{"id":644818,"date":"2024-11-21T03:00:02","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T00:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/engraved-trees-map-the-way-to-preserving-sami-culture\/"},"modified":"2024-11-21T03:00:02","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T00:00:02","slug":"engraved-trees-map-the-way-to-preserving-sami-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/engraved-trees-map-the-way-to-preserving-sami-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"#Engraved trees map the way to preserving S\u00e1mi culture"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \"Engraved
\n Reindeer herder Peter Sjaggo standing next to a tree marked with crosses and geometric patterns. Credit: Lars \u00d6stlund, Swedish University
\nof Agricultural Science<\/a>s
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Archaeologists analyzed trees engraved by the Indigenous S\u00e1mi of Arctic Europe, revealing the significance of these rare remnants of S\u00e1mi culture and the importance of preserving them from ongoing deforestation.<\/p>\n

The S\u00e1mi are the Indigenous people of S\u00e1pmi, a region in northern Europe that encompasses northern Fennoscandia and north-west Russia.<\/p>\n

They followed an animistic religion, but a concentrated effort by the Scandinavian Church in the 17th century AD led to the destruction of religious artifacts and a decline in the S\u00e1mi oral tradition, meaning their culture and history is under threat.<\/p>\n

However, one important aspect of the S\u00e1mi culture managed to survive this repression. Some trees throughout S\u00e1pmi were incised with markings holding social<\/a> and religious significance.<\/p>\n

“Unlike most other sacred objects, standing trees are not easy to collect and they have general<\/a>ly eluded the ambitions of the Church to erase the traces of the Indigenous religion,” states co-author of the research, Dr. Ingela Bergman from INSARC\/Silvermuseet.<\/p>\n

To identify the significance of these trees, Professor Lars \u00d6stlund from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Dr. Bergman and Professor Olle Zackrisson from INSARC Silvermuseet identified trees engraved with S\u00e1mi symbolism, comparing them with ethnographic accounts of S\u00e1mi culture. Their results are published in the journal Antiquity<\/i>.<\/p>\n

They identified hundreds of Scots pine trees in the northern boreal forests of Fennoscandia, predominantly in national parks, engraved with X-marks and geometric patterns.<\/p>\n

According to the ethnographic research, trees were seen by the S\u00e1mi as mediators between people and deities. They also had pragmatic uses, acting as boundary markers and navigational aids in the harsh, seasonal landscape of the northern boreal forests.<\/p>\n

X-marks also played a significant role in S\u00e1mi ritual practice, with crosses being carved on antlers and reindeer blood smeared in X-shapes on sacrificial wooden objects. Therefore, the engraving of trees with crosses likely took place while offerings were made to deities, with the trees acting as mediators.<\/p>\n

“The spiritual and pragmatic natures of trees were not mutually exclusive,” says Professor \u00d6stlund. “X-marks on trees could define a family’s territory, while simultaneously indicating its spiritual connection to the land.”<\/p>\n

These trees are clearly important symbols of S\u00e1mi religion and culture, but are also under threat. Extensive deforestation for lumber since the 19th century has massively reduced the number of ancient Scots pines, including those with X-marks.<\/p>\n

Before the 20th century, thousands of these trees were present across S\u00e1pmi. As they decline, so too does the transmission of experience and knowledge from generation to generation.<\/p>\n

“Culturally marked trees bear silent witness to (pre)historic land use, movement patterns and sacred spaces,” conclude Dr. Bergman and Professor \u00d6stlund. “Therefore, there is an urgent need for the documentation, interpretation and protection of all remaining culturally marked trees.”<\/p>\n

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More information:<\/strong>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIngela Bergman et al, X-marked trees: carriers of Indigenous S\u00e1mi traditions, Antiquity<\/i> (2024). DOI: 10.15184\/aqy.2024.184<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCitation<\/strong>:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEngraved trees map the way to preserving S\u00e1mi culture (2024, November 20)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 21 November 2024
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/news<\/a>\/2024-11-engraved-trees-smi-culture.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
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