At the start of May, Microsoft

separated from Denmark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in 2009 and is funded by Greenland’s government. Although the Lutheran Church comes from Denmark, the leader of the church in Greenland is proud that it remains uniquely Greenlandic.In recent years, young people have increasingly demanded the revival of pre-Christian shamanistic traditions like drum dancing; some have been getting Inuit tattoos to proudly reclaim their ancestral roots. For some, it’s a way to publicly and permanently reject the legacy of Danish colonialism and European influence.

Still, the Lutheran Church remains for many an important part of the national identity.Greenland was a colony under Denmark’s crown until 1953, when it became a province in the Scandinavian country. In 1979, the island was granted home rule, and 30 years later Greenland became a self-governing entity. Butover foreign and defense affairs.

Until 1953, no other denominations were allowed to register and work in Greenland other than the Lutheran Church, said Gimmi Olsen, an assistant professor in the theology department at the University of Greenland.Since then, Pentecostal and Catholic churches — mostly serving immigrants from the Philippines — have settled in Greenland. Other Christians include Baptists and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Associated Press journalist Emilio Morenatti contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’sDon’t tell Natalie Nakase she doesn’t have what it takes to do something. The coach of the San Francisco Bay Area’s first

team got to where she is by learning to block out those who underestimated her.“If I hear one negative thing about my goal, about my dream, it’s out, we’re done,” Nakase told The Associated Press. “It made my circle really small, but it’s made my circle really powerful and encouraging and supportive for me.”

That focus and grit is what led to Nakase, 45, to going from being a walk-on at UCLA to team captain as a 5-foot-2 freshman in 1998. It’s what made her the first Asian American player to join the now-defunct National Women’s Basketball League in 2003.Nakase is blazing a trail again as the