Jane George
Bio: A speaker of several Arctic languages and keen follower of all circumpolar happenings. But why Siku girl? Siku (and its variation in the Inuit languages) means ice. And Siku was the name chosen by then-KNR Greenland broadcaster Inga Hansen and myself for the Arctic news website we collaborated on from 2004 to 2012. Siku seemed a good name to keep alive here and on my Twitter feed as @sikugirl. If you're reading my blog, I'll ask you to forgive the typos you'll find: It's been hard to serve as my own copy-editor here, and every time I re-read my posts, I find new things to correct.
A date with Siku girl 
Hi there, a young journalist here, who would love, when done with her master degree, to cover the Arctic!
Any tips on how to get to learn the Arctic? any good recommendation books? Which Arctic language shall I must master first (Russian, Greenlandic, etc)?
Feel free to add anything else that can be helpful for me,
Dyin’ to read your answer. I’m excited about the future of the Arctic, and I’ll be thrilled if, in the near future, I could cover this territory..
Kind regards,
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The best way to know the Arctic is to be in the Arctic. Speaking the language of where you want to be in the Arctic is good, but what language that is depends on where you are. As for books, I am partial to the works written by early explorers like Stefansson or Freuchen and missionaries and then those of the anthropologists like Balicki, Saladin d’Anglure, Graeburn, Dorais, etc. I invite you to read my “Like an iceberg” work in progress on this blog which is more about today’s Arctic. You can see all the links here on the last part of it: http://wp.me/p4uTrZ-gL
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“The best way to know the Arctic is to be in the Arctic.” ahah best advice, though I have two years before I graduate, so would like to acquire some background kowledge before I go up there to cover the growing international issues!
Regardings those explorers and anthropologists works I’ll have a look for sure.
Concerning the languages there, isn’t there a major one? And by major I mean one that will allow me to access the majority of people living in the Arctic. I know the territory is divided within Russia, Norway,and other countries, but surely there’s one language that stands out when it comes to Arctic…
Thanks for your reply,
P.S: I’m loving this Like an iceberg work of yours!
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No one language stands out in the Arctic as there are so many. That being said, English or Russian are probably the most useful to know.
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