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Ole Jørgen Hammeken

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Ole Jørgen Hammeken
Born(1956-06-25)25 June 1956
Nuuk, Greenland,
Kingdom of Denmark
Died7 November 2025(2025-11-07) (aged 69)
CitizenshipGreenlandic, Kingdom of Denmark
Known forPolar exploration and acting
Children2
Parent(s)Maritha and Motzflot Hammeken

Ole Jørgen Hammeken (25 June 1956 - 7 November 2025)[1] was a Greenlandic explorer and actor based in Denmark and New York.[2] He was born in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, and was the son of Maritha and Motzflot Hammeken.[3]

Career

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Polar exploration

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He participated in 2007 in the 'Global Warming Dogsled Expedition' – a journey of over 500 km (310 mi) up and over the Greenland ice sheet from Uummannaq Fjord to Ilulissat,[4] intended to draw people's attention to climate change and global warming.

In 2008, Hammeken completed a circumpolar voyage in a motorized open boat. In February 2009, Hammeken planned a centennial dog sled trip from northern Canada to the North Pole, 771 km (480 mi), one-way, minimum distance, retracing the footsteps of Robert Peary.[5][6] He was a member of The Explorers Club.[7]

Acting

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In 2009 Hammeken played the lead role of Ikuma in Le Voyage D'Inuk, a French-Greenlandic film in the Greenlandic language. The film premiered on 20 April 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden.[8]

Personal life

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In 1993, Hammeken returned from Denmark, having abandoned a judicial career, deciding to settle in Uummannaq. January 2013 Hammeken moved from Uummannaq.[3][9][10]

It is important to have all these things right because we were colonized so long ago, we can't remember what we forgot.

— Hammeken commenting on the Danish-to-Greenlandic name changes in cartography[11]

Hammeken was an advocate of traditional Greenlandic arts, preservation of dogsledding and historical hunting techniques.[12]

Hammeken died on 7 November 2025 following a cancer diagnosis.

He had two children, a daughter named Alexandra Pipaluk Hammeken, and a son named Ludvig Hammeken.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
2010 Inuk Actor Award Best Film at the 2012 Byron Bay International Film Festival


References

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  1. ↑ "Nødstedt i Ishavet". Berlingske Tidende (in Danish). 13 September 2003. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  2. ↑ Isak Hüllert (16 January 2025). "Trekantsdrama om Grønland deler vandene: "Det er et stort fuck dig til Danmark"". Frihedsbrevet (in Danish). Retrieved 3 November 2025. Fra sin lejlighed på Upper East Side...
  3. 1 2 Ehrlich, Gretel (2001). This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland. Random House. pp. 5–9. ISBN 978-0-679-75852-5.
  4. ↑ "Vil åbne ny slæderute mellem Ilulissat og Uummannaq". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 19 March 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  5. ↑ "Expedition to follow in Peary's tracks". Sermitsiaq. 19 October 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  6. ↑ "Greenlandic explorer Ole Jørgen Hammeken to commemorate Peary's centenary". Explorersweb. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  7. ↑ "Grønlænder i eventyrerklub". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 4 January 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  8. ↑ "Filmen 'Inuk' havde premiere i dag". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 20 April 2010. Archived from the original on 22 April 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "Children's Home Uummannaq". Children's Home Uummannaq, Official Website. Retrieved 17 July 2010. (iframes required)
  10. ↑ "Suluk 2010 No.1" (PDF). Air Greenland. Retrieved 17 July 2010.[permanent dead link]
  11. ↑ Ehrlich, Gretel (2001). This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland. Random House. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-679-75852-5.
  12. ↑ "Bardot Proviant Klub: media, misunderstanding and Greenland". Mediamatic. Archived from the original on 25 June 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
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