The "unconquered" character of Greenland isn't just a slogan, it resonates as a lived reality among its people, who overwhelmingly reject the idea of U.S. control or ownership of the island and insist their homeland is not for sale.

NUUK, Greenland, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- From the air on approach to Nuuk, Greenland's capital, there is only an endless, silent white. Then, a single runway and a handful of houses emerge abruptly, looking less like a destination and more like fleeting outposts on the edge of an eternal wilderness.

This first encounter with Greenland framed everything that followed. The "unconquered" nature of the place appears to be a lived reality, echoed in the voices of its people when asked about the once-whispered idea of the island being bought.

"We are not commodities," Nuunu Binzer, a 34-year-old student, told Xinhua. She joined those chanting "Greenland is not for sale" and "Hands off Greenland" during a protest in Copenhagen in mid-January. "Whether it's one U.S. dollar or a million dollars, I would not accept it."

In her community, Binzer added, "not wanting to become American" is the prevailing position.

For nurse Inaluk Olsen Heilmann from Ilulissat in northern Greenland, U.S. threats against her homeland initially felt like a distant joke. "But as time went on, everyone realized the seriousness. It made me uneasy," she recalled.

Heilmann described a mood not of panic, but of sustained, watchful concern in a place that has never known war. "A people cannot be bought," she said, her tone resolute. "I cannot imagine our land being purchased."

In Nuuk, taxi driver John Lange grounded his resistance in practical concerns. "One of my children has post-traumatic stress disorder... Luckily, in our current system, she gets all the help she needs," he explained. Lange paused, his voice lowering. "But if we come to the American system, she'll be kicked out onto the street."

He said that as more European allies voiced support for Greenland, he felt "much safer" now.

When the conversation turned to emergency guidelines for families issued by the Greenlandic government about two weeks earlier, Lange told Xinhua, "I thought it was just small talk, but who knows?" He was more concerned about the real survival challenges Greenlanders have long been accustomed to. "What we need to prepare for more is unexpected blizzards, which could lead to energy supply disruptions of more than 24 hours, like last year."

Lange also spoke eagerly about the new international airport nearing completion in Ilulissat, a gateway to the island's most famous landmark and major tourist draw, the breathtaking Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site. "Greenland is developing very quickly now. All working hands are welcome," he added.

The latest poll showed that three-quarters of Greenlanders saw no benefit in joining the United States. Sune Steffen Hansen, a data-driven political analyst, said the figures made one thing clear: support for the idea was virtually absent on the island, let alone any realistic prospect of annexation.

In an open letter to Trump, Ernst Bo Frederiksen, a political advisor for Greenland's Democrats, wrote, "We are a proud people who have survived in the harsh nature for generations because our ancestors knew exactly how to behave in the Arctic."

He described a peaceable people, aware of their geopolitical vulnerability yet alien to the logic of conquest. "The idea that others from outside will 'take over' us feels wrong. It creates fear and frustration when great powers fight over our land, as if we ourselves do not have a voice."

Local business leaders echoed the same sentiment. As preparations get underway for the "Future Greenland" business conference in May, an event expected to quickly reach its 500-attendee limit, Christian Keldsen of the Greenland Business Association summed up a widely shared local mantra: "Nothing about us without us."

Denmark has dispatched military personnel and initiated shipments of emergency supplies to Greenland. These include room heating equipment and backup generators for prolonged power outages, along with other essentials.