Härdar och husgrunder

Abstract

Hearths and House foundations: Archaeology in the Sámi cultural landscape of southern and middle Sweden: This paper deals with the physical traces of Sámi past in southern and central Sweden. From the Norse sagas, and from archaeological sources, there is a manifold of evidence of Sámi–Norse interaction and of Sámi presence, and habitation in central and southern Scandinavia from the Late Iron Age to the Middle Ages. From the early modern period there are diverse written sources addressing Sámi habitation in southern Scandinavia, and from the 18th century we know of the so-called sockenlappsystemet, an ethnically based, indenture service employing Sámi people. To what degree these early modern Sámi kept, and developed traditional practices, has until recently been largely unknown. Through a combination of sources and methods, from archival studies to field surveys, and excavations, this paper proposes that a strong and continuous development of Sámi traditions and practices, though the use of landscape and material culture is visible well into the end of the 19th century.