A Sacred Tree in the Boreal forest: A Narrative About a Sámi Shaman, her Tree, and the Forest Landscape
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Since the early nineteenth century, forest landscapes and socio-economic contexts have significantly changed in northernmost Sweden. These processes include agrarian colonisation, the Christianisation of the indigenous Sámi people, and the transfer of land tenure. We aim to analyse how Sámi religious practice manifested itself in a time of dramatic social transition in northern Sweden by focussing on the life and religious practice of a Sámi woman known as the shaman Guoksik-gummo, 'the Lady of the Siberian Jay.' We analyse a range of historical records and one specific sacred tree related to her to understand this period better and illuminate the changes in land-use religious practice and landscape transformation between the early nineteenth century and the early twenty-first century. We conclude that better documentation, more vital protection by law of Sámi cultural traces in northern landscapes, and better consultation with Sámi are needed in the future.
Source: Human Ecology
Authors: Ingela Bergman, Lars Östlund
Institution: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,890
OpenAlex ID: W4307349170