Drengson, Alan

The Trumpeter - Journal of Ecosophy (Athabasca University)

Trumpeter (1995)ISSN: 0832-6193RECENT FLIGHTS OF THE TRUMPETER EDITORAlan DrengsonTrumpeterRECENT FLIGHTS OF THE TRUMPETER EDITOR 2For as long as I can recall I have wanted to go to Norway. My earliest memoriesare part of a cultural space which includes ”the old country”. Ancestors onboth sides of our family were Norsk. I am an elder son and was educated by myfather and his male relatives to remember and pass on tradition and old ways.These lie deeply buried and influence me in unexpected ways.After generations away from Norway some of us feel a strong pull from the oldcountry we have never set foot in, but which in so many ways we know. Weexperience journeying to Norway as coming home. There is completion, a circleis joined when we touch the ancient soils and rocks of those northern mountainsand shores. The plane I was in flew along the valley my great grandfather camefrom. The log house he was born in, built in 1620, still stands.The polar route is good for a trumpeter to fly. Sun on the snow and water ofGreenland and Iceland is awe inspiring. The shores of Norway are inviting asyou fly across the stormy Norwegian Sea. I’m glad that I travelled on invitationfrom Kit- Fai and Arne Naess.I spent the last week of October in Norway appreciating the long heritage andharmonious blending with nature that are written through the Norsk landscapein its artifacts, history and mythology. Oslo is a subtle blend of ancient historywith modern energy and forms. Even in remote areas there are old houses thathave been remodelled (many 400 or more years old) to have all of the advantagesof the electronic era. Yet they retain their older, more secure ties with the landin buildings, artifacts and families dwelling centuries in specific places. It isimpressive to stand on farms, such as those of my cousins’, realizing that thevalleys have been farmed for thousands of years. In this harsh northern climatewith a short growing season life flourishes in diverse ways; stock, agricultureand culture are adapted to local conditions. Farms fit into the landscape. Theyeven enhance it, add greater diversity.The valley in which my cousins dwell was relatively isolated until the mid-19th century. Even now it is remote. It still has wild reindeer herds on itsadjacent higher plateaus. The glaciers left it about 10,000 years ago. There isevidence that ancestors of the current inhabitants invaded the land with theirdomestic animals (sheep and maybe goats) as the ice retreated. Over countlessgenerations herds moved back and forth from valley floor to mountain meadowplateaus with the seasons.Generations of shepherds went into the mountains with the animals, stayingin huts while caring for the flocks. In the fall the sheep were driven to themeadows in the valley. The culture evolved living on two levels with seasonalchanges. The winter days are short. Darkness and cold weather encourageindoor activities which contribute to the richness of place and depth of culturethere: All of the arts and crafts come into play, carving, woodworking, knitting,painting, cooking, etc., story telling, music playing, singing and folk dancing.Such valleys, with their rich, old, rural, cultural heritage, exist all over Norway.Copyright 1999 TrumpeterTheir preservation is of great concern to the Norwegians.Norway’s mountains (fjells) and fjords create a rugged landscape that gives riseto, encourage, and even incite diversity. The bunad (or traditional regionalcostume) evolved along with local dialects and artistic styles. They reflect localcolors in dialect, vernacular architecture, and other folk crafts. One sees this inthe rural areas, in villages, and in urban museums.Before setting foot in Norway I knew something about it. I heard a lot of Norskas a child. I knew of Norway’s linguistic and cultural diversity and was familiarwith its history. When I explored Oslo this fall, I saw diversity manifest in thecity, but also its historical depth, as is evident in the Folk Musuem at Bygdoy.Here one can witness the variety of local traditional costumes, different stylesand forms of music and dance, and different types of building (in the outdoormusuem), and practical arts of every sort.Despite this considerable diversity, growing out of long dwelling in specificplaces, there is an underlying sense of wholeness, a harmony of themes of interre-lationships familial and natural. Norway is an impressive land. It calls to thosewho have glaciers, river water, mountain peaks, meadows and fjords in theirveins. The blend of ancient and new is harmonized by natural elders from thehumans, animals and plants right down to the rocks of primal ground. Throughmy travels it became increasingly clear how central to this richness is narrative,dialogue, discussion, conversation, the daily ebb and flow of actions embeddedin living stories, legend and myth. From these stories mythology arises. Whenwe dwell a long time in a place, the land speaks through our cultures.By mass manufacturing one story and electronically distributing it throughoutthe world we do not serve human needs. We need to create self-sustainingcultures that are ecocentric and ecosophic — that is, that are deeply harmoniouswith nature’s places but which also draw values from a shared common ground,and larger traditions. Within a given heritage there can be great diversity, yetthere can be common themes, a sense of belonging to a national whole; ouridentity is part of a larger historical reality. All people contribute to the largerstory. I saw examples of this local participation and contribution in the largerwhole in, for example, the Folk Musuem in Oslo. Some items on display evencame from the farm upon which my great grandfather was born.These ruminations lead me to reflect on how by dwelling in place respectfullyover generations we venerate our lives, and we create cultures which are in-ceasingly rich with communal and individual values that all — including otherbeings — can share. The land becomes happier for it. The land in Norwaylooks happy. This is encouraging. I want to see more.RECENT FLIGHTS OF THE TRUMPETER EDITOR 4Citation FormatDrengson, Alan (1995) RECENT FLIGHTS OF THE TRUMPETER EDITOR Trumpeter:12, 4. http://www.icaap.org/iuicode?6.12.4.1Document generated from IXML by ICAAP conversion macros.See the ICAAP web site or software repository for detailsCopyright 1999 Trumpeter

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The Trumpeter - Journal of Ecosophy (Athabasca University)