Hierggenjárga/Härrgenárga substas - Hernes speaks 

 

bølgene bølger innover neset

evige sykluser

danner liv

 

årene 

kommer og går

og med ett 

er det 

i går

nå

i morra

 

framtida er her

den nye byen

med de blågrønne korridorene

folkelivet skal finne seg til rette igjen 

på Hierggenjága - Härrgenjárga -  Hernes

 

forsvaret trekker seg ut av landet

flyplassen flyttes sydvest

og Avinor bygger ut ny rullebane 

 

eldgamle berg må sprenges

trær, røtter, planter, torv og sand rives opp av gravemaskiner

organiske masser dumpes 

over kvitsand og havbunn

yngleplass for torsk og andre havskapninger må vike

matfatet til fuglene og andre arter minker

og hekkeplasser på forblåste tuer og knauser

er en saga blott

 

men den nedbygde naturen

skal kompenseres

landet som igjen kan brukes av folk og fe 

skal rehabiliteres

 

Men kan man virkelig kompensere tapt land?

 

The experimental acoustic performance Hierggenjárga/Härrgenárga substas - Hernes speaks  a sound-based narrative about the perpetual interaction between nature and culture in Hierggenjárga/Härrgenárga Hernes, gives listeners a cluster of fragmentary impressions of life in the past, present and future. Through the inclusion of speculative links, the voices of non-human species and site-specific intergenerational knowledge, the work challenges dominant historical narratives. What power is embedded in the ownership of history? And how can the landscape sound different if one listens more deeply?

The Northern Lapwing/Vuopptaláful, which historically had nesting sites on the marshes of Hernes, is one of the species we meet in this work. The Northern Lapwing is a critically endangered species that disappears from the cultural landscape when marshes and wetlands are drained for development. Now that the land is facing a climate crisis, with a decline in biodiversity that is closely linked to the degradation of nature, it is more important than ever to ensure that the Northern Lapwing and other vulnerable species have protected nesting and habitat sites. 

The sound work and related posters are designed to connect us to the neighbourhoods we inhabit by means of various strategies. These include recovering stories about the Sámi ownership of the Bodø¸/Bådåddjo/Buvvda Peninsula, which lies within the traditional territories Coastal, Pite and Lule Sámi, listening to intergenerational knowledge, and not taking conventional historical narratives at face value. This work has taken place by means of collaborations and conversations with Andrine Øvervoll Eivik, Heidi Birgitta Andersen and Eivind Langåsen, who are all bearers of Lule Sámi knowledge. 

'As an artist born in the south but living in Sábme/Northern Norway, I'm particularly interested in acknowledging the Sámi and multicultural population of Salten and Lofoten/Lofuohta. The ability to listen humbly, to access knowledge one lacks, to provide resources and to stimulate dialogue, are what we all need to ensure successful urban development with the potential for future reconciliation.' - Elin Már Øyen Vister

Participants:
Anne-Marie Austad, biologist/consultant, the Dokka Delta wetlands
Children from Jentoftsletta Kindergarten, Lule Sámi class
Jan Wasmuth, ecologist
Per Arne Mikalsen, Avinor Fire & Rescue Department

Narrator voices:
Andrine Øvervoll Eivik
Heidi Birgitta Andersen
Ingvild Austgulen
Ken-Philippe Tete
Sander Andersen 

Music, vuolle, sound:
Andreas Mjøs, narrator voice recording, mixing and mastering
Elin Már Øyen Vister, composition, field recording, editing, narrator voice recording, vocals recording
Julia Karen Olea Paulsen and Heidi Birgitta Andersen, Haŋŋá, vuolle

Ola Høyer, double bass
Robert Jønnum, recording and raw mixing of double bass
Trygve Misvær, Burddogájjse - Børvasstindan vuolle (acapella)
The work also includes excerpts of:
Haŋŋá¡, Havellas joik (trad.), in the form of improvisations on the double bass (Ola Høyer)
Haŋŋá, vuolle /Havella (trad.), in the form of improvisations on the double bass (Ola Høyer)
Susanne Lundeng - Havella (Drag, 1994)
Vegard Øyen - Ærfugldun in My Duvet (Piano Waltzes in Major, 2021)

Research conversations:
Andrine Øvervoll Eivik, Lule Sámi language worker and knowledge bearer
Arne Håkon Thomassen, senior archaeologist Sámediggi/the Sámi Parliament, Åjluokta/Drag
Bodø¸ Municipality represented by Ingrid Agathe Bay-Larsen and Kristoffer Larsen Seivåg
Finn Myrvang, philologist emeritus
Heidi Birigitta Andersen, Lule Sámi language worker and knowledge bearer
Jan Wasmuth, ecologist
Jan Inge Dahl, Avinor
Mats Jonas Pavall, reindeer herder
Rune Nakstad, Advansia (for Avinor)
Sander Andersen, Lule Sámi language worker and builder of traditional Sámi turf huts
Torgeir Nordkild Svonni, archeology fellow archaeology, UIT The Arctic University of Norway

Text:
Andrine Øvervoll Eivik, 'Gievras', edited by Elin Már and Heidi Birgitta
Ingvild Austgulen, slam poetry for Hernes
Heidi Birgitta Andersen, translation to Lule Sámi
Extracts from books about the area, newspaper cuttings, and archaeological reports

Thanks to:
Everyone involved, with particular thanks to Heidi Birgitta and Andrine
Birgit Å Andersen, Jentoftsletta Kindergarten, kindergarten teacher
Beiarveien 10
Espen Kjelling, Nordland Archives
Ivar Konrad Svendsen (www.denforsvunnebygda.net)
Liv Brissach, curatorial support and text suggestions
Hierggenjárga/Härrgenárga/Hernes and the life that is there
KORO - “ Public Art Norway and Bodø¸ Kommune, represented by Ingrid, Hege and Kristoffer
Kristoffer Dolmen, assistance at the Norwegian Jekt Trade Museum/Nordlandsmuseet
Martinus A. Hauglid, archaeologist, Nordland County Authority
Terje Nordheim, Arctic Cruise (www.arcticcruise.no)
Riktig Spor
UIT The Arctic University of Norway represented by Bente R. Isaksen, Ingar Olsborg Figenschau, Mariann Skandfer, Mari Karlstad