Section chief Knut Øvervoll in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration lies flat when he answers what he thinks about the Sami Parliament reporting them to the police. A sacrificial stone in Nesseby in Eastern Finnmark is gone forever. It was crushed and removed from the terrain by an excavator in September. – We were in good faith, says the section manager. The stone and the masses around it were removed to increase traffic safety on the E75 along the north side of the Varanger peninsula. – I got angry The Sami Parliament believes the incident is very serious and has asked the police to prioritize the case. Sami Parliament Councilor Runar Myrnes Balto calls what has happened cultural heritage crime. LOSS: Sami Parliament Councilor Runar Myrnes Balto. Photo: Dan Robert Larsen / news – I think it’s very sad. When I heard that, I got angry. Sacred places and objects are very important in Sami culture, and they are given great respect. Destroying them should not be taken lightly, he says to news. Ask the spirits for an apology Holy stones that have been taken away in connection with road work in Finnmark have caused much wonder in the past. A contractor even chose to apologize to the spirits when they were hit by fire and other accidents a few years ago. Hear more about the events in this podcast from news. – A great loss The Sami Parliament Council believes the destruction of the sacrificial stone in Nesseby is a great loss. He says that a sieidi is one of the most sacred things in Sami society. – The Sieidi still play an important role for people and Sami society as a whole, says Myrnes Balto. Finnmark Police District confirms that the report from the Sami Parliament has been received. – The case is under investigation. Beyond that, it is too early to say anything further, the police told news. TRAFFIC SAFETY: The Norwegian Road Administration has made improvements to improve road safety. Photo: Thor-Andreas Basso / Sámediggi/Same Parliament Checked and was in good faith Both operations manager Per Marius Øyen Pedersen and section manager Knut Øvervoll in the National Road Administration state that they investigated whether there were registered cultural monuments in the area. – In planning the work, we checked the cultural heritage database Askeladden, and we were in contact with Nesseby municipality, the Finnmark estate and landowners. We received no indications that this particular place was a cultural monument, and were therefore in good faith, says Øvervoll. SORRY: Section chief Knut Øvervoll in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. Photo: Torild Heimdal / Statens vegvesen But according to the Sami Parliament, not all cultural monuments in the database are publicly available. Therefore, Askeladden is not a good enough source to investigate, the Sami Parliament believes. “Several vulnerable cultural monuments may be protected, and have limited public access. Of Sami cultural monuments, in many cases it is sieidis/sacrificial stones that have limited public access, and they are then only known to the cultural heritage administration,” writes the Sami Parliament in the review. Crushed stones also 41 years ago Section chief Knut Øvervoll states that they received written feedback that it was good to improve visibility for road users, and to prevent snow drifts at Veašenjárga/Hammernes. – Both traffic safety and cultural heritage are important, but if we had known that the site in question was a cultural heritage, we would of course not have removed it, he says. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration deeply regrets the destruction. Runar Myrnes Balto in the Sami Parliament is happy about this. – The Swedish Road Administration takes responsibility. My appeal to them is that they review their routines so that they avoid making the same mistake in the future, he says. GONE: All the sacrificial stones that stood here have been removed. Photo: Thor-Andreas Basso / Sámediggi/Sametinget Historical sources show that the sacrificial stones in question at the Varangerfjord were already mentioned in 1717. Originally there should have been three stones. According to legends connected to these stones, it must have been Noaids who were petrified. And in 1982, two of the noaidi stones were destroyed – also then by the Norwegian Road Administration. THE SACRIFICIAL STONE: Here is the sacrificial stone that remained after the road works in 1982. The picture was taken by Ørnulv Vorren. Photo: Vorren/Eriksen Hope everyone involved avoids problems The Sámi Parliament finds it worrying that, after 41 years, the road service still does not have better routines that can prevent cultural monuments from being destroyed. Section manager Knut Øvervoll states that they have more focus on this today, but admits that the routines have not been good enough. – Independently of this report, we have taken the initiative to map and ensure the quality of cultural monuments along the national road network in northern Norway, and this work will start in 2024, says the section chief. Sami Parliament Councilor Runar Myrnes Balto knows the stories of what has happened when sacred stones have been destroyed or broken. – Do you think something similar will happen in the case from Nesseby? – I hope that everything goes well and that everyone involved avoids problems, replies Myrnes Balto.
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The Sámi Parliament has filed a complaint with the Norwegian Public Roads Administration after sacrificial stones were broken – news Sápmi
