Page 146 - Panjek, Aleksander, Jesper Larsson and Luca Mocarelli, eds. 2017. Integrated Peasant Economy in a Comparative Perspective: Alps, Scandinavia and Beyond. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 146
integr ated peasant economy in a compar ative perspective
them spoke Sami, one suspects that a great deal of information, as well as
the many nuances of Sami culture, became lost in translation. Ehrenma-
lm mentions using an interpreter, which Linnæus does not, even though he
too would certainly have been accompanied by one.
The travelogues, and the missionary accounts too, are mainly descrip-
tive in character and therefore not particularly suitable for quantitative
analyses. However, since the descriptions derive from a total of nine au-
thors, who depict partly different districts in the lappmark, it is still possi-
ble to make comparisons, which in turn strengthens the credibility of the
descriptions as source material.
Historical sources aside, archaeological material also contributes to
our understanding of Sami subsistence. One such assemblage comes from
the ancient church centre and market site of Lycksele in the Ume lappmark.
The site, investigated archeologically several times between 1949 and 2001,
has yielded a wide range of objects including coins, needles, glass frag-
ments, clay pipes, pottery and porcelain sherds, and various types of met-
al objects (Rydström 2006). A market on this particular site at Lycksele was
held only until 1799, which allows us to roughly date the finds. Moreover,
the dearth of non-Sami settlers in the Ume lappmark before the 19th centu-
ry would suggest the finds are Sami related. Another useful archaeological
assemblage derives from the excavation of an ancient seasonal Sami settle-
ment (Swedish: kåtaplats) close to the Norwegian border in the Ume lap-
pmark (Huggert 2009).
3. Landscape use and subsistence in Sami households
in the 17th and 18th centuries
We can shed light on many aspects of Sami subsistence using the sources
described above. Each subsistence activity contributed in its own way to
Sami household economy and the resources produced were used both for
consumption, paying tax and not least trade. In this chapter each activity is
described more thoroughly, and its relative importance for household eco-
nomy is analysed for Mountain Sami and Forest Sami households respecti-
vely.
3.1 Reindeer husbandry
Throughout history, reindeer have contributed to Sami subsistence in
numerous ways. The relationship between Sami and reindeer is not coinci-
144
them spoke Sami, one suspects that a great deal of information, as well as
the many nuances of Sami culture, became lost in translation. Ehrenma-
lm mentions using an interpreter, which Linnæus does not, even though he
too would certainly have been accompanied by one.
The travelogues, and the missionary accounts too, are mainly descrip-
tive in character and therefore not particularly suitable for quantitative
analyses. However, since the descriptions derive from a total of nine au-
thors, who depict partly different districts in the lappmark, it is still possi-
ble to make comparisons, which in turn strengthens the credibility of the
descriptions as source material.
Historical sources aside, archaeological material also contributes to
our understanding of Sami subsistence. One such assemblage comes from
the ancient church centre and market site of Lycksele in the Ume lappmark.
The site, investigated archeologically several times between 1949 and 2001,
has yielded a wide range of objects including coins, needles, glass frag-
ments, clay pipes, pottery and porcelain sherds, and various types of met-
al objects (Rydström 2006). A market on this particular site at Lycksele was
held only until 1799, which allows us to roughly date the finds. Moreover,
the dearth of non-Sami settlers in the Ume lappmark before the 19th centu-
ry would suggest the finds are Sami related. Another useful archaeological
assemblage derives from the excavation of an ancient seasonal Sami settle-
ment (Swedish: kåtaplats) close to the Norwegian border in the Ume lap-
pmark (Huggert 2009).
3. Landscape use and subsistence in Sami households
in the 17th and 18th centuries
We can shed light on many aspects of Sami subsistence using the sources
described above. Each subsistence activity contributed in its own way to
Sami household economy and the resources produced were used both for
consumption, paying tax and not least trade. In this chapter each activity is
described more thoroughly, and its relative importance for household eco-
nomy is analysed for Mountain Sami and Forest Sami households respecti-
vely.
3.1 Reindeer husbandry
Throughout history, reindeer have contributed to Sami subsistence in
numerous ways. The relationship between Sami and reindeer is not coinci-
144
