THE MARKLAND VIKING PROJECT Initial proposal, October, 2014
In order to ensure that Yarmouth does not “Miss the Boat”, we need attractions to entice and retain visitors to our community. The 2011 report of the expert panel on the revival of the ferry service stated this very clearly, and yet almost nothing has been done. In the words of Councillor Ken Langille, in a recent motion before Town Council, “We're not really a tourist town yet”.
During the latter half of the 19 th Century, and on into the 1970s, Yarmouth played up our admittedly tenuous connections to the Norse explorers of 1000 years ago, the Vikings. These connections were mostly based on the Runic Stone, found at the northwest head of our harbour in 1812. A great tourist resort, the Markland Hotel, was established near Cape Forchu. We named our high school sports teams the Vikings. In the 1970s the Yarmouth Town and County Tourist Association promoted Route 304, from Milton to Cape Forchu, as Lief Eriksen Drive.
And tourism was flourishing. Then, in the 1980s, a period of what I will call “historical correctness” came in. These connections were downplayed, if played at all. And tourism has declined ever since.
Did the Norse ever visit Yarmouth? Maybe. Is Windsor the birthplace of hockey? Maybe, although it's announced as a certainty on all the signs outside and within that town. That's good marketing. We could learn a thing or two.
Our presumed connection to the Vikings still exists. The Runic Stone remains one of the best tourist attractions we have. In 2000, Mats Larssen, a Swedish archaeologist from the University of Lund, stated that Pembroke Beach, and the Chegoggin River that reaches the sea there, was the best geographical match he could find along the eastern seaboard of North America for Lief Erikson's Vinland. And now we have finally come to our senses, by naming the new walking trail at Cape Forchu in honour of Lief Ericson.
Regardless of anything else, most Yarmouthians are descendants of people who came from the British Isles, where the Vikings raided, traded and settled for hundreds of years between 800 and 1100 AD. Nearly all of us have some Norse ancestry. The VIKINGS series on the History Channel has made Vikings a hot topic in popular culture, up there with pirates, ninjas, and vampires. It just makes sense to take advantage of this.
I propose that we build a Viking presence in Yarmouth, as an exuberant activity, and as a tourist attraction. This project would proceed in four phases:
PHASE ONE – RECRUITMENT We will need a minimum of four volunteers to reenact as Viking warriors. I will be one of the four, as I already have most of the basic kit. Female warriors are welcome. The basic kit costs about $1,000. If a volunteer can find a sponsor for his/her kit, so much the better: − Cap - Belt − Kyrtle (Tunic) - Cloak − Trousers - Helmet − Vindingr (Legwraps) and Hooks - Shield − Boots - Weapon of choice (Sword, Axe, Spear)
The warriors shall be present at various town and municipality events, to put on fighting displays, to welcome visitors, to walk in parades, and to generally promote the Viking presence in today's Yarmouth. As far as tourism is concerned, this is a value-added function; visitors are not likely to come here to see our Vikings, but will likely enjoy seeing them when they arrive for other reasons, and pass the experience on to their friends.
PHASE TWO – A VIKING TENT A tent would provide a focal point for our Viking activities. Authentic Viking tents are available from Panther Primitives; without framework the price for a 14' 7” x 17' 3” x 11' 5” tent is $1,208.00, plus shipping, exchange and taxes. This tent with red and white vertical striping is quite striking to look at:
The framework can be sourced locally. The tops of the uprights should be carved with dragon heads. Patterns are available and I hope to find a volunteer to do so. If so, the total cost of the frame should be under $2,000.00.
Initially I thought a site above the lighthouse, would be ideal for the tent. After visiting the Lief Ericson Trail again, I see there is a much better location, encircled by the Trail itself:
If the Friends of the Yarmouth Light and/or the Municipality would be willing to make either of these sites available, we could create a Viking encampment as early as next summer. I think it would add a lot to the Light as an attraction. The tent will provide a shelter for the re-enactors in case of cold or showers, and a space for doing crafts and other things to occupy their downtime. It might also be used as an overnight shelter during the peak of the season.
The re-enactors would likely only be available on weekends. During the weekdays, the canvas would be stored away, and only the framework would be on site. It would be staked down to prevent storm damage and vandalism.
Other furnishings would be required to make this an authentic Viking site. Stools, benches, a table, storage chests, cooking equipment, dishes, and eating utensils will also be required. Some of this is easily available online; other items can be made locally. I estimate another $3,000 for these.
If we can build some simple wattle fencing, we can have domestic animals on site; geese, goats, maybe sheep. These would be popular with visitors.
Several Viking souvenirs can be produced locally and sold at the visitor's centre. Viking caps are easy to make by anyone with a sewing machine and a source of the wool twill fabric. Viking pendants and rings could be produced by those with knowledge in metalworking. Wooden Viking ornaments could also be produced by those with woodworking skills. At this point, the project begins to provide a source of income for many local artisans who have the appropriate skills, and the Friends of the Yarmouth Light will take a commission.
Here is another picture, of Viking re-enactors (and young friends) in Iceland with their tent: We can source padded weapons to allow youngsters to do mock fighting in Viking style.
PHASE THREE – A VIKING BOAT In spite of Yarmouth being a historic seaport, we don't have a historic boat or ship to serve as our “floating ambassador”. As recent events with the Bluenose II restoration have shown, if not done carefully, a boat can be a sinkhole for public funds. I propose a much more modest vessel.
I have plans on order from Sweden for a Norse färing, based on a boat built in 1950 for a maritime museum in Norway. It is 5.15 metres (16' 10”) in length, 1.35 metres (4' 5”) wide, built mostly of pine with some oak ribs, and looks like this:
It is double-ended, with high stem and stern, it has a square sail, plus positions for four rowers, and it's lapstrake planked. It immediately looks like a Viking boat, not exactly a longship, but more of a working boat, for basic transportation, fishing, and training in seamanship. And while it could just barely be considered a “tall ship”, it would get the attention of the public because no-one else in this part of the world has anything like it, especially with four guys dressed as Vikings aboard.
In addition, it's small enough to be trailered to events outside Yarmouth (the tent could go along as accommodations for the crew), and to be hauled out for the winter, possibly even into a shed, which would extent its lifespan greatly. During tourist season it can be sailed or rowed around the harbour, with Viking shields hanging from its sides, a red-and-white striped sail snapping in the breeze.
What little expertise I have on this sort of thing comes from many years of reading Wooden Boat magazine, but my guess is that this boat could be built locally for something in the range of $75,000.00. Crowdfunding might be one way to reach this amount, and/or a major corporate sponsor. We would also be able to seek the advice of the Shelburne Longboat Society, who are operating two 18 th Cent. replica boats of similar size.
At this point the Markland Vikings would begin to be a tourist attraction of their own, plus a most notable means of promoting Yarmouth as a destination throughout Nova Scotia and possibly beyond.
PHASE FOUR – A VIKING VILLAGE This is by far the most ambitious phase of the project, but also the most worthwhile, as it will give Yarmouth a genuine attraction, something that people will come to visit for its own sake. In addition, the project would no longer be relying entirely on volunteers, but would become a paying proposition, as we would have something for which admission fees can be charged and souvenirs can be sold, as well as handcrafts, artisanal foods, and other produce. The re-enactors, or at least a core group, would be full-time paid employees during the season.
First, we will need a couple of acres of waterfront land somewhere on the less-populated shores of the harbour. Public access and parking space will be essential. Ideally this would be gifted, and while that might seem unlikely, I would point out that Ross Farm, the Habitation at Port Royal, and several other historic sites in Nova Scotia were acquired this way. “Gifted” could be in the form of a long-term lease for a token amount per year, with the owner ultimately retaining ownership.
Second, we will need to research the construction of Norse buildings. Parks Canada and other archaeological sources have information on this, and the Parks Canada site at L'Anse aux Meadows in northern Newfoundland will provide a template. (In fact, our Viking Village could market itself as a way to see how the Vikings lived without travelling all the way to northern Newfoundland.)
Third, we will need to build a reproduction longhouse, plus other buildings and facilities, as historically correctly as possible. We should definitely have a forge, and a smith to make tools and implements, nails at least, out of bog iron; a forge (such as at Louisbourg) is a very popular attraction for men and boys especially. The nails can be sold as souvenirs. The longhouse will be the place for the re-enactors to cook their period-authentic meals, do crafts, and to sleep overnight if they so choose. The Viking tent will also be incorporated into the shelter arrangements. The Viking boat would on the water whenever possible. The site would have to have a beach or mudflat to allow the boat to be hauled up; for this reason, Cape Forchu is probably out of the question.
The Village would expand on the token farm animals at the Viking Tent site. Icelandic sheep, goats, chickens, geese, possibly cattle, will be raised for eggs, milk, wool, meat and other products. Fencing and shelter will be required, as well as a way for visitors to interact with the livestock, petting and feeding. The eggs and milk will be eaten by the re-enactors, although some milk could be made into cheese for consumption or for sale. The sheeps' wool can be harvested and made into cloth. Animals harvested for meat will have their skins or hides turned into sheepskins or leather. A leather worker would be another asset to the site.
Gardening would also be important to making this look like a working farm. Many vegetables and grains could be raised, so long as they are correct for the Norse in this period (no potatoes, no corn, etc.) or reasonably close.
Many Norse handcrafts can be practised by the re-enactors, both for the public and during downtime. Tablet weaving, which produces narrow strips of embroidery for belts or as decoration, is distinctly Norse. Nalbinding, a sort of knitting with one needle, is as well. To give an idea, hand-done tablet weaving currently goes at about $30.00 per metre, and a pair of nalbinding socks sell for $85.00, mostly to other re-enactors. We will have to set up an online shop, but there is money to be made here through sales to visitors as souvenirs. In addition, the meat of our farm-raised animals and the cheese from their milk will command high prices at the Yarmouth Farmers Market, or maybe more from online sales.
It will require a great deal more research to be able to determine the final costs of this phase. I would estimate something around $1 - 2 million, depending on the availability and location of the site. Crowdfunding an amount this large is clearly unrealistic; it will require a combination of private and government grants, donations and sponsorships. Ideally the public awareness raised by the three earlier phases will make this easier. I believe a very good case can be made for the spinoff benefits this project would create, both during construction and later as a boost to tourist traffic. We would be one big step closer to being a real tourist town.
Respectfully submitted,
David Olie