Culture Contact, Ethnicity and Food Practices of Coastal Finnmark, Norway (1200 to 1600 A.D.)
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CULTURE CONTACT, ETHNICITY AND FOOD PRACTICES OF COASTAL FINNMARK, NORWAY (1200 TO 1600 A.D.) by Colin P. Amundsen A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2008 © 2008 COLIN PATRICK AMUNDSEN All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Anthropology in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Thomas H. McGovern Date Chair of Examining Committee Louise D. Lennihan Date Executive Officer Sophia Perdikaris_____________________________ Orri Vésteinsson______________________________ Bjørnar Olsen________________________________ Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract Culture contact, ethnicity and food practices of coastal Finnmark, Norway (1200 to 1600 A.D.) by Colin P. Amundsen Adviser: Professor Thomas H. McGovern One of the consequences of early commercial fishing, with regard to Norway, was the partial influence upon the Norwegian state to expand its regional borders and influence further north. Although this was out of economic necessity it was not the only reason for the establishment of permanent settlements, in the form of fishing villages, along the coast of Finnmark. One of the outcomes of this movement was a more visible Norwegian presence in the Far North which brought with it more direct contact with the local indigenous population, the Saami, as well as more inflammatory contacts with tribal peoples (Karelian) from present day Northwest Russia who were in the region to trade and to collect tribute on the behalf of the Principality of Novgorod. This period of Finnmark’s historical past is characterized as a high point of stately hegemonic desires, both from the west and the east, which at times was considerably hostile. However, there were periods of economic cooperation in the form of trade between Norwegian, Saami and Russian/Karelian. It is during this period that unique structures appear along the coast, known as multi-room houses, which have remained enigmatic monuments within north Norwegian archaeology. It is from these sites, and under the above historical context, that the material presented in this dissertation originated. Special attention will focus upon the ichthyological remains with an in-depth discussion devoted to the multiple butchery styles observed which are believed to be ethnically prescribed practices outside of what has been observed thus far in Northern Norway or the North Atlantic. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation could not have been completed solely by me; it took numerous individuals throughout the various stages of its progress to help me along. I can confidently state that without the assistance of these people the dissertation process would have been a less than positive experience and this dissertation would be a far different piece of work. I greatly appreciate them all for their selflessness in assisting me during this long journey. Financial support was provided to me by various entities. The Norwegian Science Council held by Bjørnar Olsen which funded the “Multi-room house project.” Funding from both the Leverhulme Trust Fund and National Science Foundation held by Thomas H. McGovern; and, the City Hall Park Analysis Project Grant held by Sophia Perdikaris and Thomas H. McGovern all provided the means for me to develop my skills in zooarchaeology. The King Olav V Norwegian-American Heritage Fund Scholarship from the Sons of Norway Foundation and the Norwegian Marshall Fund from the Norway-American Association funded my stay in Norway in 2002. From the Graduate Center I received CUNY Dissertation Travel Fund, CUNY University Fellowship, CUNY Student Travel and Research Fund/Alumni Association Dissertation Support Fund which assisted me with trips to the zoological museum in Bergen and travels to various conferences over the years. I also received a Graduate Teaching Fellowship which provided me with the opportunity to teach. The “Multi-room house Project” consisted of numerous individuals over the four years of fieldwork. I wish to thank you all for sharing with me the good times, the hard work and the bad weather. Those were special days. A special thanks is owed to Przemylaw Urba ńczyk, Derek Skrzy ńska, and Kasha Misiewicz, for the memorable v moments at Skonsvika, Warsaw and Krakow. I wish to thank Jørn Henriksen for his friendship, calm demeanor, clear thinking and his unflinching selflessness. Thank you Elin Myrvol for keeping things organized. To Bjørnar Olsen, the project leader, thank you for your leadership, sense of humor and cooking prowess. Finally, I wish to thank the Neptune and the townspeople of Berlevåg for their generosity and hospitality over the years. I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to the members of the my dissertation committee, Thomas H. McGovern, Bjørnar Olsen, Sophia Perdikaris and Orri Vésteinsson, for their advice and encouragement during the dissertation process. Tom presented me with a great opportunity to work in his laboratory in 1998. From that day forward I’ve learned a great deal about research, grant writing and the integration of multiple strands of data. His generosity brought me into the North. I’m extremely grateful to him for connecting me with numerous researchers throughout the world, especially to Bjørnar Olsen. Bjørnar generously took me on to work on his great project, I will always remember my very first night in Tromsø and my indoctrination into northern Norwegian culture. Bjørnar’s support, both professionally and personally, and friendship over these many years has been immeasurable. Without Sophia I most likely would not be in archaeology today. She encouraged me to pursue the Ph.D. and persuaded me to study fish osteology. It is Sophia’s research which has provided the base to which this research is supported. Orri exhaustively pressed me to clarify my dissertation. His tenacious editorial comments encouraged me to go beyond what I thought was capable of myself to produce something to be proud of. vi There are others who worked closely with me, especially during these months of writing, who were not officially part of my committee, but who nonetheless generously provided me all of their time. Most notably is Brain Hood. Brain selflessly read and commented on the early drafts of this dissertation. He also instructed me on how to organize the dissertation. Susan Kaplan provided me with sound and practical advice during the final stretch of the dissertation process. I owe a great deal of gratitude to Brita Solvang and to the faculty at the Institute for Archaeology at the University of Tromsø for the work and laboratory space. In addition, thanks to Karl Frafjord, Wim Vader, Stefan Hügel and Per Helge Nylund for the loan of specimens and assistance. Without their support this work would not have been possible. A special thanks to Reidar Bertelsen, Ingerid Sommerseth and Marianne Skandfer who provided me work during difficult times. And a special thanks to Morten Ramstad who in 2004 provided me with a great job on the Melkøya project. I’m appreciative to Anne Karin Hufthammer for access to the zoological collections and a job at the Bergen Zoological Museum. I wish to thank Wendy Castor, Raymond Petit, Sevitha Patel for the assistance with the osteo-metrics. To the folks at the Hunter College and Brooklyn College zooarchaeological laboratories who over the many years provided enjoyable distractions. I would like to especially thank Marianne Betti, Seth Brewington, Matt Brown, George Hambrecht, Ramona Harrison, Yekaterina (Kate) Krivogorskaya, Ray Pettit and Konrad Smiarowski. Thank you all. vii There are few special people I must set aside and thank for their support over the years. To my long time friend and room-mate Jonas Wesley who was always there for a good conversations. In addition, a special thank you to David and Helen Wesley who gave me a second-home and to Ragnar Edvardsson and our early days in the North-west of Iceland. Ruth Maher, who over the years has been a great friend. Jeromiah Scholl, thanks for the great advice in finishing-up. I would also like to thank Mary Fanning, Ellen Sirkka Nora and Line Nilsen Eliassen, each of whom helped me along the different legs of my journey in their own unique way. And to all my friends in the USA and Norway, thank you. Thank you to Gerald Bigelow who has made the last months of writing survivable. To my trainers Svenna Terje Gunge, Terje Wickstrøm, Cathrine Olsen and all the members of the Tromsø Kickboxing Club thank you for the hard training and pushing me beyond my limits. To Andrew Lesmerises, thank you for teaching me the ground game. At the Graduate Center Ellen DeRiso, whose patience and attention to detail is above any of us. Ellen always answered my questions and made sure I was on the right track. Without her help many of us would be lost. Thank you to Louise Lennihan for her leadership and kindness. Finally, to my parents, Erik and Dodie Amundsen, who stuck by me and encouraged me over these many years. Thank you both for your love and unwavering support. I could not have made it without you! viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Culture Contact, Ethnicity and Food Practices of Coastal Finnmark, Norway (1200 to 1600 A.D.) ........................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements........................................................................................................