"Traces of our ancient religion". Meaning-making and Shamanism at Sami Offering Places at the Isogaisa Festival, Northern Norway

In 2010, the first shaman festival to be held in the Nordic countries opened its doors to the public in the county of Lavangen, Northern Norway (Fig. 1). The festival is named Isogaisa and presented as an indigenous festival highlighting the spiritual traditions of indigenous people. At this annual festival, shamans from all over the world gather to perform ceremonies and exchange knowledge

Kolari marketplace in a multicultural landscape between Sámi, Swedes, and Finns

Abstract The marketplace in Kolari, Northern Finland was used until the 1880s. Located on Kolarinsaari island on the Muonionjoki river in close proximity to the Kolari church, it was a winter meeting place for local farmers and Sámi, as well as for tradesmen from the areas that are now Sweden, Finland, and Karelia. Archaeological excavations were carried out in summer 2018 and in connection to these, soil geochemical values were analysed. This paper focuses on the Kolari marketplace as a part of a landscape shared by Swedes, Finns, and Sámi. Furthermore, through the soil analyses we examine the intercultural interactions that took place during the winter market and scrutinize how different activities, people, and animals were located in the marketplace as well as in the wider landscape surrounding the marketplace. The latter is approached using GIS analysis and Tim Ingold’s concept of taskscape. This case study shows how the historical archaeology of landscapes and taskscapes can contribute to our understanding of contacts and multicultural encounters between the Sámi and other groups

Oulunsalon Varjakan sahamiljöö moninaisten toimijoiden kulttuuriperintökohteena

Abstrakti Vanhat teollisuusympäristöt ovat viime vuosina saaneet osakseen huomiota, kun niitä on purettu, muutettu asuinalueiksi ja virkistyskäyttöön mutta myös käytetty sellaisenaan esimerkiksi urbaanin löytöretkeilyn ja taiteellisten projektien näyttämöinä. Artikkelissamme käsittelemme teollisuuskohteeseen liittyviä paikan muuttuvia merkityksiä käyttäen esimerkkinä Varjakan saha-aluetta Oulunsalossa. Muun muassa materiaalista kulttuuria, historiallisia lähteitä ja muistitietoaineistoa hyödyntäen pystymme tarkastelemaan Varjakan elinkaarta tehtaiden toiminnan ajalta aina nykypäivään ja tulevaan käyttöön asti. Aineistomme pohjaa Varjakassa tehtyihin koekaivauksiin, kartoitukseen, muistitiedon keruuseen sekä Varjakan materiaalin arkistotutkimukseen. Artikkelissamme nostamme esiin kysymyksiä sahaympäristöjen ja -yhteisöjen rakennettujen tilojen tulevaisuudesta sekä suojeltuina tiloina, erilaisten toimintojen näyttämöinä, paikallisten identiteetin osana että arkeologisina kohteina. Varjakan sahan kautta otamme kantaa siihen, kuinka hylätyt teollisuuskohteet saavat perinnöllistymisen kautta uusia merkityksiä ja käyttötarkoituksia, ja millainen on eri toimijoiden rooli tässä prosessissa

Hunters, fishers, traders:an archaeological and zooarchaeological perspective on the development of the late iron age and medieval northern Fennoscandian trade network

Abstract Late Iron Age and medieval trade in northern Fennoscandia has arguably often thought to have been primarily fur trade. However, recent discoveries of Late Iron Age and early medieval sites in the north together with the re-examination of previous evidence reveals a more nuanced picture and indicates that trade in bulk goods — namely inland stockfish and reindeer products — may have played a significant role in the northern trade. This article examines both archaeological and zooarchaeological evidence from several sites in northern Fennoscandia from the perspective of trade economy, and it is suggested that the northern trade began to flourish at the beginning of the Viking Age in the early 9th century and may have been driven by the demand of fish by the European markets. It is also suggested that at the beginning of the 13th century at the latest, the trade economic importance of reindeer became prominent and would increasingly remain so up until the historical period. The authors therefore suggest that although the role of furs in the northern trade was significant, reindeer hunting and inland fishing should also be considered to have been of major trade economic importance

Introduction:currents of Saami pasts

A scientific field is a constant process, and, as all processes, it is defined by dialectics, since standpoints are only defined in opposition to something else. Saami archaeology is no exception, and this field emerged precisely because of oppositions, when political conflicts enforced the realization of a lack of consideration of the Saami presence in the prevailing understanding of the past in northern Fennoscandia. Furthermore, the opposition to Saami archaeology and the identification of cultural heritage as specifically Saami has no doubt continued to shape the research within this field. Yet the field is neither ultimately defined by this genesis nor maintained without constant discussion and internal and external repositioning