Silver hoards in Sami areas

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The Viking and Middle Age silver hoards have often been assumed to be simply hidden eco nomic resources. 1-Iowever, while the silver t
Silver hoards in Sami areas

on umomiai are most

Marte Spangen The Museum of Cultural History, N-0130 Oslo, Norway

the artio�le �

Abstract

Introduction

The Viking and Middle Age silver hoards have

The silver hoards are a significant group of

often been assumed to be simply hidden eco­

finds from the Viking and Early Middle Ages in

nomic resources. 1-Iowever, while the silver t
ial importance to this time (Ran­

The insignificant t these offering ti have preferred tbjects instead of ir products. Sev­ that the Sami so­ egalitarian ideal. by the arrival of 'he solution may Is which secured mulate with indi­ the benefit of the 217; Mu1k 1996: , Appadurai de­ 'le (l986: 31-32):

collective use. One reason for hoarding metal

that was actualized during the process of Chris­

ornaments may also have been an understanding

tianization in northern Norway. Christianization

of the "correct" use of this material - based on

was closely linked to the implementation of a

the knowledge of hoarding practiced by neigh­

new social structure to promote a single person's

boring groups.

nde of the country. The harsh measures to obtain

Perhaps this is relevant even to the silver

these goals were mainly directed at the Norse

hoards in the north. The ornaments in these hoards

population, while the missionary activity among

tend to have a low silver content (Arrhenius 1970; Hardh 1996: 152; Munch 1979; Sjovold

the Sami was not intensified nntil the 17" and 18 111 centuries.

1974: 331; Zachrisson 1984: 105). This has

I suggest that the "hybrid" border popula­

caused several researchers to suggest that these

tion could possibly avoid this strain by leaning

ornaments were in fact produced especially as

towards their Simi identities - constituted by

offerings (Hardh 1996: !52; Mulk 1996: 67-68;

Siuni family, Sami cultural traits, and eastbound

Olsen 2004: 85). In any case, the

exchange patterns. The Simi belief system had

Hansen

&

weight value of the silver was apparently not the

many similarities with the Norse system. By

most important factor to those who received the

claiming a Sami identity this intercultural group

ornaments.

could maintain a heathen faith and culture. They

Thus, silver hoarding would probably not have

were not necessarily identified as Sami by peo­

been an incompactible ritual behavior in a sarni

ple in core Slirni areas, but it would suffice to be

context, although it was originally a Norse tradi­

identified as Slimi by the Norwegian missionar­

tion. However, lnger Zachrisson (1984) points

ies and new rulers of the Christian monarchy (cf.

out that the distribution of silver hoards in north­

van Dommelen 2002).

em sami areas is mutually exclusive to the dis­

In this turbulent situation, offerings to the

tribution of Swedish inland offering sites con­

gods and help from them were probably more

taining metal objects. In northern Norway, the

important than ever. This may explain why a

silver hoards seem to be deposited in a cultural

previously Norse offering ritual such as silver

interface between areas inhabited mainly by the

hoarding was introduced in interface areas and

Norse/Norwegians on one hand and mainly by

adapted by adding eastern and subsequently

the Sami on the other hand (Olsen 2000; Span­

sami ornaments.

gen 2005). In the Viking and Early Middle Ages,

103

MARTE SPANGEN

van Dommelen, Peter 2002. Ambiguous Matters: Co­

References

lonialism and Local Identities in Punic Sardinia.

Unpublished sources

rftder.Tolking av fortidig S