Sacred Nature. Diverging Use and Understanding of Old Sámi Offering Sites in Alta, Northern Norway
Abstract: This study focuses on the contemporary use of two well-known Sámi offering sites in Alta, Finnmark, Norway. Today, these are hiking destinations and sightseeing points for both the Sámi and the non-Sámi local population, as well as a few non-local visitors. Many of these visitors leave obj...
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10037/18696 https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11070317 |
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ftunivtroemsoe:oai:munin.uit.no:10037/18696 2023-05-15T13:20:43+02:00 Sacred Nature. Diverging Use and Understanding of Old Sámi Offering Sites in Alta, Northern Norway Spangen, Marte Äikäs, Tiina 2020-06-27 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/18696 https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11070317 eng eng MDPI Religions Spangen MS, Äikäs T. Sacred Nature. Diverging Use and Understanding of Old Sámi Offering Sites in Alta, Northern Norway. Religions. 2020 FRIDAID 1817484 doi:10.3390/rel11070317 2077-1444 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/18696 openAccess Copyright 2020 The Author(s) VDP::Humanities: 000::Theology and religious science: 150 VDP::Humaniora: 000::Teologi og religionsvitenskap: 150 VDP::Humanities: 000::History: 070 VDP::Humaniora: 000::Historie: 070 Journal article Tidsskriftartikkel Peer reviewed publishedVersion 2020 ftunivtroemsoe https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11070317 2021-06-25T17:57:32Z Abstract: This study focuses on the contemporary use of two well-known Sámi offering sites in Alta, Finnmark, Norway. Today, these are hiking destinations and sightseeing points for both the Sámi and the non-Sámi local population, as well as a few non-local visitors. Many of these visitors leave objects at the sites, such as parts of recently slaughtered reindeer, clothing, coins, toys, sweet wrappers and toilet paper. This indicates that visitors have different levels of knowledge about and reverence for the traditional significance of these places. Through repeated surveys over several years, we also observed a certain development and change in the number and character of these depositions, as well as a variation in depositions between different sites. A series of interviews with various users and key stakeholders were performed to clarify the reasons for these changing practices, as well as what individuals and groups visit these sites, their motivation for doing so and for leaving specific objects, and what potential conflict of interest there is between different users. Furthermore, we surveyed what information has been available to the public about these sites and their significance in Sámi religion and cultural history over time. The results show that a diverse group of individuals visit the sites for a variety of reasons, and that there are contrasting views on their use, even among different Sámi stakeholders. While it is diffcult to limit the knowledge and use of these places because they are already well known, more information about old Sámi ritual practices and appropriate behaviour at such sites may mediate latent conflicts and promote a better understanding of the importance of offering sites in both past and present Sámi societies. Article in Journal/Newspaper Alta Finnmark Northern Norway Finnmark University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive Alta Norway Religions 11 7 317 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtroemsoe |
language |
English |
topic |
VDP::Humanities: 000::Theology and religious science: 150 VDP::Humaniora: 000::Teologi og religionsvitenskap: 150 VDP::Humanities: 000::History: 070 VDP::Humaniora: 000::Historie: 070 |
spellingShingle |
VDP::Humanities: 000::Theology and religious science: 150 VDP::Humaniora: 000::Teologi og religionsvitenskap: 150 VDP::Humanities: 000::History: 070 VDP::Humaniora: 000::Historie: 070 Spangen, Marte Äikäs, Tiina Sacred Nature. Diverging Use and Understanding of Old Sámi Offering Sites in Alta, Northern Norway |
topic_facet |
VDP::Humanities: 000::Theology and religious science: 150 VDP::Humaniora: 000::Teologi og religionsvitenskap: 150 VDP::Humanities: 000::History: 070 VDP::Humaniora: 000::Historie: 070 |
description |
Abstract: This study focuses on the contemporary use of two well-known Sámi offering sites in Alta, Finnmark, Norway. Today, these are hiking destinations and sightseeing points for both the Sámi and the non-Sámi local population, as well as a few non-local visitors. Many of these visitors leave objects at the sites, such as parts of recently slaughtered reindeer, clothing, coins, toys, sweet wrappers and toilet paper. This indicates that visitors have different levels of knowledge about and reverence for the traditional significance of these places. Through repeated surveys over several years, we also observed a certain development and change in the number and character of these depositions, as well as a variation in depositions between different sites. A series of interviews with various users and key stakeholders were performed to clarify the reasons for these changing practices, as well as what individuals and groups visit these sites, their motivation for doing so and for leaving specific objects, and what potential conflict of interest there is between different users. Furthermore, we surveyed what information has been available to the public about these sites and their significance in Sámi religion and cultural history over time. The results show that a diverse group of individuals visit the sites for a variety of reasons, and that there are contrasting views on their use, even among different Sámi stakeholders. While it is diffcult to limit the knowledge and use of these places because they are already well known, more information about old Sámi ritual practices and appropriate behaviour at such sites may mediate latent conflicts and promote a better understanding of the importance of offering sites in both past and present Sámi societies. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Spangen, Marte Äikäs, Tiina |
author_facet |
Spangen, Marte Äikäs, Tiina |
author_sort |
Spangen, Marte |
title |
Sacred Nature. Diverging Use and Understanding of Old Sámi Offering Sites in Alta, Northern Norway |
title_short |
Sacred Nature. Diverging Use and Understanding of Old Sámi Offering Sites in Alta, Northern Norway |
title_full |
Sacred Nature. Diverging Use and Understanding of Old Sámi Offering Sites in Alta, Northern Norway |
title_fullStr |
Sacred Nature. Diverging Use and Understanding of Old Sámi Offering Sites in Alta, Northern Norway |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sacred Nature. Diverging Use and Understanding of Old Sámi Offering Sites in Alta, Northern Norway |
title_sort |
sacred nature. diverging use and understanding of old sámi offering sites in alta, northern norway |
publisher |
MDPI |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/18696 https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11070317 |
geographic |
Alta Norway |
geographic_facet |
Alta Norway |
genre |
Alta Finnmark Northern Norway Finnmark |
genre_facet |
Alta Finnmark Northern Norway Finnmark |
op_relation |
Religions Spangen MS, Äikäs T. Sacred Nature. Diverging Use and Understanding of Old Sámi Offering Sites in Alta, Northern Norway. Religions. 2020 FRIDAID 1817484 doi:10.3390/rel11070317 2077-1444 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/18696 |
op_rights |
openAccess Copyright 2020 The Author(s) |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11070317 |
container_title |
Religions |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
317 |
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