Den sista björnen som fälldes

Jakthistorier som vittnesmål om modernitet

Författare

• Alf Arvidsson Umeå universitet

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37447/bk.160748

Nyckelord:

jakthistorier, modernitet, rovdjur, etnobiologi, hunting stories, modernity, predatory animals, ethnobiology

Abstract

The last bear brought down: hunting stories as testimonies to modernity

In a longer series of interviews documenting storyteller Karl Bergqvist, he avoided the traditional entertaining hunting stories, claiming not to be a “big hunter”. Instead, he chose to tell stories of “the last” bear, wolf, and beaver being shot in his home region, thus holding on to the role of narrator of societal changes and ways of living during the 20^th century. These stories allowed him to comment on people and their characteristics, as well as show his knowledge of wild animals and their behaviour. However, he also integrates these stories into discourse on changes in ecology and larger social structures, thereby elevating the significance of local occurrences to a broader level.