The Centrality of Small Islands in Arctic Norway from the Viking Age to Recent Historic Period
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The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology ISSN: 1556-4894 (Print) 1556-1828 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uica20 The Centrality of Small Islands in Arctic Norway From the Viking Age to Recent Historic Period Stephen Wickler To cite this article: Stephen Wickler (2016) The Centrality of Small Islands in Arctic Norway From the Viking Age to Recent Historic Period, The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, 11:2, 171-194, DOI: 10.1080/15564894.2015.1134728 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15564894.2015.1134728 Published online: 26 Jan 2016. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 99 View related articles View Crossmark data Citing articles: 1 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=uica20 Download by: [UiT Norges arktiske universitet] Date: 04 November 2016, At: 07:25 The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, 11:171–194, 2016 Copyright © 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 1556-4894 print / 1556-1828 online DOI: 10.1080/15564894.2015.1134728 The Centrality of Small Islands in Arctic Norway From the Viking Age to Recent Historic Period Stephen Wickler Department of Cultural Sciences, Tromsø University Museum, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway ABSTRACT The definition of island marginality in northern Norway was radically altered by the advent of motorized fishing vessels in the early twenti- eth century. Prior to this development, small offshore islands were of central importance for marine related activity due to their proximity to fishing grounds. This article presents four settlements on small and “marginal” islands in Arctic Norway from 68◦19’ to 71◦05’Nlatitude as cases that illustrate the centrality of such locations in a maritime context since the Viking Age (AD 800–1050). Although the islands are situated in exposed locations that appear inhospitable and barren, they were the focus of fishing activity spanning nearly a millennium from the medieval period (AD 1050–1540) through the nineteenth century. Settlement mounds are a distinctive northern Norwegian coastal site type where favorable conditions have resulted in the accumulation of substantial cultural deposits from long-term use and occupation of spe- cific locations. Results of recent mound site excavations from each of the four island settlements are reviewed in relation to the insights they provide into small island contexts linked to larger networks of maritime interaction. Keywords fishing settlement, medieval period, northern Norway, settlement mounds, small island archaeology Life in northern Norway has been depen- communities since the Mesolithic when oc- dent on the sea and marine resources since cupation of offshore islands reflected the initial settlement following the retreating maritime orientation of hunter-gatherer set- ice at least 11,500 years ago. Small islands tlement (Bjerck 2009, 2014). Although set- have played a significant role for maritime tlement along the coast, including coastal Received 12 October 2015; accepted 15 December 2015. Address correspondence to Stephen Wickler, Department of Cultural Sciences, Tromsø University Mu- seum, University of Tromsø, Tromsø N-9037, Norway. E-mail: [email protected] Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at http://www.tandfonline.com/uica. 171 Stephen Wickler islands, in northern Norway has been the ity and the fluidity of boundaries, and net- subjectofextensivearchaeologicalinterest,I works of maritime interaction. As Rainbird would argue that archaeologists have under- (2007:163–70) has convincingly argued, by communicated the importance of small is- turning our attention from an archaeology lands as central nodes in coastal communi- of islands towards an archaeology of the sea, cation, contact, and exchange binding the wefreeourselvesfromtheconfinesofislands inhabitants of northern Norway to one an- as bounded entities to embrace connectivity other since the Stone Age. This is paralleled between maritime communities in which is- bythecontemporarysituationinwhichsmall lands are an essential component. Scholars of islands that were formerly socio-economic the Norwegian past have yet to articulate an midpoints have been transformed into de- archaeology of the sea or islands, due in part populated remote entities on the margins of to the fact that the abundance of islands and society over the past century. importance of the sea are taken for granted. The subject of fishing settlement in Fostering maritime perspectives is also hin- northern Norway, in which small islands dered by the continuing tendency to view play a key role, has been a topic of debate the sea and its islands differently from the over many years with alternative explana- (main)land. tory models presented by archaeologists. A My objective in this article is to present fundamental issue being debated is the de- specific cases that contribute to document- gree to which fishing was dependent upon ing the assertion that diminutive islands in agriculture as a prerequisite for the existence northern Norway were neither isolated nor and growth of fishing settlements where ac- detached from society, but functioned as es- cesstograinwasofcentralimportance.Some sential nodes in networks of maritime in- scholars contend that permanent settlement teraction in a sea of islands at the intrare- in areas lacking agricultural potential was not gional, interregional, and transnational level. feasible until stable access to imported grain While I do not intend to argue that small was established by the Hanseatic merchants islands have a more privileged role relative beginning in the thirteenth century (Ned- to larger islands, they do have the poten- kvitne 1983; Nielssen 1993). On the other tial to reveal more direct linkages to fish- hand, there is also a long tradition supporting ing and marine resources in general. Con- an alternative model in which the central im- nections to small islands were also central portance of fishing for settlement since the components in the web of relationships be- Stone Age is emphasized (Gjessing 1941) and tween outward-looking, dynamic maritime maritime resources viewed as both essen- communities exposed to impulses and influ- tial and sufficient for settlement (Bertelsen ences from the burgeoning urban centers of 2011). Even in the region of northern Nor- Europe during the period being addressed way to the south of the limit for grain produc- here. The maritime communities of north- tion in the vicinity of Tromsø, the focus has ern Norway also possessed a highly devel- been on a mixed fisher-farmer (fiskerbonde) oped nautical technology within the Nordic economy where agriculture is secondary to clinker boat and ship-building tradition cou- marine resources. The romantic icon of the pled with seamanship skills developed since small farmer in the Norwegian nationalistic the Early Iron Age in which the sea was narrative has also contributed to a neglect of viewed as a highway rather than a barrier coastal maritime culture (kystkultur)(Hund- (Wickler 2004). stad 2014). The following section provides a short The expanding interest in the archae- overview of the history of settlement mound ology of islands and the sea (Barrett 2012; archaeology in northern Norway. Settlement Boomert and Bright 2007; Fitzpatrick 2004; mounds are a distinctive northern Norwe- Rainbird 2007; Van de Noort 2011) has led to gian coastal site type that provide the prin- a fruitful ongoing dialogue addressing issues cipal source of documentation for the four surrounding “islandscapes” and “seascapes” small island case studies I will be examining. such as isolation and connectedness, insular- The presence of substantial well-preserved 172 VOLUME 11 • ISSUE 2 • 2016 Centrality of Small Islands in Arctic Norway cultural deposits in mound sites represent- undertaken in the 1960s (Munch 1966). The ing continuous activity over long periods is Helgøy Project (1975–1980), which con- a valuable asset in mapping the history of ducted multidisciplinary research focusing maritime use and settlement at each of the on “eco-ethno” processes since AD 1 within settlement locations. Following the settle- a region of northern Troms comprised of ment mound overview, excavation results seven large islands, was a milestone for from each case location are reviewed and settlement mound documentation. Sixteen assessed as distinctive site histories illustrat- mounds, most less than 2,000 m2,were ing the diversity of maritime activity found recorded and excavation undertaken in all on small islands. butoneincluding27testunits,mostlessthan 2.5 m2, but also three larger areal excavations up to 4 × 4 m. Although an overview of the SETTLEMENT MOUND ARCHAEOLOGY excavation results, including basal radiocar- bon dates from 13 mounds, is presented by The accumulation of domestic refuse, turf Holm-Olsen (1981), and Bratrein (1989) pro- and other structural remains, dung from do- vides additional site information, a detailed mestic livestock, and other material associ- reportofthemoundexcavationshasyettobe ated with long-term use and occupation of published. The mound sites are interpreted specific locations has resulted in the forma- as representing settlement initiated around tion of a site type commonly referred to as a AD 1350 with a gradual increase in number “farm mound” (gardshaug)˚ in the archaeo- until the seventeenth century. Only two of logical literature. The combination