Knut Helskog - Communicating With the World of Beings: The World Heritage Rock Art Sites in Alta, Arctic Norway

Published in the United Kingdom in 2014 by
OXBOW BOOKS
10 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW

and in the United States by
OXBOW BOOKS
908 Darby Road, Havertown, PA 19083

English edition Oxbow Books and Knut Helskog; Troms University Museum, UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Published with financial support from: SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge

Hardcover Edition: ISBN 978-1-78297-411-6
E-pub Edition: ISBN 978-1-78297-412-3; Mobi: ISBN 9781782974130; PDF: ISBN 9781782974147

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Front cover: Human-like figures lifting poles shaped at the top like the head of an elk cow Knut Helskog

T he rock art found in the Alta area is nothing less than a sensation, and it took only twelve years from the time of the first systematic surveys until they were inscribed on UNESCOs list of World Heritage sites. When the very first rock carvings in the Alta area were discovered on the outermost western side of Altafjord at the end of the 1940s, no one could have imagined that about 23 years later, thousands of figures would be discovered farther inside the fjord and that the nature of these would attract the attention of the world. Systematic investigations in autumn 1973 and summer 1975 showed there were vast panels in which the larger land animals, such as reindeer and elk, predominated over fish, birds, boats, humans and geometric patterns. The content varied from well defined scenes in which numerous figures acted together such as in hunting and fishing and rituals, to figures pecked into the rock that had no clear association to any of the other figures. Investigations during the latter half of the 1970s and early 1980s showed that the figures were extraordinary in number and beauty and were carved during several periods spanning at least 4200 years. On 3 December 1985, the rock art of Alta was incorporated into UNESCOs World Heritage list, and the new Alta Museum building was inaugurated in 1991. Two years later, in 1993, the museum received the distinction of being named European Museum of the Year, and annually thousands of visitors now use the walkways and platforms that connect some of the most important rock art sites. Memorable cultural experiences abound, both outdoors and inside the exhibit halls.

Since work began with the rock art in Alta in autumn 1973 much has changed in terms of insight and interpretation, in addition to the fact that increasingly more carvings have been discovered. There has been active professional, local and national political involvement associated with the rock art during these years. Today, Alta Museum is reorganised as an intermunicipal company, the World Heritage Rock Art Centre Alta Museum, attending to tasks and responsibilities associated with management and presentation of the cultural monuments and the area.

Concurrent with the increase in the number of visitors, products and motifs based on the rock art have been developed. These include tee-shirts, jackets and sweaters, pieces of slate on which figures have been sand blasted, glass etched with figures and, not least, jewellery. At the same time, the figures have been published as illustrations of Sami prehistory in literature (Htta 1996; 1994), and they have been linked to Sami culture in the form of graphics and paintings. This demonstrates how fascinating and important these figures are, and illustrates that they will also be perceived, used and presented in various contexts in the future. They represent a part of the material that is available for learning about the people who lived in this northern area from about 5000 BC up until the birth of Christ, about their forms of organisation, hunting and trapping, beliefs, rituals, stories, legends, myths and culture, changes, continuity and history.

The following pages are based on many years of investigation and analysis and are meant for the general public. In this text, I have chosen to place greater emphasis on presenting the wealth of material, results and thoughts, rather than stringent analyses and argumentation. At the same time, emphasis is placed on photographic documentation aimed at illustrating and supplementing the text. Every photo is the product of light conditions. Colours change under different light, from midsummer to midwinter, from sunrise to sunset, and at night when illuminated by bright floodlights. The best conditions are when the light falls on the object from an angle and enhances the contrasts and details in the form and content of the figures. To photograph rock art is a great challenge. It requires being on site at exactly the moment when the light is best, at night as well as during the day. In addition, a number of photos have been taken beneath a black plastic cover, using either a sack over the photographers body and camera, or a portable 2 1.5 1.8 m black box. In both cases, an attempt is made to let light in low and at an angle on the side where the effect appears to best reflect the figures.

With the aim of making the relationship between the figures and the rock panels visible, some of the panels were sketched. This is because the traditional way of portraying the figures does not take into account the topography of the rock surface, a factor that is often difficult to capture with a camera. After some experimentation, a method was chosen that succeeds in capturing the features in the rock without the risk of distortion when the drawings are enlarged or reduced.

An endeavour such as this cannot be completed without having been in contact with many people during both the field work and the follow-up work. The staff members of Alta Museum have always given me their full support and have never hesitated to help when there was a need they have assisted me in various ways, from help in the field and access to facilities to making waffles and many cups of coffee, not to mention the valuable discussions I have had with them. It has been a pleasure to work in the area and to observe how visitors are so well taken care of by the enthusiastic and thought-provoking guides who lead them from rock art site to rock art site. The museum has become a dynamic institution with continually changing travelling exhibitions, in addition to concerts and seminars. It has become a sort of public parlour and is a comfortable place to be. Thanks to Hans Christian Sborg, Karin Tansem, Heidi Johansen, Martin Hykkerud, Roar Haugen and Gerd Johanne Valen for their help and comments. Many people in Alta are avid about the rock art, and this was reflected in the friendliness and hospitality shown to me by Britt and Oddvar Nilsen whilst I was working to uncover and document the rock art in Kfjord.