qupanuk Olsen (née Egede; born 6 May 1985) is a Greenlandic YouTuber, content creator, and engineer known for her education and travel series Q's Greenland. Her content primarily focuses on Greenland's traditions, cuisine, locales, and history.

In addition to her work as a content creator, Olsen studied at Curtin University's Western Australian School of Mines for a degree in civil engineering with a specialization in mining. She previously worked at the Nalunaq gold mine, Orbicon, and taught at the Arctic Technology Centre in Sisimiut. She currently works as Greenlandic director for Ironbark Zinc. A supporter of Greenlandic independence, Olsen believes that mining would be central to supporting the economic development of an independent Greenland.

Early life

Olsen was born Qupanuk Egede[2] on 6 May 1985 in Qaqortoq, Greenland.[3][4][5] She stayed with her biological mother until she was three years old, her mother was diagnosed with cancer at that time and was left unable to care for her or her sister.[3] Qupanuk was sent to live with her father and her stepmother, whom she called "muua".[3] She attended the Tasersuup Atuarfia for her primary schooling, where she excelled in mathematics and chemistry.[3] As a child, she spent summers on vacation overseas.[3]

Olsen attended schooling in Denmark, the United States, and Australia.[6] She initially was admitted to Aalborg University's school of architecture and design and reached the third semester before she found it poorly suited for her interests.[3] She then applied to the Royal Danish Navy and spent a year and a half there, eventually becoming a constable.[3] She attended structural engineering in Aarhus University,[5][4] then spent six months in the Colorado School of Mines.[2] In Australia she attended Kalgoorlie's Curtin University's Western Australian School of Mines for her master's degree[5][4] where she studied for her degree in civil engineering with a specialization in mining.[7][2] In 2014, she was the recipient of a scholarship by the Ivalo & Minik Foundation to continue her studies at the university.[7][8][9] While studying at Kalgoorlie University, she was profiled in the mining magazine Ingeniøren, which outlined Egede's fascination with mining and her desire for Greenlandic independence.[5]

While in university, she served as vice president of the Association of Greenlanders Studying in Denmark.[10] She served on the board of directors for the Avalak organization.[11]

Career

Olsen initially worked as an intern at the now-closed Nalunaq gold mine.[2] In 2014 she worked at Orbicon's Greenland branch.[12] She later taught mining in the Arctic Technology Centre in Sisimiut.[2] She currently works as the Greenlandic director for the Australian mining company Ironbark Zinc Limited.[13]

Q's Greenland

Olsen's YouTube channel, Q's Greenland, covers topics such as local cuisine, landscapes, the Greenlandic Inuit language, and life as an Indigenous person in a country colonized by Denmark.[6] Olsen additionally maintains a presence on Instagram[14] and TikTok.[6] She is known for her sign off "Life is amazing, Aqagu takuss' (See you tomorrow.)"[15] She has been dubbed "Greenland's self-described 'biggest influencer'" by In These Times.[13]

She additionally owns the consultancy company "Q's Effect", which gives courses on social media and collaborates with companies.[3] Olsen was invited to promote a citizen science initiative wherein fishermen were entitled to cash prizes after the submission of catch reports,[16] and an ice company which sources its ice from the fjords surrounding Nuuk.[17] Olsen collaborated with the Foundation for Entrepreneurship to organize the "Arsarnerit Inuusuttai – Young Northern Lights" gathering held in Ilulissat, an entrepreneurial competition between Greenlandic youth.[18] In 2024, Olsen was among the dignitaries invited to attend the opening of direct flights between Nuuk and Iqaluit.[15][14]

Olsen came under controversy after attending a conference hosted in Tel Aviv amid the 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict hosted by Israeli Arab influencer Nas Daily, with some social media users accusing her of supporting Israel amid the conflict.[19] In response, she stated her opposition to all wars, noted that accommodations were paid for by Yassin rather than the Israeli state, and donations were made to Gaza during the conference.[19] As a result of the controversy, Olsen expressed that she was about to lose contracts with Greenlandic companies.[19]

Personal life

Olsen is married[3] and is the mother of four children.[6] Her family currently lives in Qinngorput, Nuuk.[3] She is able to speak three languages: English, Danish, and Greenlandic.[5] Olsen struggled with language learning in her youth, only learning English at age 23.[3] Despite her career as a YouTuber, she continues to work as a mining engineer.[6]

Olsen supports Greenlandic independence.[6][20] Olsen cited the mining industry as central to supporting the economy of an independent Greenland.[2] She attempted to petition the Inatsisartut and Naalakkersuisut to permanently shift the Greenlandic time zone to UTC−03:00, citing the strain it put on children's health.[21][22]

References

  1. ^ "About Q's Greenland". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Behrendt, Marie Lise (18 February 2014). ""Jeg vil eje min egen mine"". Jobfinder.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Steenholdt, Paninnguaq (7 October 2023). "Chefredaktøren anbefaler: Blev træt af uvidenheden". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Expedition Team". Lindblad Expeditions. National Geographic. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Duus, Søren Duran (18 February 2014). "Mineingeniør: Grønland skal selv tjene penge". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Jonsa, Sav (9 September 2023). "'We want our voice to be heard': Content creator Qupanuk Olsen on being Inuit in Greenland". APTN News. Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Tre ambitiøse grønlændere får legater". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 4 April 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  8. ^ Søndergaard, Niels Krogh (4 April 2014). "Ivalo & Minik Fonden har netop uddelt legater". KNR (in Danish). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Grant recipients". Ivalo & Minik Fonden. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  10. ^ Lynge, Mads (2 June 2009). "Inatsisartunut qinersineq pissangallutik malinnaaffigaat". KNR (in Kalaallisut). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Avalak indleder samarbejde med USA". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 30 March 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  12. ^ Færch, Mads (7 April 2021). "Orbicon Grønland får ny ingeniør". Energi og Forsyning. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  13. ^ a b Federman, Adam (30 October 2023). "The New Cold War in the Arctic". In These Times. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  14. ^ a b Textor, Alex Robertson (29 July 2024). "Postcard from Greenland: the summer's unlikeliest new flight". Financial Times. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  15. ^ a b Sarkisian, Arty (27 June 2024). "Hot dogs and high fives: Iqaluit celebrates launch of direct flights to Greenland". Nunatsiaq News. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  16. ^ Magnússon, Magnús (13 December 2023). "Citizen salmon project boosts catch reporting and science in Greenland". North Atlantic Salmon Fund. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  17. ^ Wangmo, Dorjee (17 January 2024). "How Bad Is Shipping Arctic Ice to Dubai Bars, Actually?". VICE. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  18. ^ "Arsarnerit Inuusuttai - Young Northern Lights". Kommune Qeqertalik. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  19. ^ a b c Veirum, Thomas Munk (6 June 2024). "Israel-tur udløser 'shitstorm': Influencer forsvarer sig". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  20. ^ Birkebaek, Johannes (18 January 2024). "In Greenland, love for Denmark's royals clashes with independence dream". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  21. ^ Reimer-Johansen, Dorthea (10 April 2024). "Qupanuk Olsen indsamler underskrifter til tidszoneændring". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  22. ^ Holm, Mads Malik Fuglsang; Poulsen, Andreas (23 April 2024). "Qupanuk Olsen: Grønland er ude af takt med tiden". Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (in Danish). Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
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