History of Namdalen

ANN EVY SETENE

HENRIK JACOB LELSTRUP - NORSK SKOGMUSEUM

Namdalen as we know it today was founded on agriculture, forestry and fishing. Of these, forestry has likely been the most important for the region as a whole. Log driving in the Namsen watercourse created jobs all throughout the region. Namsos has had sawmills for almost 170 years.

Early history and the Viking age

People have lived in Namdalen for thousands of years. We see traces of them in stone age cave paintings in Solsemhula on Leka island. We also see traces of them at “Væremsfeltet” in Grong, an iron age settlement. On Jøa island there are still building foundations from 550 BC – 799 AD. Close by is Janheim, a reconstructed Iron Age longhouse based on the original Viking long house in the same area. There are many Iron Age and Viking Age burial mounds in Namdalen. Just Overhalla municipality has 50 known burial sites, with more than 800 burial mounds. Herlaugshaugen burial mound is a boat grave, said to belong to King Herlaug, a powerful chieftain just before the reign of Harald Fairhair. This is the third largest Viking Age burial mound in Norway. If you travel south towards Abelvær you will find Ramstad. This was the seat of power in the Hrafnista chiefdom. Vikings from Hrafnista left Namdalen and journeyed to Iceland. They became the forefathers to several famous families mentioned in Njålsaga. This is how we know the story of several Vikings from Namdalen.

Sami history in Namdalen

Namdalen is part of the Southern Sami area in Saepmie. Today many locals identify as Sami, have Sami heritage or Sami ancestors. Archaeology shows Sami presence in the region since 100-750 AD, long before any written source confirms Sami settlement. Throughout history there have been both coastal Sami (making a living through farming, fishing and other trades) and Sami in the mountain, (making a living through reindeer husbandry). After centuries of discrimination, Sami culture and Sami languages are now being actively revitalised. For example, Røyrvik is part of the administrative area for Southern Sami language, meaning all public communication must be presented in Sami and in Norwegian alike. The languages are equal. February 6th is Saemiej åålmegebiejjie – the Sami national day.

Did you know… You can find objects from Viking graves in Namdalen at British Museum in London? Quite a few of the burial mounds along the Namsen river have been excavated by British “salmon lords” and archaeologists.