- EDITORIAL 03/25/00
- Remember, a beautiful life is merely prayer in motion, and a world without prayer has no center to it. God bless us all.
Swedish Travels
- Herman and I flew to Sweden in the first week of March, heading for the north rather than the 'balmy' south that we are familiar with. On this trip we crossed the Artic Circle twice.
- Our departure was somewhat delayed, as in mid-flight, a passenger had a medical emergency, causing the plane to turn around and reroute to St. John's, NewFoundland, so that the passenger could debark and receive medical attention. In spite of the 4 hour delay, we didn't mind too much, as our seats crossing the Atlantic were upgrades to First Class, complete with our own beds and televisions. Delta does it right!
- We arrived in Umea via Stockholm and were surprised to see that even the best of plowed streets still had at least 2-3 inches of snow on them. It was generally about zero degrees Farenheit in the mid day. We then drove a bit to Nordmaling, where we met some wonderful people with a large home and barn. We stayed in their home for 3 nights. We also rode their snowmobiles, which the Swedes call 'scooters.' We ate loads of moose meat, which is by far more available in the north than beef.
- The concert in Nordmaling was a benefit for a suicide-prevention and awareness center. The sponsor of the performance was a woman who had lost both her son and husband to suicide. (As a side-note, Sweden's suicide statistics for youth are quite a bit lower than the States, though the successful suicide of a parent following a child's death is somewhat higher) The day following the concert we held a flute playing class. A great time was had by all. Even Herman joined in playing the flute.
- We then drove north, stopping in schools along the way, doing small school performances. We ate lunches in the schools and tried the Swedish form of blood sausage, made with reindeer meat. A bit too peppery for me, but otherwise very good.
- After stops in several villages, we arrived in Boden, (pronounced "Boo-den) The next morning we drove further north to meet with a family of Saamish people, Sweden's indigenous people. The family was wonderful, having put up a contemporary 'laava' or tipi, feeding us boiled coffee and sweet cakes. The inside of the laava was dug into the snow, about 4 feet down, with a bench carved in the snow. A table was also carved in the snow for us to place our coffee and food on. The bench was covered in reindeer hides, and was very comfortable. A man named Michael spoke to us at length, telling us about how the Saamish people herd the reindeer, how they use the reindeer's parts, how their woodcraft is an important part of their culture, and how their clothing design and decoration indicates the region or village that they are from. Very similar to how beadwork patterns hold tribal affiliations in Native culture.
- After our light meal, we were treated to Michael doing a 'yoik,' or song. It's a form of singing very similar to Tuvan or Eskimo throat vocals. Beautiful, inspiring, and definitely moving. The song brought to mind the forest, and the reindeer in it.
- We then donned clothing provided by our host, and jumped into a sled pulled by dogs. Our sled was pulled by 8 dogs, while the lead sled was pulled by 10. It was exhilarating, but the real fun came after our initial journey into the woods; Herman and I would each receive a sled and team of our own to drive! After a few minutes of instruction, we set off, each with a sled pulled by 4 dogs. I think my team was faster, but the trail wouldn't allow me to get too close to Herman and his team. Determined to be the fastest, I caught up to him quickly, but alas, as we rounded the very last corner of the track before reaching the home stretch, I found myself going to fast to keep the sled upright, and was pitched into 6 foot deep snow, filling my ears, nose, and eyes. The dogs didn't mind the loss of the extra 180 lbs! They just kept right on running. Herman, on the other hand, was far and away ahead of me, and brought his team to a successful stop. I crawled out of the snow using my entire body, until I could get back to the trail where I could get on my knees, and eventually my feet, to walk the rest of the way back. Thank heaven for hot coffee!
- We then headed for Jokkmokk, where there is a school exclusively for people who are Saamish. They study their language, their culture, crafts, and most importantly, the reindeer herding/slaughtering/management business. Courses of Art, Math, Science, Animal Husbandry, Language, Cooking, History, and more were the curriculum of the day. The college-level students were having a taco dinner that first night, and Herman sang a few songs for them. The students did some yoik for us as well.
- After sleeping in the world renowned Jokkmokk Hotel, we went to the elementary level schools, having a small assembly with the students, and visiting in their classrooms to learn more about them. The kids were absolutely full of questions, and Herman was easily their doll. They loved his songs, asking him to sing over and over again. We then went around Jokkmokk seeing the museum, having reindeer meat for lunch, (reindeer meat is incredible!) and meeting with local folks. Lars Pirak, a world class artist in his 60's, invited us into his shop to show us how he works the reindeer horn, wood, and paints. We then went to the home of a "grand old lady" as she's known, a woman who lived in the mountains for most of her life, who still teaches and maintains the old-style crafts of the Saamish. She showed us how they weave the baskets, make the wooden bowls, and work the leather.
- Following Jokkmokk, we traveled back to Boden, again crossing the Artic Circle, this time in the daylight so we could take photos. Being the heaviest of all of us, I sank nearly to my waist in the hard packed snow. It was a cold drive back down, that's for certain.
- We had a concert the next day in Boden, one at the local 'gymnasium' which is the Swedish word for the high school. Their High School auditorium rivals the finest concert halls in the States. It was beautiful and wonderful sounding. We then performed in a local folk music house for a crowd of about 300.
- Flying down to Stockholm late that night, we stayed at the Foresta Hotelen. WOW! Crossing the bridges of Stockholm, the hotel looked like a castle from the water. (Stockholm is made up of land and 13 islands, so there are many bridges) A flute class in the morning, a concert in the afternoon, and we were done for this 10 day tour. We settled into a local steakhouse, dining on awesome barbequed ribs.
- All in all, it was a wonderful time, great performances, great audiences, and fun for all. We are returning to Sweden in June of this year as well, so for our Swedish friends, we'll see you then!
- Until next time,
o all h
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