Hidden symbols in the forest tell of Sami rituals and sacred places

- When working in the forest, we have often come across these trees with their special carved cross patterns and geometric shapes. The carvings are always very old, but when we started to investigate this, we found no explanation for why they were made. There were no previous studies of them and that aroused our curiosity, says Lars Östlund, Professor of Forest History at SLU in Umeå.

Together, Lars Östlund, Olle Zackrisson, former professor of forest vegetation ecology at SLU, and archaeologist Ingela Bergman began to investigate the mystery.

Eventually, they find about 100 trees with carvings, mainly in national parks in northern Scandinavia. By comparing the carvings with archaeological objects and remains, well-known Sami symbols and ethnographic research, the researchers' understanding of the marks is growing. The results were recently published in the scientific journal Antiquity.

- Our study suggests that many of the carvings were made in the context of sacrificial rituals, where the trees communicated between people and the spiritual world. Drawing or carving crosses had a ritual meaning in the Sami faith. The trees could certainly be considered sacred in themselves, and sometimes they marked places that were sacred and not to be entered,” says Lars Östlund.

Lighthouses in the forest landscape

But the cross-patterned trees probably also had a more everyday function. The researchers believe that they were used to navigate in the forest or to mark important places and boundaries in the forest landscape.

- Cross-markings on trees could mark a family's territory and at the same time serve as a spiritual connection to the landscape, says Ingela Bergman.

The researchers believe that people have been carving trees in this way for thousands of years. However, the tradition and knowledge have largely been lost, partly due to the suppression of Sami religion and culture.

- The carved trees are silent witnesses to historical and prehistoric land use, migration patterns and sacred sites. Given their cultural and historical values, it is important for us as a society to continue to document, interpret and protect the remaining trees, says Ingela Bergman.

She and Lars Östlund estimate that in the early 1900s there were many thousands of such trees in Scandinavia, but that most were cut down when forests were felled. Today, the carved trees are almost exclusively found in protected forests in nature reserves and national parks in northern Scandinavia.

- If the carved trees are found in managed forests, there is a high risk that they will disappear. It is therefore important to continue researching and documenting these trees,” says Lars Östlund.

The researchers say that they have been met with great curiosity and interest in the study from the Sami villages.

- There are still those who know where these kinds of trees are. For them, this is a piece of the puzzle of Sami culture and religion, say Lars Östlund and Ingela Bergman.

Contact

Lars Östlund, Professor of Forest History at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 0705111299, lars.ostlund@slu.se

Bergman Ingela, archaeologist, 076 8196334, Ingela.Bergman@silvermuseet.se

Niklas Storm, communications officer, 0765310814, niklas.storm@slu.se