"Her ligger ennu meget skjult". Om kildeskaperen Yngvar Mejland

• Main Author: Skjelbred, Ann Helene Bolstad
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Novus forlag 2011
• Subjects: Yngvar Mejland; fieldwork; North-Troms; Finnmark; ethics; Norway; Troms
• Online Access: http://ojs.novus.no/index.php/TFK/article/view/427

Through a period of 20 years, from 1950 to 1970, Yngvar Mejland documented material and immaterial culture in North-Troms and Finnmark where the dominating population was and still is Sàmi and Kven (of Finnish origin). He had a good command of their languages in addition to Norwegian and for that reason he was for 10 years annually granted travel finances from Norsk etnologisk gransking (NEG), Norges allmennvitenskapelige forskningsråd and Norges kulturråd. This article brings to light one of NEGs prominent informants, Yngvar Mejland, his method of fieldwork and the vast amount of material now in possession of NEG. It is a material exceptional for at least two reasons: it covers the pre-war region of Norway which was completely extinguished in 1944 in the scorched earth policy and it covers the culture and religion of the non-Norwegian population of this region. From his vast material the author focuses on some of his main interests: social effects of the religious movement læstadianism, belief and stories about ghosts, and the wise people. Shortly, Yngvar Mejland's ethics are discussed in comparison with research ethics of our own time.