WEATHER STATIONS

‘Did you see that? Hans? That black bird?’
‘Yes. A raven, actually,’ Hans answers, curiously. ‘A raven in a cage. It’s the first time
I’ve seen a raven as a pet.’
As they watch the woman, she seems to sense their gazes and looks back. She smiles
to them mysteriously. Just when Tekk runs into the garden, she disappears.
‘Sedna! I found my Sedna!’ Tekk cries.
‘What is Sedna?’ Hans follows him out.
‘Sedna! Our Inuit sea goddess!’
‘You mean the raven or the young woman?’ Hans asks.
‘The young woman! Her name is Sedna!’
‘Okay, calm down, Tekk.’ Hans says: ‘Do you want to tell me who she is?’
‘Yes. She was a very beautiful Inuit girl with long black hair, just like that woman.’
Tekk is still walking around restlessly in the garden, hoping to encounter the scene
again. ‘Everyone in our region knows the story. Because Sedna was so beautiful, she
was always turning down the hunters who came to her house wishing to marry her. But
Sedna’s family was very poor, so her father wanted to marry her off. Her father said
to her: “Sedna, we have no food and we will go hungry soon. You need a husband to
take care of you, so the next hunter who comes to ask for your hand in marriage, you
must marry him!” One day a hunter covered in smooth black fur arrived before their
igloo, and asked Sedna’s father if he could marry his daughter. Sedna said yes, though
she didn’t even see the man’s face. She was then placed aboard the hunter’s kayak and
journeyed to her new home. You know what a kayak is?’
‘Yes, I know what a kayak is. So what happened to her and her strange husband?’
‘It was a long way on the sea. It was snowy and windy. They covered themselves in
their heavy robes. For the whole tripe, Sedna never saw her new husband’s face. At last
they arrived at an island. Sedna looked around. She could see nothing. No hut, no tent,
no cooking pots, just bare rocks and a cliff. Her new home was a few tufts of animal hair
and feathers strewn about on the hard, cold rocks. As they stepped onto the rocks, the
hunter stood before Sedna and pulled down his hood. He let out an evil laugh. Guess
what?’
‘Sedna’s husband was not a man but a raven! Is that the story?’ Hans smiles.
‘Yes, you Germans are clever people! He is a big ugly black crow!’
‘So then what? Did she live with that evil bird for the rest of her life?’ Hans asks
impatiently, aware that everyone around them is finishing lunch. Yet Tekk and Hans have
not started eating yet.
‘Of course Sedna didn’t want to live with that ugly black bird. But it was a long way
home. She couldn’t just go back by herself… ’
At this point the conference organizer comes to them and interrupts Tekk’s story.
‘Hello Tekk, hello Hans, I hope you are enjoying the press conference this morning?’
Tekk shakes hands with the organizer. He then realizes how hungry he is. He rushes
to the food table, grabs a plate and serves himself some food.
‘Indeed. I just hope our friend from Greenland can take a whole week of
conferencing!’ Hans greets the organizer, heaping salad onto his plate at the same time.
‘Don’t worry. If our Inuit friend gets bored with all the talks, you can take him
sightseeing. There is lots to do in Berlin — the Holocaust Museum, the Checkpoint and
so on. What do you think, Tekk?’
Tekk’s face cracks into a dry smile. He is busy with his deep-fried schnitzel.
‘How did you find Berlin, Tekk? Have you seen our famous bear yet?’ the organizer
asks.
60 WEATHER STATIONS: WRITING CLIMATE CHANGE