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The thesis raises questions concerning prehistoric conditions in a high mountain region in central Scandinavia; it focuses on the human use of stone and on hunting principally of reindeer. An analysis of how the stone material was utilized and an approach to how large mammals were hunted result in a synthesis describing one interpretation of how the vast landscape of a region in the central Scandinavian high mountains was used. With this major aim as a base questions were posed concerning the human use of stone resources and possible changes in this use. Preconditions for the occurrence of large mammals as game animals and for hunting are also highlighted. A general perspective is the long time period over which possible changes in the use of stone and hunting of big game, encompassing the Late Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age and to a certain extent the Early Iron Age. Considering the manufacture of flaked stone tools, debitage in the form of flakes from a dwelling, constitute the base where procurement and technology are essential. The occupation of the dwelling covers a period from the Late Mesolithic to the Bronze Age. Possible changes in lithic use are discussed based on an analysis of debitage which includes testing variables reflecting various steps in the process of flaked stone tool manufacture. Also, the results are discussed from a methodological aspect; the classificatory aspect of analyzing large flake assemblages is implied. The result of the flake analysis indicates differences in the use of stone from the Late Mesolithic to the Bronze Age/Early Iron Age. These differences are interpreted in a three-part chronological division and as theoretically proceeding in a manufacturing process of five steps including acquisition, reduction through three steps and use of completed tools. A pattern, dividing the Bronze Age use of stone from that of the Neolithic and Late Mesolithic is discerned and discussed in terms of changes in procurement strategies and technology. Also, social organization is touched upon. When approaching the issue of hunting the character of data differ; archaeological and palaeo-environmental data together comprise the base for a discussion of possible changes. This is based on a theoretical model applied in a hypothetical research design. Archaeological categories of remains relevant in hunting contexts together with ethnographic and traditional hunting techniques are discussed. They constitute the base and illustrate possible variables in the testing of the hypothetical model. Changes in the Holocene climate are clear, just as changes in the archaeological record are observable. Together these circumstances indicate changes in the hunting process. The structural changes in economy and society that occur in central and north Scandinavia during stone-using periods are discernible in the region studied here. / digitalisering@umu

The areas of study for this dissertation are the Turopon and Sirkas lappbyar (communities) in the parish of Jokkmokk during the period 1760—1860. The starting point for discussion is a decrease in population through migration to Norway, from 667 inhabitants in 1781, to 353 in 1868. The primary cause was the ecological instability of reindeer herding with recurring crises caused by poor grazing, adverse snow conditions, epizootics, and predators. The stability in reindeer herding is finally determined by the numbers of grazing animals and the carrying capacities of the pastures. A disturbance in the balance between people and animals could occur if competition from the settlers limited available pastures, or the government through taxes appropriated so much of the surplus that the subsistence level was markedly increased. A closer examination reveals, however, that no outside influences can be indicated as being responsible for the population decline. Attention must thus be directed toward the inner social processes of this pastoralist society. While the reindeer herding population diminished, the total number of reindeer remained on a relatively constant level. The resulting process of accumulation consolidated the reindeer into the hands of fewer owners. While these conclusions indicate an economically differentiated society, the marriage pattern shows that the social distance between the economic groupings was very small. By promoting economic differentiation, trade had an important potential as agent of social stratification. This potential was, however, not fully realized. The equalizing factors were stronger than the differentiating forces. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 1989, härtill 5 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

The objective of this thesis was to examine whether forest structure and ground vegetation could explain the habitat choices of the reindeer within similar forest stands. The field work was carried out on 60 sites scattered across a part of the winter grounds for Vilhelmina Norra reindeer herding district. All sites were situated within so-called core and key areas, i.e. areas which the herding district sees as necessary for the reindeer husbandry in the area. Information from GPS-collared reindeer were used to create RIVO (by the Reindeer Identified [as] Important Areas) maps, where areas the reindeer preferred were shown. The results showed that the core and key areas were not significantly different from each other regarding the forest structure, nor the vegetation, but there were some differences in terms of the habitat choice of the reindeer and when the core and key areas were combined with RIVO. The differences concern mainly the coverage of ground lichens, epiphytic lichens and moose presence. Results from other studies suggest that the reindeer habitat selection is dependent on the weather and snow conditions, and looks very different from year to year. The snow conditions are in turn affected by the forest structure, so it is important that the grazing grounds have a heterogeneous forest landscape, including areas which under normal circumstances would not be seen as important for the reindeer husbandry.

This study focuses on how established shrub seedlings (Salix myrsinifolia x phycilifolia and Vaccinium vitis-idaea) develop in historical milking grounds. Historical milking grounds are cultural remains from the intensive reindeer herding era when the Sami migrated with closely controlled herds. Although the places were never fenced, the high concentration of reindeer close to the tenting grounds created patches of grass and forb dominated vegetation in areas outherwise dominated by deciduous or ericoid shrubs. Despite about 100 years of abandonment the shrubs have not come back and the milking grounds are still clearly visible in the landscape. One theory why the former milking grounds are so stable is that shrubs cannot establish from seedlings due to unfavorable abiotic conditions, or due to competitive dominance of already established forbs and grasses. I tested this hypothesis by planting shrub seedlings in the milking grounds and in reference areas, with and without neighboring vegetation and investigated seedling survival and growth. The results show that shrub seedlings are able to both survive and develop in milking grounds suggesting that the seedling state is not the limiting factor in shrub encroachment in the milking grounds.

Examensarbete.

Diss. (sammanfattning). Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2003. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2003. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.