The Bear Grave in Kjærfjorden

The bear is a sacred animal in Sami culture. Both feared and respected, it has for a long time been considered to be humans’ closest relative. This is reflected in the tradition of burying the bear in the same type of graves as humans. According to old Sami tradition, rock landscapes are portals to the other worlds. Through voids the Noaids could travel to the underworld. So could the dead, who were wrapped in bark and buried in dry surroundings between stones and in cavities and crevices. It is in such surroundings that the bear also thrives in, and makes its hides in.

Bear cult is a central part of pre-Christian Sami religion. There were specific rules for bear hunting, handling the bear after hunting, and burying the bear’s bones in separate graves. Bear bones were to be kept whole, not broken or destroyed, and buried according to certain rituals. The bear had several roles – it was an important food resource in addition to the bear fur providing warmth and extra income. The bear was also a cultic animal that brought hunting luck to society and the hunter. The mission accounts from the 18th century say that the bear was sacrificed for hunting luck and in honour of the hunting god.

On the Norwegian side of Sápmi, bear graves can be found along the coast, often located on islands. All graves are built in natural cavities under large boulders and in rock crevices. The legs are always stored in dry and airy conditions, and never in damp soil. Southern-Troms and Northern Nordland are the regions with the most registered bear graves. It is also the region where the oldest and the newest graves are found. The bear grave in Kjærfjorden is dated to 300 AD. and is the oldest known in Scandinavia. The grave from Lekangen on Senja, in the same region, is dated up to 1917. These graves span a period of over 1,600 years.

The bear has been central to people in our region for thousands of years, as the region’s rock art show. Bear burials continued long after the infamous missionary-period of the 18th century, when missionaries came to convert the Sami to Christianity. We know from oral sources that bear burials were practiced right up to the beginning of the 19th century in our region.

Women and bears

According to the old tradition, the woman and the bear have a very special relationship. Stories tells of women who are captured by the bear but treated very nicely. Marriage between a woman and a bear is also not unknown. The oral storytelling tradition emphasizes the close relationship that exists between these two.

The Sami bear cult has its own guidelines for women. When the man went to hunt the bear, the women had to be quiet. The bear picked up on everything the woman said and could become aggressive and upset if the woman was loud at home. The bear is associated with fertility and birth, and pregnant women had a special attraction to the bear. Some traditions say that the men represent the bear through role-playing. When they return home from the hunt, the man/bear is warmly welcomed by the women, who should be dressed in their finest clothes.

The strict rules for women in hunting are not based on a negative and inferior view of women, but rather as a regulatory measure. In Sami tradition, women have a very special and strong spiritual power, which the bear also perceives and respects. Standing alongside the women are the powerful Sami goddesses Máttaráhkká and her daughters Sáráhkká, Uksáhkká and Juoksáhkká.