Foreword by the Publisher
Finnforest culture has its roots to the east, and is found throughout northern Eurasia. Shifting cultivation was the main means for the survival of the forest Finns. Shifting cultivation was a very land-intensive farming method, resulting in a constant need for new areas. This was the reason for the migration, which spread slowly westward. They searched for new forests, needing spruce of good quality. Forest Finns came to Norway between 1620 and 1630. They first settled in the forests bordering Sweden, but then spread further into the eastern part of Telemark in the west. There are registered Forest Finns settlements in 40 municipalities in Hedmark, Oppland, Oslo, Akershus, Østfold and Telemark counties. Norsk Skogfinsk Museum main task is to preserve and show the world the Forestfinns culture. Per Martin Tvengsberg is one of those who have the most knowledge about this culture. I therefor recommend this script to all who are interested in knowing more of this topic.
Ragnhild Queseth Haarstad
Head of the Board at Norsk Skogfinsk Museum
Foreword by the Web Editor
I got to know Per Martin Tvengsberg some years ago Because of his previous capacity as curator at Hedmark Museum. Later I learned about his theories of how "slash and burn" cultivation culture has formed Europeans. Slash and burn culture according to Per Martin Tvengsberg influenced European culture over perhaps 10,000 years and thus have evolutionary consequences for its descendants. Regular stationary agriculture has only been around for one to two thousand years and therefore not as strong impact.
And this is not much research on! Perhaps because of insufficient archaeological material? But it is no less possible that his theories are correct for that reason.
The current prevailing theory that we went from being hunters and gatherers to suddenly engage stationary agricultural overnight. How likely is that?
Is Per Martin Tvengsberg coming with a missing link here? He supports his theories with incredible exciting reports far back as it is possible to get: Homer, Cesar, Tacitus, Ibn Rustah etc. There must be a huge effort in just finding these sources.
His approach was in itself being a descendant of people from that culture. The more he drilled into the material, he began to see possible connections with other tracks that were almost wiped out of time.
I think this must be communicated to the world and has been helping to post it on Wikisource.
Bjørn Eggen
Only fascinated and web editor.
You can also see His Web page where Per Martin Tvengsberg invites to discussion.
Slash and burn shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation in Finnskogen is the basis for this study. As a descendant of Finnskog affiliations, this topic has always been of interest to me. When I learned the letters, I read on the back of a book in the living room at home: “Kansatieteellinen Arkisto”. When I eagerly wanted to know what this meant, Father told me to ask my grandmother, but she only tried to calm me down by saying that it was probably something mysterious in Finnish. It may also be that this is an inadequate presentation of shifting cultivation and so a hypothetical presentation. But I am of the opinion that bold hypotheses are far preferable to no hypotheses at all. If someone were to prove that my speculations are not right, then I am the first to wish this welcome. Hypotheses have to be tested, otherwise one can never obtain new knowledge, and it is the ambition of my foray to get into the unknown and exciting past.
The terminology
The terminology in shifting or swidden literature is often confusing and inconsistent. I would recommend Spencer's comments (Spencer 1966 6) and Appendix B, (Spencer 1966 175). which treats this terminology with English literature using "slash-and-burn or shifting cultivation". Shifting cultivation means change of place, and the cultivation refers most often in older literature to a simpler agriculture than the meaning of the word "agriculture" today. "Swidden" is rarely used in current literature, and is completely omitted in several recent dictionaries.
I therefore consider it necessary to present three definitions:
Shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation here means the cultivation of hominids and crops for human consumption on freshly burned vegetation area or forest within a fewer number of years than the time that area is left to natural regeneration. Conklin 1961 27).Conklin H.C. 1961, The Study of Shifting Cultivation If Current Anthropology, vol. 2, no. 1, Chicago.