Motörhead Remember Me
03-15-2011, 05:46 PM
For most people the picture of Samis is that they are simply reindeerherders who have been herding reindeer for ever. But reindeerherding is rather recent and has only been practised since around 500 AD.
Before this ancient Fennoscandinavian population became large scale herders and Sami as we identify them, they were, in addition to the proto-Scandinavian and proto-Finnish peoples, the third Fennoscandinavian population and their interaction with the proto Germanic farming people in southern Scandinavia and proto Finnish in southern Finland started around 4000 years ago.
The proto-Scandinavian (later the Norwegian and Swedish) and proto-Finnish (later the Finnish and Karelian) peoples came to control the traderoutes to the east and to the south, while the proto Sami were the suppliers of the most important commodity of that time; the furs.
It was in the end of this fur trade process, perhaps in the late Bronze or early Iron age, when the Sami ethnicity arose.
(The Archaeology and Anthropology of Landscape: Shaping Your Landscape Peter J. Ucko,Robert Layton)
Here are two intresting articles about the pre-historic interaction of Sami and Nordic peoples.
Enjoy and discuss!
Stones in the snow: a Norse fur traders' road into Sami country (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3284/is_312_81/ai_n29360006/?tag=content;col1)
The area where the native Sami settled extends from northern Norway and Sweden to the west to the Kola Peninsula in the east, crossing the borders of four nation states. Sami language and culture differ significantly from that of the surrounding Nordic, Finnish and Russian societies. The Sami had developed as an ethnic group by the end of the first millennium BC , and the first known mention of Sami people was by Tacitus in AD 98 . Hunting and fishing were their main economic activities until c. AD 500, when reindeer pastoralism emerged in parts of their territory.
During the Iron Age, Sami settlements expanded extensively into the area on the border between Norway and Sweden, probably related to the emergence of reindeer herding. Semi-subterranean hut remains of the so-called stallo-type--characterised by sunken floors surrounded by embankments suggest there was intense systematic use of a previously unexploited ecological niche close to the tree limit. Radiocarbon dates show that stallo-huts were first established during the ninth century AD and fell into disuse during the eleventh century AD. During this period, the Sami became major fur suppliers for northern Europe. Artefacts found in Sami settlements were made as far away as Karelia, the Baltic countries, central Russia, southern Scandinavia and England.
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The age of the Adamvallda trail suggests that formal communication systems in the mountain region had already developed in prehistoric times. Over time old trails may have been readjusted on several occasions, making some parts appear quite recent. Thus, trails that have been assumed to be quite modern may actually be very old. In addition, old ways of constructing trails may also have been applied in more recent times. The Adamvallda trail highlights the time depth and complexity of cultural landscapes in the mountain region and challenges the frequent presumption that visible landscape elements are recent. The study of ancient trails and trail networks in the Fennoscandian high mountain area appears to be a promising field of future research on the socio-economical transition of the Norse and Sami societies. The study of roads and trails contributes to the understanding of social, economic and political structures of prehistoric societies and inter-societal relations . Furthermore, in addition to the technical and functional specifics, the symbolic significance of route-marking, in the form of erected stones, mounds, geoglyphs or other monuments, needs to be considered and may offer insights into the ideological context of routes.
Who Owns the Past? Ancient Practice and Contemporary Identity in Sami Culture (http://www.developmentstudent.com/who-owns-the-past-ancient-practice-and-contemporary-identity-in-saacutemi-culture.html)
Othere’s account from c.880 suggests that during the Viking period and the Early Middle Ages, the Sámi were migratory hunters involved in a trading system (‘finneskatt’) with Chiefs across the North Atlantic. Primary trade was in the form of fur from animals such as squirrel, beavers and foxes. This knowledge of Sámi history is a result of both written evidence and the interpretation of archaeological digs at the so-called ‘stallo’ sites in the high mountain valleys of Northern Scandinavia (e.g. Lřnsdalen in the Saltfjellet region). These are believed to be the winter hunting stations of the Sámi. It is from this point in history onwards that contention exists over what the archaeological evidence from stallo sites says about the activities of the Sámi people. I am going to focus solely on the debate about the transition from reindeer hunting to reindeer pastoralism in Sámi activity, which is known to have occurred at some point between c.900 A.D. and c.1600 A.D.
The transition from hunting to pastoralism
Although variations on the exact chain of events exist, the dominant view amongst academics is that the transition from a reindeer hunting to a reindeer herding economy amongst the Sámi people came about as a result of increased trade links between the Sámi people and the rest of Europe. This is the fur trade paradigm. According to this paradigm, hunting and trapping intensified during the winter months of the Late Iron Age and Early Medieval times, because trade demand was increasing, and the Sámi population was becoming increasingly dependent on this trade. Intensified hunting transformed into less intensive herding in order to produce an output large enough to sustain a changed Sami lifestyle. Increasing contact with Germanic people caused a shift in ideas amongst the Sami people, who placed increasing emphasis on wealth accumulation, which has been cited both as a cause and a consequence of the shift to pastoralism. It has also been suggested that perhaps wild reindeer were becoming increasingly scarce and so domestication could act as a way of securing their existence.
Before this ancient Fennoscandinavian population became large scale herders and Sami as we identify them, they were, in addition to the proto-Scandinavian and proto-Finnish peoples, the third Fennoscandinavian population and their interaction with the proto Germanic farming people in southern Scandinavia and proto Finnish in southern Finland started around 4000 years ago.
The proto-Scandinavian (later the Norwegian and Swedish) and proto-Finnish (later the Finnish and Karelian) peoples came to control the traderoutes to the east and to the south, while the proto Sami were the suppliers of the most important commodity of that time; the furs.
It was in the end of this fur trade process, perhaps in the late Bronze or early Iron age, when the Sami ethnicity arose.
(The Archaeology and Anthropology of Landscape: Shaping Your Landscape Peter J. Ucko,Robert Layton)
Here are two intresting articles about the pre-historic interaction of Sami and Nordic peoples.
Enjoy and discuss!
Stones in the snow: a Norse fur traders' road into Sami country (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3284/is_312_81/ai_n29360006/?tag=content;col1)
The area where the native Sami settled extends from northern Norway and Sweden to the west to the Kola Peninsula in the east, crossing the borders of four nation states. Sami language and culture differ significantly from that of the surrounding Nordic, Finnish and Russian societies. The Sami had developed as an ethnic group by the end of the first millennium BC , and the first known mention of Sami people was by Tacitus in AD 98 . Hunting and fishing were their main economic activities until c. AD 500, when reindeer pastoralism emerged in parts of their territory.
During the Iron Age, Sami settlements expanded extensively into the area on the border between Norway and Sweden, probably related to the emergence of reindeer herding. Semi-subterranean hut remains of the so-called stallo-type--characterised by sunken floors surrounded by embankments suggest there was intense systematic use of a previously unexploited ecological niche close to the tree limit. Radiocarbon dates show that stallo-huts were first established during the ninth century AD and fell into disuse during the eleventh century AD. During this period, the Sami became major fur suppliers for northern Europe. Artefacts found in Sami settlements were made as far away as Karelia, the Baltic countries, central Russia, southern Scandinavia and England.
............................
The age of the Adamvallda trail suggests that formal communication systems in the mountain region had already developed in prehistoric times. Over time old trails may have been readjusted on several occasions, making some parts appear quite recent. Thus, trails that have been assumed to be quite modern may actually be very old. In addition, old ways of constructing trails may also have been applied in more recent times. The Adamvallda trail highlights the time depth and complexity of cultural landscapes in the mountain region and challenges the frequent presumption that visible landscape elements are recent. The study of ancient trails and trail networks in the Fennoscandian high mountain area appears to be a promising field of future research on the socio-economical transition of the Norse and Sami societies. The study of roads and trails contributes to the understanding of social, economic and political structures of prehistoric societies and inter-societal relations . Furthermore, in addition to the technical and functional specifics, the symbolic significance of route-marking, in the form of erected stones, mounds, geoglyphs or other monuments, needs to be considered and may offer insights into the ideological context of routes.
Who Owns the Past? Ancient Practice and Contemporary Identity in Sami Culture (http://www.developmentstudent.com/who-owns-the-past-ancient-practice-and-contemporary-identity-in-saacutemi-culture.html)
Othere’s account from c.880 suggests that during the Viking period and the Early Middle Ages, the Sámi were migratory hunters involved in a trading system (‘finneskatt’) with Chiefs across the North Atlantic. Primary trade was in the form of fur from animals such as squirrel, beavers and foxes. This knowledge of Sámi history is a result of both written evidence and the interpretation of archaeological digs at the so-called ‘stallo’ sites in the high mountain valleys of Northern Scandinavia (e.g. Lřnsdalen in the Saltfjellet region). These are believed to be the winter hunting stations of the Sámi. It is from this point in history onwards that contention exists over what the archaeological evidence from stallo sites says about the activities of the Sámi people. I am going to focus solely on the debate about the transition from reindeer hunting to reindeer pastoralism in Sámi activity, which is known to have occurred at some point between c.900 A.D. and c.1600 A.D.
The transition from hunting to pastoralism
Although variations on the exact chain of events exist, the dominant view amongst academics is that the transition from a reindeer hunting to a reindeer herding economy amongst the Sámi people came about as a result of increased trade links between the Sámi people and the rest of Europe. This is the fur trade paradigm. According to this paradigm, hunting and trapping intensified during the winter months of the Late Iron Age and Early Medieval times, because trade demand was increasing, and the Sámi population was becoming increasingly dependent on this trade. Intensified hunting transformed into less intensive herding in order to produce an output large enough to sustain a changed Sami lifestyle. Increasing contact with Germanic people caused a shift in ideas amongst the Sami people, who placed increasing emphasis on wealth accumulation, which has been cited both as a cause and a consequence of the shift to pastoralism. It has also been suggested that perhaps wild reindeer were becoming increasingly scarce and so domestication could act as a way of securing their existence.