The Indigenous Norse

This is a great blog on the indigenous Nordic people called Saami. The music can be overwhelming, but it's incredibly well-researched, though sometimes translated confusingly. It's multi-lingual and packed with references and photos. Fun! I just wish I could read half the links...

The Saami

My brother in New Mexico is practicing Nordic shamanism. Next time someone says "I have a problem with European Pagans practicing shamanism, isn't that appropriating Native American culture?" I shall refer them to this blog, which says among other things, "Rock carvings and rock paintings indicate that Shaman practicing in the Nordic and the rest of the Saami areas go back to the Neolithic period and even further."

They even used a drum, called runebomme, and a striking Thors hammer rune-carved of bone!

Here's the post on shamanism:

Saami Shamans

And just what, you may ask, do these interludes of science and history have to do with Western Rambling? It helps me put the present in context. Then I can look back later and figure out why exactly a week in the Texas Hill Country in a cabin lit with oil lamps and watered with rainwater catchment, while buffalo grunt outside, made me think of my ancient ancestors in Scandinavia...well, really, it makes sense.