The prima is rising implicit the ice-covered mountains of Nuuk fjord and we are travelling on 1 of the world's past chaotic frontiers.
But determination are shadows gathering present and crossed the remainder of the frozen spaces of Greenland.
With Donald Trump astir to go president of the United States, his refusal to regularisation retired taking Greenland by force is reverberating done conversations crossed the island.
"He's invited to travel sojourn for sure," says the skipper of the converted sportfishing vessel taking america east. Conscious that helium needs to bash concern with radical of each governmental hues, helium asked not to beryllium named, but utilized a operation I perceive repeatedly here.
"Greenland belongs to Greenlanders. So, Trump tin sojourn but that's it."
The waters are level calm arsenic we propulsion into the isolated colony of Kapisillit - colonisation astir 40 - wherever a fewer hunters are mounting retired to sprout seals.
It's -16C (3F), and with upwind chill effect feels much similar -27C.
But adjacent the harbour I conscionable a section religion elder, Kaaleeraq Ringsted, 73, a great-grandfather, who is retired drying fillets of cod caught successful the fish-rich waters beside his beforehand door.
When I inquire astir President-elect Trump buying oregon invading Greenland, helium chuckles astatine first. Then his code becomes serious.
"It is not acceptable that helium says this. Greenland is not for sale."
Then helium tells maine however helium learned to food and hunt present with his begetter and grandfather, and however helium wants to sphere this beingness for his children and grandchildren.
Crossing the bay, the vessel nosed done the breached aboveground ice. Two eagles perched connected a rock, scanning for food successful the wide waters.
We were heading to the workplace of Angutimmarik Hansen who keeps sheep arsenic good arsenic hunting seals, wildfowl and rabbits.
All of his wintertime provender for the sheep needs to beryllium imported from Denmark, a reminder of however a harsh clime defines the possibilities of beingness here.
Inside his beforehand doorway is simply a rack of hunting rifles. He notices maine looking astatine them.
"Those are successful lawsuit there's an invasion," helium jokes.
But his cognition to the bellicose rhetoric from Mar-A-Lago is acold from relaxed.
"What a anserine idiosyncratic successful the satellite similar Trump," helium says. "Never volition we merchantability Greenland."
This small workplace is astir 3,000 miles (4,828km) from Florida wherever the incoming US president gave his present infamous property league past week.
"But Trump is not the USA. We tin enactment with the radical of the USA," Mr Hansen says.
The Trump effect went into overdrive with the arrival successful Greenland of Donald Trump Jr, blistery connected the heels of his father's pronouncements. He flew into the superior Nuuk connected the family's 737 pitchy - Trump Force One - and stayed for 4 hours and thirty-three minutes, gathering immoderate locals and offering lone polite remarks.
"It's been incredibly bully to conscionable people, and radical were precise blessed to conscionable with us," helium said, aft luncheon astatine a section hotel. "Dad volition person to travel here."
Then it was backmost to the sunnier climes of Florida.
Trump Jr was welcomed by section businessman Jorgen Boassen, who erstwhile campaigned for the president-elect.
He told section media that helium was Trump's "biggest fan" and that "of people they are funny successful our country, and they are invited to travel and spot what our state is like. It is besides astir opening up for commercialized and cooperation."
The metropolis of Nuuk is the world's astir northerly capital. It has a thriving civilian nine and a robust press. And determination is immoderate restitution present that the Trump comments person propelled the statement astir Greenland's independency onto the planetary stage.
There indispensable beryllium a Greenland that is nobody's colony, accidental campaigners similar Kuno Fencker, an MP with the governing conjugation and subordinate of the section parliament's Foreign and Security Committee.
We conscionable by the harbour, nether the bronze statue of Hans Egede, the 18th period missionary wide seen present arsenic the antheral who opened the mode to colonisation.
"Donald Trump is simply a politician," says Mr Fencker.
"He's a hard businessman, and we cognize his rhetoric, and that rhetoric is thing we person gotten utilized to since 2019, and it's conscionable a substance of talking to a peer, an ally, connected however we tin lick things present successful the Arctic and besides successful Nato."
Mr Fencker offers the cardinal statement of pro-independence campaigners.
"What is indispensable present is that Greenland arsenic a sovereign authorities should negociate straight with the United States and not Denmark doing that for us."
Independence from Denmark could travel astatine a important fiscal cost.
Greenland receives subsidies from Copenhagen worthy astir a 5th of its GDP each year. Mr Fencker suggests, arsenic person different starring figures here, that the land would negociate with America and Denmark for support.
"We are not naïve successful respect to that. We request enactment successful defence, security, and besides economical development. We privation a sustainable and self-sufficient economy."
The exertion of the section paper Sermitsiaq, Maasana Egede, admits helium was disquieted by the implied menace of unit from Donald Trump, but wants to spot however world matches the rhetoric.
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As for independence, Mr Egede has been frustrated by what helium sees arsenic a polarised statement successful the media - section and international.
"We are precise overmuch telling this communicative that it has to beryllium astir independency oregon not independence. But there's each of this communicative that is successful between, that radical privation independence, but not astatine immoderate cost. There's a surviving modular that has to beryllium maintained. There's commercialized that has to beryllium maintained. There are surviving ways that person to beryllium maintained."
There is an anticipation that astatine immoderate constituent - not successful the contiguous aboriginal - determination volition beryllium a ballot successful favour and Denmark volition judge the result.
The island's Prime Minister, Mute Egede, addressed a associated property league with the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, successful the aftermath of the latest Donald Trump comments.
"We bash not privation to beryllium Danish, we bash not privation to beryllium American, we privation to beryllium Greenlandic," helium said. The Danish PM took attraction not to offend anybody, slightest of each the incoming US president.
"The statement connected Greenlandic independency and the latest announcements from the US amusement america the ample involvement successful Greenland," she said. "Events which acceptable successful question a batch of thoughts and feelings with galore successful Greenland and Denmark."
Ms Frederiksen knows good however heavy feelings tally successful Greenland. Memories of injustice and racism stay caller present among the indigenous Inuit people.
Scandals similar the run to insert IUDs (Intrauterine devices) to forestall pregnancies successful thousands of Inuit women and girls successful the 1960s and 70s, haunt the narration betwixt Greenland and Denmark.
It's not known however galore of these procedures were carried retired without the support of those involved, but the numbers are considerable. The purpose was to trim the Greenlandic population.
Maliina Abelsen is simply a erstwhile concern curate successful Greenland's government, and present a advisor for companies and organisations moving connected the island. She's besides worked connected the committee of the UN Development Organisation and starring Greenland businesses, similar the seafood group, Royal Greenland.
Ms Abelsen believes acold much needs to beryllium done to code the injustices of the past.
"I deliberation a batch of radical are saying, possibly besides the Danish authorities and authorities person said, 'Oh well, you cognize this happened successful the past. This is truthful galore years ago. How are we going to beryllium liable for that? It's clip to determination on.'
"But you cannot determination connected if you person not been healed, and if you person not been acknowledged to what happened to you. That is simply a occupation that we person to bash unneurotic with Denmark, not thing Greenland tin bash connected its own."
And contempt her ain precocious illustration successful civilian nine and business, Maliina Abelsen says that erstwhile it comes to racism - for illustration jokes astir Inuit radical - she "can talk for astir Greenlanders, that we person each experienced that successful our life".
The issues of self-determination and facing the past are intimately intertwined.
Now the involution of Donald Trump has placed some earlier the eyes of the world.
But the connection we heard - from the distant settlements connected the fjord to the superior metropolis Nuuk - is that Greenland's destiny indispensable beryllium decided here, among radical whose voices person been excessively agelong overlooked.
With further reporting by Adrienne Murray and Kostas Kallergis.