News of norway helge ingstad's legacy in alaska - 3 2006 fall
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73696_NORWAY.qxp 9/13/2006 2:17 PM Page 1
3 2006 fall
news of norway
helge ingstad’s
legacy in alaska
page 3-7
Volume 64
73696_NORWAY.qxp 9/13/2006 2:17 PM Page 2
editorial
T he 8-seater Piper Cherokee aircraft banked softly and landed on the tiny airstrip at
Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska. In it were Norwegian Ambassador Knut Vollebaek, his wife,
Ellen, Honorary Consul in Anchorage, Anton Zahl Meyer, a TV-crew from Norwegian
TV2, and two more people from the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C.: Cultural Affairs
Officer Trude Paulsson and myself.
As we disembarked, many of the 365 locals living in the village gathered around the plane. Royal Norwegian Embassy
We were treated to Eskimo-dance to the beat of drums made out of caribou-hide. 2720 34th. St., NW
The gracious welcome was no doubt due to the fact that in 1949 noted Norwegian explorer Washington, D.C. 20008
and author Helge Ingstad stepped off a small bush plane in the Alaskan wilderness and befriend- (202) 333-6000
ed the small group of Nunamiuts who lived at Anaktuvuk Pass. He lived in a tent like the www.norway.org
natives, recorded their songs and stories, participated in their caribou hunts and fishing expedi-
tions, and by the time he left, 9 months later, was given a mountain. AMBASSADOR
When we landed for the first time in 2005, we met with a council of elders, mayor George Knut Vollebæk
Paneak, and Grant Spearman, curator of the Simon Paneak Memorial Museum. They confirmed
that Ingstad made a significant impact by the materials he gathered, and by his relationship with HEAD OF PRESS AND CULTURE
the Eskimos in the village. The mountain – Ingstad Mountain – still bore his name. They peti- Erling Rimestad
tioned the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to have it officially designated and put on the map
– something that only could be approved 5 years after Ingstad had passed away. EDITOR
In March, 2006, the name was officially approved. This in turn set in motion plans for a con- Arild Strømmen
ference on Arctic change this fall, in cooperation with University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and a
naming ceremony at Anaktuvik Pass, with Ingstad’s daughter and grandson in attendance. EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
This issue of News of Norway is a tribute to Helge Ingstad and the legacy he left – hundreds Terje Myklebust
of photos, recordings of songs and stories – not only proving invaluable to the scientific com-
munity, but appreciated by the Nunamiuts, as he was instrumental in preserving part of their SUBSCRIPTION
heritage for future generations. (pages 3-7) News of Norway (ISSN: 0028-9272)
is a quarterly publication of the Royal
W hile Ingstad went to Alaska and photographed the natives, Norwegian photographer
Anne Senstad conducted her own anthropological survey – by returning from New
York to her native country of Norway to shoot portraits of The Norwegians – both
indigenous Sami and city-dwellers. Her project turned into an exhibit touring the U.S. and a
book. View her work on pages 8-9.
Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
The magazine was founded in 1941 and
reaches 35,000 subscribers in the U.S.
and Canada. For a free subscription,
write or call with your name and
address, or send an email to
ARILD STRØMMEN – EDITOR subscription@norway.org
PHOTO: UNIVERSITETSBIBLIOTEKET I TRONDHEIM
PHOTO BY THE NORWEGIAN BOARD OF HEALTH
PHOTO BY LIV RØHNEBÆK BJERGENE
development aid royal family gender equality science
The Norwegian developers The royal family followed King The Norwegian government aims Scientist Lars Eirk Hanssen has
behind the innovative tractor Haakon VII and Queen Maud’s to increase the number of women been named the new chairman of
project “Getting There” have footsteps as they arrived in on the board of directors at pub- the World Health Organization’s
secured a $150,000 grant from Trondheim to celebrate the coro- licly traded companies by passing International Agency for
the World Bank’s Development nation centennial. The ceremony regulations that require such bod- Research on Cancer. According
Marketplace. The funds will be took place at Nidaros Cathedral ies include at least 40 percent rep- to Hanssen, strategic work is of
used to test the vehicle as a tool in June, 100 years after King resentation of either gender. 30 crucial importance to the organi-
for long-term development in Haakon was crowned there. Before percent of companies in Norway zation’s future work. “IARC has
countries with small-scale agri- coming to Trondheim, the royal now meet the government’s limited resources, which is why
cultural production. According to family visited Eidsvoll, Hamar, requirements. The number of strategic work is of such impor-
engineer and developer Svein Otta, and Åndalsnes, just as their companies with zero women on tance. It is crucial that we focus
Olaf Lie, the GT is sturdy and predecessors did a century earlier. the board has decreased signifi- our work on projects where
low-maintenance, making it an Speaking of their grand reception cantly. Nonetheless, the statistics IARC can represent an added
ideal tool in the agricultural pro- in Trondheim, Queen Sonja said: reveal a shortage of 545 women resource,” he says. Among
duction of developing countries. “It must have been difficult. This board members nationwide. “We Hanssen's priorities are commis-
“The GT project is an example of kind of reception and encounter- are heading in the right direction, sioning a study on hepatitis B
how one can link emergency aid ing a nation in this manner must but have a long way to go before vaccines’ preventive impact on
and long-term development,” Lie have made a sizeable impression we reach the goal of 40 percent liver cancer, and researching the
says. on them. They didn’t know the women on the boards,” State links between the illness and
people like we do.” Secretary Karin Yrvin says. alcohol consumption.
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LEFT: INGSTAD MOUNTAIN. PHOTO BY GRANT
SPEARMAN. ABOVE: HELGE INGSTAD. PHOTO
COURTESY OF THE INGSTAD FAMILY
ingstad
Historical Highlights
Facing Arctic Change Alaska and Norway share strong historical
bonds, from the times of great challenge in the
late 1800s, to golden times of new opportuni-
BY TRUDE LIVERØD PAULSSON ties brought on by the goldrush in the 1900s:
A laska and Norway are on separate con-
tinents but have many things in com-
mon. Both regions are on the same lati-
tude and have large territories above the
years before Colombus, and thereby changed
North American – and world – history.
On the occasion of Helge Ingstad’s 100th
birthday in December, 2001, Prime Minister
1894 and 1898: Indigenous Sámi reindeer her-
ders are recruited by the U.S. government to
teach herding subsistence skills to the Yup’ik
Arctic circle; relatively large native popula- Kjell Magne Bondevik said: “Your experi- and Inupiaq Peoples of Alaska. 126 Sámi men,
tions; abundant natural resources – and the ences as a researcher and trapper has enabled women, and children, 539 draft reindeer, 418
need to manage these resources while pre- you to understand the Indigenous Peoples’ sleds, a number of herd dogs and a supply of
serving the Arctic environment and cultural ways of thinking and ways of life. Your con- lichen, arrive from Finnmark in Norway.
heritage. tribution towards preserving and shedding
These issues form the backdrop for the light on the culture and history of the 1900: Leonhard Seppala, a Kven from the
Helge Ingstad Memorial Symposium on Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic is unique. coastal community of Skjervøy in northern
Arctic Change, co-hosted by the Royal You have always been a role model to the youth.” Norway, set out to seek his fortune in the Gold
Norwegian Embassy and the University of Ingstad was awarded five honorary doctorates Rush in Nome, Alaska. He started dogsled rac-
Alaska Fairbanks, September 8-9 this year. from universities in Canada, the United ing and won his first Nome Sweepstakes in
Scientists, scholars and experts join forces States, and Norway, Commander of the Royal 1914 with a team of Siberian huskies. Seppala
over the course of this two-day event in an Order of St. Olav, and distinguished with the continued to win Alaska’s major races and
effort to explore and further strenghten the Royal Geographical Society Patron’s Medal. became one of the best dog mushers of his time
transatlantic ties on issues related to the
cirumpolar north.
I n Canada, a small river just to the east of
Great Slave Lake, is named Ingstad Creek.
1906: Roald Amundsen arrives with Gjøa in
Nome after conquering the Northwest Passage.
T he symposium is dedicated to the mem-
ory of Helge Ingstad (1899-2001), who
during 9 months between the Fall of
1949 and summer 1950 lived with the Inupiaq
Years later, the native elders of Anaktuvuk
Pass, Alaska, gave him a mountain. Ingstad
wrote: “We were sitting in the tent, talking a
little bit about my departure. Paneak said, ‘We
1925: The city of Nome is threatened by a mid-
winter diptheria epidemic. Seppala became the
crucial figure in the delivery by dogsled of a
Nunamiut Eskimos of Anaktuvuk Pass in will give you the mountain which stands at the supply of antiserum via an otherwise impassa-
Alaska. A lawyer by training, Ingstad left his beginning of the Giant’s Valley. It shall bear ble route. With his leader dog 'Togo', Seppala
practice at an early age. “I never missed it at your name and we will remember you’ Then travelled some 340 gruelling miles over treach-
all. When I was sitting there, by the Arctic he added, in a “matter-of-fact-way:” ‘Our erous sea ice and through blizzard conditions.
Ocean with my canoe, my rifle, my sled and people remember such things for many gener-
my dog team, and the never-ending wilder- ations.’” On April 19, 2006, the U.S. Board on 1926: Roald Amundsen’s flight over the North
ness, I felt like a millionaire. The pleasure of Geographic Names unanimously approved Pole with the airship Norge from Spitsbergen,
freedom filled me completely.” Ingstad spent the official naming of the 4793 foot (1461 Norway, to Teller, Alaska, was completed in
years exploring Arctic regions as Governor of meter) high Ingstad Mountain in the Brooks 72-hours. Amundsen and his crew member, fel-
Svalbard, as a trapper in Canada, and as a Range, South East of Anaktuvuk Pass (see low Norwegian, Oscar Wisting, became the
researcher on the northern tip of picture above). On September 10, the moun- first in the world to reach both poles.
Newfoundland. Together with his archeolo- tain the Nunamiut so genereously named after
gist wife Anne Stine, Ingstad discovered the Ingstad is celebrated in a naming ceremony in 2003: Robert W. Sørlie won the Iditarod dog
ancient Viking settlement L’Anse aux Anaktuvuk Pass, which the adventurer’s sled race, as the first foreigner. Sørlie was
Meadows built around AD 1000. Their find- daughter, Benedicte Ingstad, and his grand- “Rookie of the Year” in 2002, as the best first-
ings proved that Leif Eirikson and his Viking son, Eirik Ingstad Sandberg will attend. time racer, and continued to take his second
crew had arrived in North America almost 500 win in 2005. Sørlie will be racing the Iditarod
again in 2007.
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Helge Ingstad and the
Nunamiut People of Alaska
BY GRANT SPEARMAN – CURATOR OF THE SIMON PANEAK MEMORIAL MUSEUM, ANAKTUVUK PASS, ALASKA
I t is not often that a person, a people, and a place become so close-
ly linked as have Helge Ingstad, the Nunamiut people, and
Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska. It is a relationship that began in the late
summer of 1949 when Ingstad arrived at nearby Tulugak Lake to spend
another well-received book called “The Apache Indians: in Search of
the Missing Tribe,” published in 1939. That same year World War II
broke out, and within months his life became one of millions pro-
foundly impacted by the 1940 Nazi invasion of Norway.
nine months with this then-nomadic people. The bond was renewed in
the fall of 1989 when he returned at the invitation of the community to
be celebrated for his contributions to the documentation and preserva-
tion of their cultural heritage, and will continue far into the future, par-
ticularly following the official naming of a local mountain in his honor
H elge’s war years were spent as a representative of the Norwegian
Red Cross and, secretly, as a liaison with the resistance. He mar-
ried an archaeologist, Anne Stine Moe, and started a family.
After the war, while visiting the states with his wife and young
this fall. daughter in 1949, he learned about the existence of a little-known
Norwegian by birth and a seasoned adventurer and author by avo- group of inland Eskimos who inhabited the nearly inaccessible Brooks
cation, Helge was the first outsider to live among the Nunamiut and Range of Arctic Alaska. Once again his adventurous spirit got the bet-
write about them in depth. During his nine-month stay in the winter of ter of him. Before the year was out, he was living among them and
1949-50, Ingstad compiled a wealth of films, photos, and experiencing the life of a nomadic hunter of caribou.
recordings , and wrote “Nunamiut: Among Alaska’s Upon returning to Norway, he completed a book
Inland Eskimos” (see page 13). First published in about his experiences, and this is how the Nunamiut
America in 1954, his work brought these remark- know and remember him. As a tall, silver-haired
able people to the world’s attention, and that of man who spent the better part of a year sharing
the scientific community in particular. Over their lives, recording their stories and songs
the last six decades, dozens of researchers on tape, their activities on film, and writing
from many fields ranging from biologists, a popular book that brought them a flood of
botanists, and geologists to anthropolo- attention that has yet to diminish.
gists and archaeologists have been drawn Today, more than a half-century later,
to these people to both learn from and few of them are fully aware of his broader
about them. Virtually every one, myself renown, stemming from his 1960 discov-
included, read his book as part of their ery of a Norse settlement at the site of
preparation for coming here. L’Anse Aux Meadows. Located on the
northern tip of Newfoundland, this site
H elge combined an insatiably adven-
turous spirit and wanderlust with a
highly educated mind and a curiosity
about the world that led him to distant lands, to
definitively established the Vikings had
reached and settled the new world about 500
years before Columbus. Over the next several
years his wife oversaw the excavation of the site,
live among indigenous peoples and ultimately to find and firmly established their prominent positions in
his way into the Norwegian pantheon of adventurers and history and science.
explorers. Born on the next to last day of the 19th century, For many years Helge was the reigning “grand old man” of
December 30, 1899, he grew up in a middle-class family in the coastal Norwegian adventurers and explorers, and nearly every youngster
town of Bergen. He led an active outdoor life, hiking, skiing, hunting, avidly read his books and idolized him. With his death in March, 2001,
fishing, and acquiring a taste for adventure. he stepped off into the great beyond to join his countrymen, and pred-
Yet, being a dutiful son, he complied, however reluctantly, with his ecessors, Roald Amundsen, and Fridtjof Nansen. Honored with the full
father’s wishes to advance his education. He moved to Oslo to study pageantry of a state funeral, his was, by any standards, a life well lived.
law, following the example of his grandfather, a noted professor of As he remarked in an interview with Norwegain Television News a
Norwegian juris prudence. couple of years before his death, “I came into the world at the right
Helge built a prosperous and successful practice, but within a few time. I got to do everything. I have it in me like wealth, the experiences
years grew worried that his dreams of adventure would remain that: and the people.”
dreams. In an act that must have shocked, though perhaps not sur-
prised, his family, he sold his practice and set out for the new world,
ending up in the remoteness of northern Canada where he spent the fol-
lowing four years, from 1926-30, living as a hunter and trapper. During
this period he lived for a time among the caribou-hunting Chippewean
C learly he had a knack for arriving at the right time, from the day
of his birth to the day in early September of 1949 when he
stepped from Andy Anderson’s bush plane onto the eastern shore
of Tulugak Lake. Little did he know that he was walking into one of
Indians learning about their ways, absorbing their lore and, without the most interesting times and pivotal moments in the history of the
knowing it, laying a groundwork for his stay among the Nunamiut Nunamiut people
quarter-century later. The book he wrote based on his stay, “The Land 10 weeks before the last two independent bands of Nunamiut, the
of Feast and Famine,” was a bestseller. Tulugak and Killik peoples had loosely joined together, thereby taking
In 1936, inspired by ancient stories he had heard nearly a decade a tentative first step in a decade-long process that led to the establish-
before among the Canadian Indians, he returned to North America to ment of a village and the end of their nomadic ways.
mount an expedition into northern Mexico in pursuit of a so-called What an exceptional group of people he found himself among;
“lost tribe” of Apache Indians, who reportedly had led into the rugged seven families, 65 men, women, and children who were the last inland
Sierra Madre range to escape reservation life several decades before. dwelling remnants of a once much more numerous folk. Up until the
Though unsuccessful in his search, his experiences resulted in closing decades of the 19th century, the Nunamiut had been perhaps
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ingstad
the premier caribou-hunting society in northern Alaska. Caribou were The Nunamiut used dog sleds to bring back caribou after hunt-
not only the focus of their existence, but the foundation of their econ- ing. Ingstad Mountain in the background
omy, providing them with meat, fat and marrow for food, skins for
clothing and shelter, while bones and antlers were the raw materials for as one human beside another, nothing else. I just came down and we
a wide variety of tools and implements. became friends, and that was all.” Yet there can be no doubt as to the
As Helge alighted from the plane and looked into the friendly-yet- thoroughness of his preparations and the collection of data. This was
curious faces of this small community, a tall, handsome man about no exotic lark. By this time of his life Ingstad was 50, fit, and a veter-
Helge’s own age, strode forward, picked up his backpack and said in an adventurer. His upbringing and years among the natives in Canada
slightly accented English “You had prepared him for cold, taught
come,” and led him to his home, a him the skills of hunting, and how
dome-shaped, caribou-skin tent. It to respect and to get along with
was a fateful and fortuitous indigenous people.
moment, when Helge first met His photographs, color slides
Simon Paneak. and black-and-white prints as well
as color 16mm film are incredibly
O ver the next several months,
until his departure in late
May of 1950, he had what
many would consider the experi-
valuable documentary materials
that record the waning days of an
ancient way of life that was des-
tined to disappear forever in less
ence of a lifetime, to live among the than a decade’s time. No longer
last band of nomadic caribou nomads, by 1960 the Nunamiut
hunters in arctic Alaska. And large- had become tethered to an increas-
ly to be accepted as one of them. ingly sedentary community and
During the early weeks of his were securely anchored in place.
stay, the Nunamiut kept a close and
benevolently watchful eye upon
Ingstad, until people felt assured he
was an able hand in the arctic, and
wasn’t some sort of inept Humpty
I ngstad made a handful of close
friends, and most people liked
him, in a general sort of way
and inevitably, there were those
Dumpty prone to trouble. Now it who didn’t, but that is life in a
was largely a matter of orienting small community, native or non-
him to the landscape and imparting native. Overall he was held in
some of the finer points of caribou good regard, as reflected by the
hunting – Nunamiut style – so that he was unlikely to become lost or fact that a local mountain at the summit of the pass was called after him
inadvertently spoil others men’s hunting prospects. and continues to be to this day. As he describes in his book at the time
Together they shared good times and bad, birth and deaths, feast of his approaching departure in the spring of 1950, “We were sitting in
and hunger, friendships, songs, and stories of the old days. They hunt- the tent, talking a little bit about my departure. Paneak said, ‘We will
ed together, traveled together, and endured the bitter cold and darkness give you the mountain which stands at the beginning of the Giant’s
of winter as one. Valley. It shall bear your name and we will remember you.’ Then he
When asked once if he had approached his sojourn here as a scien- added, in a manner of fact way ‘Our people remember such things for
tific expedition, he replied, “No, no not at all. I just approached them many generations.’”
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There is, of course, more to the story, as this was a gesture rooted
in traditional practice, wherein locations commemorate individuals
most closely connected with that place. Ingstad’s close association
with the mountain originates from his favorite – and frequent – activi-
H elge returned to Anaktuvuk Pass in November 1989, 40 years
after his first visit. He wrote: “In 1989 I really set out for Alaska
again, and from Fairbanks I flew into the mountains. They were
expecting me – a crowd of children and adults came towards me and
ty of cross-country skiing up Sisuqhaagvik, a large, steeply sloping, the joy of reunion was great. But having walked a short distance, the
and gently curving chute on the mountain’s western face and swiftly scene changed radically from the old picture I had in my mind. Instead
schussing down its course to the nice long run out at the bottom. It was of a camp in the wilds with tents and dogs, I now saw a modern vil-
a scene they saw replayed time and time again, and in their minds lage, with large houses and small, and practically none of the good
indelibly linked him to the mountain, which, in turn led to its naming things of life which modern man consider essential seemed to be lack-
after him. Consistent with Paneak’s words, over the past 60 years they ing. The village had a school and a large village hall, with electricity,
have remembered it well and are happy to make it official and perma- telephones and television. Where there had once been dogs, there were
nent. tractors and noisy snow-scooters. And the village had regular air con-
tact with Fairbanks. I was told that the profit from the great oil
A fter his departure, Helge kept in periodic touch with the com- occurence off the coast had made all this possible.”
munity for a few years, occasionally writing to Paneak. But it
was not
until 30 years after
From a social and cultural perspective, the changes have been dra-
matic as well,
beginning with a
his visit – in 1980 population
– that Helge was increase from the
contacted by original 65 to
Paneak's son more than 320
Roosevelt about today, and still
the possibility of growing.
securing copies of While parents
his photos, film certainly wel-
and recordings for comed this
the community. avenue for their
Roosevelt, who youngsters to
was a youngster become conver-
during Helge’s sant with the
stay and remem- modern, chang-
bered him vividly, ing world, they
was like his father, have also come to
a student of his see, in time, that
own culture, and it fundamentally
already possessed is altering the
an impressive ancient link
pedigree for trav- between elder
eling to search out and youth so vital
Nunamiut material to their society
in foreign lands, “I looked toward the tent door. A group of smiling children’s faces peeped in, all framed in the bris- and the transmis-
including a trip to tling wolfskin which edged the hoods of their caribou-skin cloaks. They could not speak a word of sion of cultural
Japan. One day he English, but I learned that the girls’ names were Uyaraq and Alasuq, who had broad, beaming knowledge and
broached the idea smiles.” From Nunamiut: Among Alaska’s Inland Eskimos values.
of contacting
Helge about his materials. At the time I was working for the North
Slope Borough School District in the process of collecting photos,
tapes, maps, and publications pertaining to the Nunamiut in a pilot T oday, with their children and grandchildren deeply enmeshed in
the Western educational system, parents and current elders wist-
fully recall their own youth, when the stories of the old days –
project aimed at developing a history and culture curriculum. Together some of the very ones recorded by Helge – were recounted to them by
we proposed a trip to which he generously agreed, and for years ever their own elders, building and maintaining that strong durable bond to
after Roosevelt reveled in the surprise and then delight in Helge’s voice a rich cultural tradition and a primary venue of teaching in its own
when he answered the fateful phone call that began, “Hello, this is right.
Anaktuvuk calling.” We flew to Oslo and were hosted graciously in the They are, ultimately, an engaging and enduring group of people,
Ingstad home, where for the better part of a week we sorted through his their hunting ethic remains strong, and the songs, dances. and drum-
pictures, marveled at the living room window view across the valley to ming of the old days continues, along with other traditions, to be
the Holmenkollen ski-jump venue, and passed the evenings in conver- passed from generation to generation. Some things will never be
sation, sipping sherry, captivated as Helge regaled us with stories and erased, such as their sense of identity, and ties to the land and the
incidents that, regrettably but understandably, found no place in his wildlife that has sustained them for centuries, but all cannot remain as
book. it once was. It will be fascinating and sometimes uncomfortable to see
Upon our return, Roosevelt and I were able to bring with us the first how it all sorts out in the long run.
installment of dozens of black-and-white photographs, followed soon Better, perhaps, that Ingstad never lived to see, or hear about, the
after by larger prints, nearly a hundred color slides, a copy of the half- full impact of some of these developments before he left us, but I sus-
hour-long 16mm color film, and copies of his dozens of hours of audio pect he often reflected upon his time spent here, treasuring the memo-
taped recordings. Housed at the village school, these materials were ries of his friends and adventures, and taking great satisfaction in
wonderfully received by the community and formed the foundation of knowing, “I have it in me like wealth, the experiences and the people.”
a collection that eventually led to the construction of a local museum How lucky he was. How fortunate we are to have had him share it
in 1985. with us.
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ingstad
Tribute to Helge Ingstad
BY TERJE MYKLEBUST
PHOTO BY ARILD STRØMMEN
PHOTO BY PER MJÆRUM
George Paneak Sigvald Tveit Grete Hovelsrud Robert Sørlie
Mayor, Anaktuvuk Pass Professor of music Scientist 2-ttime winner of Iditarod
“Most Westerners would have “In many ways I felt like I grew From an early age, scientist Grete “I was 9 years old when I bor-
had great difficulties in adapting up with Helge Ingstad,” Sigvald K. Hovelsrud was influenced by rowed my first dog from the
themselves to life among the Tveit recalls. “My family enjoyed Helge Ingstad’s books. “He might Ingstads; a husky that descended
Nunamiut, but not Helge Ingstad. the pleasures of hunting and fish- have planted a seed,” the scientist from a litter that Helge Ingstad
He adjusted easily to the nomadic ing very much, and I remember says. had received as a gift from the
lifestyle.” George Paneak, son of how my parents read to me from Oddly enough, a seed, or legendary Leonhard Seppala in
Simon Paneak – the man who his books and how it inspired us something quite similar to one, Alaska in 1959. That was the start
greeted Ingstad as he stepped off all.” figures in Hovelsrud’s memories of my adventure.”
the bush plane on the eastern Tveit, an associate professor of Ingstad’s literary work. “I Robert Sørlie, two-time cham-
shore of Tulugak Lake in 1949 – of music at the Institute for Music remember reading about Ingstad pion of the infamous Iditarod
remembers the Norwegian and Theatre at the University of collecting spruce shoots to make dog-sled race that takes place
adventurer as a warm and caring Oslo, years later met Ingstad at a tea on one of his journeys,” she annually in Alaska, credits
person who had few problems party. “When I told him my pro- recalls. “I was a little girl at the Ingstad for introducing him to the
getting along with the natives. fession, he immediately invited time and found this rather fasci- sport. “When I was 11 I bought
“He fit right in with the rest of me to his home to listen to nating, which my family got to my first dog, Storm, a Siberian
us,” he said. Paneak, only 5 years recordings he had made of experience when they found jars husky, from Ingstad. From that
old at the time of Ingstad’s visit, Nunamiut songs during his visit of homemade spruce tea in our point until this day dog-sledding
believes both his own people and in 1950.” Once again, Tveit home,” Hovelsrud smiles. “As a has been my passion,” Sørlie
Ingstad himself benefited much found himself inspired by the matter of fact, I did the same reveals.
from the Norwegian’s 9-month Norwegian adventurer, and not thing while doing fieldwork in The talented racer was award-
stay in Alaska. “When he left, I long after, Ingstad’s much Greenland,” she confesses. While ed the 2002 rookie-of-the-year
remember wishing he would wished-for project came to researching her Ph.D. in social award, and went on to win the
return soon,” Paneak confessed. fruition: a double compact-disc anthropology, she spent 18 Iditarod race in 2003 and 2005. In
Today Paneak is mayor of the set titled “Songs of the months on the Arctic island, 2006, Sørlie coached his nephew
Nunamiut community, which has Nunamiuts.” thereby completing a similar Bjørnar Andersen for the same
grown from 65 to 320 people. “We became good friends and journey to Ingstad’s 1932-33 race, in an effort to further devel-
When the Norwegian left the I remember having Helge and his wintering experience as a op Norwegian dog-sledding.
Nunamiut in 1950, they named a wife, Anne Stine, over for dinner Norwegian government represen- “To the dogsled community in
mountain after him, but not until on several occasions. Of course tative. Norway, Helge Ingstad has been
this year, five years after we served him reindeer,” the pro- Today, Hovelsrud serves as an invaluable inspiration,” Sørlie
Ingstad’s death, was it officially fessor chuckles. research director at the Center for says. “As a little boy I remember
recognized by the U.S. Board of Tveit remembers Ingstad as a International Climate and being read to from The Land of
Geographic Names. George meticulous scientist in all areas of Environmental Research in Oslo, Feast and Famine, and there’s no
Paneak had been looking forward his work: “Even though his books and reflects on lessons learned doubt that such stories from his
to officially placing the Ingstad combine scientific scholarship from reading Ingstad’s books. adventures in the wilderness are a
name on the map. “Giving him with storytelling, Ingstad never “First and foremost, Ingstad great inspiration to everybody in
this mountain was our way of lost his eye for detail.” taught me the opportunities of the community.”
making sure that he’ll always be travel,” she said.
around,” the mayor explains.
www.norway.org | 7
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The Norwegians
PHOTOS BY ANNE SENSTAD
Photographer Anne Senstad
searches for the truly unique
Norwegian expression.
BY ARILD STRØMMEN
“L iving abroad has made me reflect on my roots and what it is to
be Norwegian,” New York-based photographer Anne Senstad
says. “Many artists and writers throughout the years have dealt
with the theme of being Norwegian, perhaps without knowing that
this is what they were doing, but in retrospect their work has become
equivalent of embodying the Norwegian spirit – I’m thinking about
Ibsen, Bjørnson, and Munch, who all on various levels stand for and
depict the Norwegian soul.”
Senstad wanted to use photography to show what she considers
“typical Norwegian.” She chose 50 male musicians, explorers, and
artists and tried to capture their “Norwegian uniqueness”. The por-
traits became an exhibit touring the U.S., and the book “The
Norwegians.”
“Norwegians are often sort of “modern Indians,” closely tied to
nature even though most Norwegians now live in cities and lead mod-
ern lives – a lot of people tend to have their unique way of express-
ing themselves.” To capture the Norwegian character on film, she
asked her subjects to wear their usual clothing, except for the Sami,
who she asked to don traditional garb. She was about to photograph
Roger Ludvigsen, a Norwegian Sami, but he had forgotten his white
neck scarf, a mandatory element of the costume. In a laid-back, no-
worries attitude – that many Norwegians embody – he thought for a
minute and said: “I’ll just use some toilet paper as a scarf instead, no
one will notice.” (See photo on opposite page.)
S
enstad chooses strong colors for her backgrounds. “People wear
a lot of red. Ski outfits used to be all red or dark blue, the flag
has a lot of red in it, and on May 17 – Constitution Day – you
see a sea of red flags during the children’s parade. This is a strong
childhood memory Norwegians have. Blue symbolizes the blue of the ANDE SOMBY, SAMI PROFESSOR OF LAW
North Sea, fishing and sailing. Norwegians are so close to nature and
have a lot of respect for it.”
Senstad first came to New York to study photography at Parsons
School of Design, and then worked as an assistant for other photog-
raphers and at a gallery. “I have always been drawn to portraiture as
a visual language to understanding the human complexity, as well as
a psychological portrait of a person's inner make-up,” she said. Her
work in this area even brought her to shoot portraits of Robert
Redford, Julianne Moore, and Mike Tyson.
T
he Norwegian photographer has also worked extensively with
abstract photography. Her latest undertaking is “The Pink
Project”, a study of the notion of pink and euphoria which is
based on her one-of-a-kind light installations.
“The Pink Project” is shown at the Ressle Fine Art Gallery in New
York from September 19 to October 3, 2006, and at the Houston
Center of Photography in April, 2007.
“The Norwegians” is on sale at Scandinavia House and the
International Center of Photography in New York, or contact the artist
at anne@senstad.com or by calling (212) 221-3508. A planned fol- TORKIL SÆTERVADET, BØRGE AUSLAND, EXPLORER
low-up project is a portrait series capturing 50 Norwegian women. FILM PROJECTIONIST
8 | news of norway | fall 2006
73696_NORWAY.qxp 9/13/2006 2:20 PM Page 9
photography
PHOTOS BY ANNE SENSTAD
KJETIL ROLNESS, JOURNALIST AND SINGER TORBJØRN SØRENSEN, CARPENTER
ERLING KAGGE, EXPLORER THURE ERIK LUND, AUTHOR BØRGE FJORDHEIM, MUSICIAN ROGER LUDVIGSEN,
SAMI MUSICIAN
www.norway.org | 9
73696_NORWAY.qxp 9/13/2006 2:20 PM Page 10
feature
Navigating the Arctic Skies
PHOTO BY ARILD STRØMMEN
Einar Sverre Pedersen
has flown across the
North Pole 400 times.
BY TERJE MYKLEBUST
“T his flag has been with me across the
North Pole hundreds of times,” Einar
Sverre Pedersen says. The 87-year old
holds up a small Norwegian flag he brought
with him during the first Scandinavian
Airlines flights from Norway to Alaska in the
1950s, when he was a navigator. Back then,
airlines were inclined to believe that the short-
est flight distance between two points was a
straight line, and started traveling over the
North Pole. Altogether, Pederesen crossed the
pole more than 400 times. Today, at his house
outside Anchorage, the veteran navigator
enthusiastically relives his adventures through
photographs he took while flying the arctic
skies.
Pedersen’s adventure started in Trondheim
in 1919. As a 6-year-old toddler, his parents
took him to see a movie about Norwegian
polar explorers, an experience which would
leave lasting impressions on his young mind.
Returning from Greenland, where the adven-
turous Pedersen had tested himself against the
elements, he found his home country overrun
by enemy troops. The year was 1940, and in
his eagerness to join the Allies in the fight
against Nazi Germany, Pedersen postponed
further polar adventures and joined the British
8th Army in its campaign in North Africa. At his home outside Anchorage, Alaska, aviator Einar Sverre Pedersen waves the flag
Exchanging sand dunes for snowy fields, he brought with him on hundreds of flights across the North Pole in the 1950s.
the aspiring navigator traveled to Canada and
volunteered his services at a training school ambitious Pedersen, encouraging him to chan- wilderness. Pedersen broke his arm, but was
run by exiled Norwegian Airforce members. nel his desire for aviation into innovation. still able to shoot passing reindeer for survival
As a result, Pedersen was himself exiled, and Before long, the Norwegian pilot had invent- food. It was 8 days before they were found
did not see his beloved Norway until the war ed the instrumentation required to make and rescued.
ended. flights as close to the magnetic North Pole as In 1963, Pedersen’s wife, Ingrid, became
A newly educated navigator, Pedersen possible. the first woman to fly a single-engine plane
served for several years in the Royal Air In turn, Alaska became an international across the Pole. Ingrid had earlier expressed a
Force, ferrying bomber aircrafts across the destination for air traffic. Many airlines were desire to become a flight attendant, to which
Polar Regions to England from America, subsequently to follow in SAS's footsteps, Pedersen had fiercely replied: “Don't!
before he devoted himself to hunting German bringing with them great economic and social Become a pilot instead!” And she did.
submarines in the frigid North Atlantic. At the benefits for the Alaskan people. For his The veteran aviator wasn’t, however, satis-
end of the war, Pedersen’s extensive aviation achievement, Pedersen received an honorary fied with simply just flying over Alaska.
experience earned him the position of chief doctorate from the University of Alaska in When he planted his feet on Alaskan soil for
navigator at Scandinavian Airlines, and final- 1994. the first time more than 50 years ago, he
ly the aviator turned his attention to his great Later he would seek respite from the instantly fell in love with what would become
passion: the Arctic. monotony of flying passenger aircrafts by his home. Currently residing outside of
Teaming up with Bernt Balchen and planning and carrying out daring adventures Anchorage with his wife, the 87-year old can
Admiral Riiser-Larsen, Pedersen put all his in small single-engine airplanes. He went look back on a life filled with adventure and
energy into flying commercial planes across down several times, miraculously surviving excitement, and may still be a little bit amazed
the pole. Merely linking Scandinavia and every crash. Once, he and a friend made an at the chain of events sparked by a trip to the
Alaska wasn't enough for the still young and emergency landing in the middle of the Yukon local movie theater some 80 years ago.
10 | news of norway | fall 200673696_NORWAY.qxp 9/13/2006 2:21 PM Page 11
ibsen
Ibsen’s Apartment Opens to the Public
A
hundred years after his death, Henrik Ibsen’s apartment in years after his death, the public can finally get a complete look at how
Arbinsgate 1 in Oslo is now open to the public in its orig- Henrik Ibsen lived and worked during his final years. The
inal state. Norwegian Museum of Cultural History is behind the recon-
Oslo, May 23, 1906 at 2.30 p.m: Henrik Ibsen, after struction, and Ibsen’s office, where he wrote his two last
years of illness, sits up in his bed and exclaims “On the plays – John Gabriel Borkman and When We Dead Awaken
contrary!” Moments later, Norway’s greatest author is – is the focal point of the apartment. However, the public
dead at 78. After Ibsen’s death, his apartment in can also view other rooms, including the library, dining
Arbins gate 1 in downtown Oslo continues to be his room and bedroom.
wife Suzannah Ibsen’s home until she passes away in All the central pieces of furniture are Ibsen’s own, and
1914. Afterwards, the home disintegrates: Some rooms the reconstruction of floors, walls, ceiling and surfaces are
are moved to the Norwegian Museum of Cultural based on archaeological examinations of the building sup-
History; belongings are shared among relatives, and the plemented by other historical sources. In addition, the major
apartment itself is modernized and converted into office space. street adjacent to Arbins gate, which among other things houses the
Consequently, it has been a long process recreating the private Royal Palace and the U.S. Embassy, has recently been renamed Henrik
sphere of one the world’s most famous dramatist, but now, a hundred Ibsens gate, or Henrik Ibsen’s street.
PHOTOS BY PIERRE DE BRISIS
Norwegian-American Historical Association, Norway Chapter Celebrates 25 Years
BY CYNTHIA ELYCE RUBIN
T
he Norwegian-American Historical the Norwegian-American experience, the role built around 1180 A.D. and consecrated to St.
Association, Norway Chapter, celebrat- of religion, the importance of letters and jour- Olav. With an interior dating from the post-
ed its 25th anniversary in 2006 with the nals, recruiting pastors of Norwegian- Reformation period and some benches bear-
seminar titled Migration and Memory: American Lutheran churches, childhood ing inscriptions from 1579, the background
Norwegian-American Dimensions. 75 people memories from Alberta, Canada, the Belmont was perfect for the evening’s entertainment of
from Norway and the United States gathered Massacre of 1862, a Norwegian settlement in traditional music and song. Professor Herleik
at Telemark University College and partici- the heart of Indian country, and the early 20th- Baklid from Telemark gave a history of the
pated in a lively exchange celebrating schol- century postcards produced by Norwegian- old church in word and song pointing out the
arship and friendship. immigrant photographer, O.S. Leeland of paneling in the chancel with its 1650s paint-
Patricia Hampl, author and professor in the Mitchell, South Dakota. May Lunde gave an ings. Vidar Lande and Anne Svånaug Haugan,
Department of English at the University of evening illustrated presentation of the history professors of music, played folk music on
Minnesota, gave a stirring, heartfelt talk on of NAHA-Norway. Hardanger fiddles.
the meaning of memory; Elliott R. Barkan, Linda Lawrence Hunt of Spokane, Dina Tolfsby, Curator of the Norwegian-
Professor Emeritus in the History Department Washington, author of the prize-winning American Collection, National Library, Oslo
of California State University in San book, Bold Spirit: Helga Estby’s Forgotten Division and president of NAHA-Norway for
Bernardino, asked the question, “Where have Walk across Victorian America, inspired the past six years, passed the president's baton
all the Norwegian-Americans in the Pacific everyone with her story of Helga Estby, a to Knut Djupedal, Director of the Norwegian
Northwest gone?” and Orm Øverland, mother of nine children, who, in 1896, dared Emigrant Museum in Hamar. A website com-
Professor Emeritus, English Department of to walk 3,500 miles with her daughter, in memorating the 175th anniversary of
the University of Bergen, talked about his order to win a $10,000 wager and stave off Norwegian emigration to America can be
research with immigrant letters in the foreclosure of her home. found at www.nb.no/emigrasjon/emigration.
Norwegian National Archives. A highlight of the seminar was a musical NAHA-Norway may be contacted at
29 speakers treated topics such as, maps in presentation in the charming old Bø church, museum@emigrant.museum.no
www.norway.org | 1173696_NORWAY.qxp 9/13/2006 2:21 PM Page 12
what’s cooking
Fine Dining at Norsk Høstfest
ould you like to experience Salmon and Lobster Salad
W fine dining with Norwegian
flair? Sons of Norway and
Norwill Inc. are bringing a new and
1 pound poached salmon
1/2 lobster
1/2 pound green peas
exciting dining experience to Norsk 1 small can of asparagus
Høstfest. New to the festival, patrons
will have the opportunity to enjoy Sauce:
memorable fine-dining at a traditional 3 hard-boiled egg yolks
sit-down restaurant known as “En To 4 tablespoons sour cream or cream
Tre.” Its head chef Willy Hansen, will 3-4 tablespoons veal pan drippings or stock
orchestrate a special dining experi- 2 teaspoons mustard
ence that differs greatly from the typi- 3 tablespoons vinegar
cal Norsk Høstfest eatery. 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
From October 11-14, “En To Tre” dash cayenne pepper
will offer a culinary oasis at North 1 teaspoon sugar
America’s largest Scandinavian festi- 1/4 teaspoon salt
val. Located in Oslo Hall, but set apart
from the venue’s bustling activity, “En Clean the salmon and the lobster. Cut into pieces. Add peas and aspara-
To Tre” will offer diners the option of gus. Mix the egg yolks with the cream or sour cream. Mix mustard and
a seafood, poultry or meat, or “Det pepper with the vinegar (use slightly less vinegar if you are using sour
beste fra land, vann og luft.” It will cream). Add oil, salt, pepper, and sugar. Place fish, lobster, peas, and
have room for 75 people at a time. asparagus on a serving platter. Cover with sauce and refrigerate.
Reservations are already being taken. Willy Hansen, founder and Garnish with lobster claws and dill. Serve the salad as an appetizer or
“Emphasis on authenticity and head chef at Norwill, will be as a main dish, with bread.
maintaining century-old Norwegian joined by to other Norwegian
culinary traditions are the cornerstones chefs at Høstfest: Mark Wildstew (Viltgryte)
of my cuisine,” Willy Hansen says. Norberg, head chef at the 4 pounds reindeer or gamebird meat, or a mixture of the two
Born and raised in Harstad, the “fish- Norwegian Pavillion at the 1/4 pound salted pork, without rinds
ing capital of the world,” he wishes to Epcot Center and Ståle 4 tablespoons flour
give everyone a taste of the treasures Johansen, head chef at 2 cups boiling meat stock
of the sea. Fossheim Hotel in Norway. 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For a taste of “En To Tre” please 1/2 teaspoon crushed juniper berries
try one of the recipes at right, or make 1 cup lingonberry jam
your reservations at Høstfest now. 1 onion
Salt
Fine Norwegian Dining at “En To Tre” Cut the meat into serving pieces, and the pork into cubes. Brown the
Norsk Høstfest, Minot, ND, October 11-14 pork in a large pot. Remove the pork, but let fat remain in pan.
To make reservations or for more information Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Roll meat in flour mixture, and brown
in pork fat. Add meat stock. Add chopped onion, pork, crushed juniper
please call (866) 598-4506 or visit: berries, and lingonberry jam. Simmer until meat is tender. Serve with
www.norwill.com or www.hostfest.com small boiled potatoes or bread.
12 | www.norway.org/food73696_NORWAY.qxp 9/13/2006 2:21 PM Page 13
books
Living with Eskimos
Dr. Benedicte Ingstad recalls her father Helge’s tales of
Eskimo life, as his book is republished after 52 years
PHOTO BY EIRIK INGSTAD
BY TERJE MYKLEBUST
“I Nunamiut:
n a sense, I felt I grew up among the dwellers. Open, friendly faces; gleaming
Nunamiut.” It took Dr. Benedicte white teeth. The children crowded round me
Ingstad, daughter of explorer and author without shyness and chattered away in
Helge Ingstad, 18 years before she finally met Eskimo with boldness. They were all dressed Among Alaska’s
the people whose picture her father had drawn
so vividly in his 1951 book, “Nunamiut:
in caribou-skin anoraks, splendidly edged
with the skin of wolf and wolverine.”
Inland Eskimos
Among Alaska’s Inland Eskimos.” Yet, in The Ingstads were on vacation in By Helge Ingstad
more ways than one, the then-23-year-old had California in 1949 when Helge decided to First published in the U.S. in 1954
the feeling she already knew the Eskimo peo- take a quick detour to Alaska, leaving his Special commemorative edition
ple as she stepped onto Alaskan soil in 1968. wife, Anne Stine, and daughter with his broth- Published in 2006 by
“Perhaps an unavoidable result of so many er, who at the time served as consul general in The Countryman Press
stories told throughout my childhood,” San Francisco. When Helge Ingstad returned,
Ingstad speculates. Even though Helge his mind was made up: He was going to spend $19.95/Canada $25.00
Ingstad appeared to be an ordinary dad to his three quarters of a year – including the ardu- To order call 1-800-245-4151or
young daughter, it is clear that family life ous winter months with average temperatures www.countrymanpress.com
among the Ingstads might have been a little as low as -8F – with the Nunamiut, a 65-per-
out of the ordinary, muchly due to Helge’s son community of hunters and gatherers of
ever-returning adventurousness. “But this was the north-central Brooks Range. “I don't think for the author himself. “Together with The
how he made a living for his family, and we mom was too happy about his decision, espe- Land of Feast and Famine and The Apache
got used to it,” Dr. Ingstad recalls. cially since they’d only been married for five Indians: In Search Of The Missing Tribe,
While arctic Alaska was rapidly embrac- or six years. But off he went,” his daughter Nunamuit made up the core of his author-
ing modernity at the time of Benedicte remembers. ship,” she said.
Ingstad’s arrival, her father encountered dif- Helge brought data and photographs back “That this long-out-of-print book is being
ferent conditions in 1949, when he stepped off to Norway in 1950 that later proved invalu- republished is a great event for the family.
a bush plane that had taken him to the eastern able to the scientific community as well as the Hopefully people will appreciate it as much as
shore of Tulugak Lake. There is something Nunamiut themselves, and, not least, an out- they did when it was initially released back in
fairytale-like and fascinating in his descrip- line for a new addition to an already rich body 1951,” Ingstad said. She believes Spearman’s
tion of his first encounter with the Nunamiute of literary work. As Grant Spearman notes in foreword adds another dimension to her
people, with whom he was to tie such strong the preface of the newly released commemo- father’s book. “While the book for the most
bonds with over the next nine months: rative edition of the book, “his work quite lit- part is a travelogue from passed times, his
“I landed, and met smiles and curious erally brought these remarkable people to the preface will provide answers for readers
looks from hunters, women, and a pack of attention of the world” According to who’re interested in learning about my
children of all ages. I greeted each of them Benedicte Ingstad, the Nunamiut’s own father’s life – both before and after his visit to
separately. They were tall, strong people with appreciation of Helge’s work, was what made Alaska – and how Nunamiut society has
the wiry agility characteristic of mountain this particular book take on a special meaning evolved.”
fall 2006 | news of norway | 1373696_NORWAY.qxp 9/13/2006 2:22 PM Page 14
The Master Builder inspires audiences of all ages with features six Norwegian artists with
GLENDALE, CA a dramatic, interactive presenta- paintings and lithographs inspired
October 10 - December 11 tion of Norway's no. 1 playwright by Ibsen plays. At the M2 Gallery.
Info: 818-240-0910 Ibsen at the Scandinavia House. Info: www.norway.org/houston
Info: 212-847-9740
Rolf Stang as Ibsen "To be a poet is to see - Ibsen in
MINOT, ND, October 11 - 14 Ibsen Lecture Series our time"
Actor Rolf Stang performs daily as NEW YORK, Oct 23, Nov 13, Dec 4 HOUSTON, TX, October 19-29
Ibsen for visitors at Norsk Høstfest Distinguished academics com- Official Ibsen anniversary exhibit
Info: 701-852-2368. memorate Ibsen's role in modern at the M2 Gallery.
theater in a three-part lecture Info: www.norway.org/houston
The Wild Duck at BAM series at Scandinavia House.
NEW YORK, October 25 - 29 Info: 212-847-9740 film
Directed by Eirik Stubø. The
"It Takes Another Kind of Man"
standout cast of Norway's Professor Toril Moi at M2
NEW YORK, Oct. 3 and 17, 5pm
Nationaltheateret brings a rich HOUSTON, TX, October 26
Ibsen film series introduced by
humanity to Ibsen's highly Professor at Duke University, Toril
Anne-Karin Titze followed by post
metaphorical drama in a distinctly Moi, gives a lecture on Ibsen and
screening discussions. Includes
nuanced performance. BAM his works at the M2 Gallery.
"A Doll's House" and "An Enemy of
Harvey Theater, Brooklyn, NY. Info: 713-521-2900
The People". At Hunter College.
Info: 718-636-4100
Info: 212-650-3322
BAMtalk: Ibsen in the 21st Century
A Doll's House & Hedda Gabler NEW YORK, Oct 28
Ibsen Film festival
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, Oct. 26 - Nov 11 With a panel consisting of director
MINNEAPOLIS, MN., November
At The University of Minnesota Eirik Stubø, professor Joan
Seven films based on plays by
Theater Templeton and others at the BAM
Ibsen, Fridays at 7 PM. and
Info: 612-625-4001 Hillman Attic Studio, Brooklyn, NY
Sundays at 4:30 PM. Lindall
2006 marks the 100th anniversary Info: 718-636-4100
Library at Augsburg College
of the death of the Norwegian Hedda Gabler or tickets@BAM.org
Info: 612-624-4467
playwright Henrik Ibsen. His life MINNEAPOLIS, MN, November 5
and work will be commemorated Performance of Hedda Gabler at Professor Joan Templeton: Two
Ibsen Film Series at New York
throughout the year, which in Augsburg College Great Norwegian Modernists:
Public Library
Norway has been named the Info: 612-330-1507 Edvard Munch's Illustrations of
NEW YORK, Nov 2, 9, 16 and 30
“Ibsen Year.” For updated informa- Henrik Ibsen's Plays.
The New York Public Library
tion about plays and festivals, see A Doll's House NEW YORK, Nov. 8
screens films based on Ibsen's
GRAND FORKS, ND, Nov. 14-18 Templeton lectures at the New
www.norway.org/ibsen The University of North Dakota is York Public Library.
"The Lady from the Sea" and
"Hedda Gabler".
u.s. performing A Doll's House at Info: 212-340-0874
Info: 212-621-0609
Burtness Theatre.
plays Info: Lecture at the Smithsonian
An Enemy of the People kathleen_mclennan@und.nodak.edu WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 16 canada
WASHINGTON, D.C. Through Oct 22 Theater scholar Leslie Jacobsen
Hedda Gabler at BAM and award-winning actors Robert festivals & plays
Shakespeare Theatre Company,
Washington DC. NEW YORK Prosky and Tana Hicken pay trib- Rosmersholm
Info: 202-547-1122 November 28 - December 2 ute to Norwegian master play- At the Shaw Theatre Festival
Info: 718-636-4100 wright Henrik Ibsen through lec- NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKES,
An Enemy of the People ture and live readings at The ONTARIO, Through- October 7
NORTHFIELD, MN, Oct. 1, 6-8 lectures Smithsonian. The production is part of the 2006
Northfield Arts Guild Theater pres- Info: 202-357-3030 or visit festival season and the Inter-
Evenings with Ibsen at the Nor-
ents An Enemy of the People. www.smithsonianassociates.org national Ibsen Centennial.
wegian Seamen's Church
Info: 507-645-8877 Info: 905-468-2172
NEW YORK, Last Tuesday of
Ibsen and The Dramatic Imagi-
every month
Peer Gynt Selected works by Ibsen will be
nation lectures
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. Sept. 29-Oct. 2 NEW YORK, December 5
read, followed by discussion. Ibsen Centenary Lecture at
NEW YORK, October 6 - 9 Professor Michael Goldman dis-
Info: 212-319-0370 University of Calgary
The American theatre company cusses how Ibsen solicits and
CALGARY, October 16
Dell'Arte collaborates with the unleashes the power of the actor
Toril Moi: Henrik Ibsen's Visiting Professor Katherine E.
Danish Jomfru Ane Teatret in a and forges his distinctive dramatic
Remarkable Modernity Kelly (Texas A&M University)
new production of Peer Gynt. style. At New York Public Library.
NEW YORK, October 18 gives lecture entitled "Pandemic
Info: 707-668-5663 Info: 212-340-0874
Ibsen scholar Moi will lecture at and Performance: The Ibsen
the New York Public Library. Virus."
Peer Gynt in Central Park Info: 212-340-0874 exhibits Info: farfan@ucalgary.ca
NEW YORK, October 5-7 Anne Kristine Thorsby's "Peer
A musical performance of Henrik Toril Moi: Hedda Gabler: Modernity, Gynt" series Little Eyolf, University of
Ibsen's Peer Gynt with Norwegian Marriage and the Everyday NEW YORK, Oct. 5 - Nov. 24 Saskatchewan
actors from the Vinstra production, NEW YORK, Oct. 19 An exhibit featuring paintings SASKATOON, November.
directed by Svein Sturla Hungnes. Moi will lecture at Deutches Haus, inspired by "Peer Gynt". Seminar on Ibsen at the
Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite Columbia University. Info: 212-319-0370 or Department of Drama.
performed by The American Info: 212-854-4015 info@trygveliegallery.com Info: dwayne.brenna@usask.ca
Symhony Orchestra.
Delacorte Theater, Central Park, The Quiet Eye of The Hurricane Henrik Ibsen 100th Anniversary For updated information about
Info: 212- 534-1241 NEW YORK, October 21 Art Exhibit events in Canada please visit:
www.ticketcentral.com Norwegian actor Rolf Stang HOUSTON, TX, October 19-29 www.emb-norway.ca
14 | news of norway | fall 2006You can also read
