The Research Seminar Series in Archaeology and Environmental archaeology invites you to a seminar with Gudrun Norstedt, "Fences for hunting and herding in boreal forests”.
Abstract: The use of long, linear forest fences in Sami reindeer husbandry is generally thought to be a method that was introduced rather late, mostly in the 20th century. However, historical sources tell us that fences were used to control the movements of reindeer at least from the early 19th century onward. Remains of these fences, which were built with whole trees, without metal parts, can still be found in the boreal forest. Why were the forest fences built, and how can they be detected today?
Forest fences were constructed also for other purposes, most importantly to catch wild reindeer, a method that was widely practised by the Finnish-speaking population of northern Sweden in the late 19th century. Can remains of these fences still be found, and is it possible to distinguish them from fences used in reindeer husbandry?
And what about the “rengårdar”, a word that is included in a number of Northern Swedish place names? “Ren” is reindeer, and “gård” is an enclosure or a fence, so the word “rengård” must represent some kind of fence used in connection with reindeer. But did they serve to control domesticated reindeer or to catch wild reindeer, or both? And who built them?
In this talk, I will discuss the different kinds of wooden fences that are known from Swedish boreal forests and what remains can be found today.
The Research Seminar Series in Archaeology and Environmental Archaeology presents and discusses current research in archaeology and environmental archaeology. See more upcoming seminars in the series
