Raven calls

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

I moved from Australia to Sisimiut, Greenland in 2021. I’d visited several times before as a tourist and had fallen in love with the place so much that I spent a couple of years positioning myself professionally so that someone would give me a job so I could get a work visa.
When most people imagine the animals of Greenland, they immediately think of polar bears. But it is not common to see them and many Greenlanders have never seen one. Ravens, on the other hand, are everywhere - including throughout Greenlandic art and stories. They are one of the few birds that remain all winter, are unafraid of humans, and have a seemingly infinite variety of calls. For me, they are the symbol of my adopted home.
This recording was taken along the “ocean road” – one of the most beautiful walks in Sisimiut. This solo raven was perched above me for several minutes calling – if only I understood what he was saying...
Recorded by Lisa Germany.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration