Hovden, Nordland
Encyclopedia
Bø, Nordland
Bø is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Vesterålen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Straume...
municipality in Nordland
Nordland
is a county in Norway in the North Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Nord-Trøndelag in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Hovden makes up the north-eastern part of the municipality and is defined geographically by the Malnesfjord in East and the ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in the north and west. The road has its end in Hovden. The habitation of Hovden, on the outermost point on a peninsula of the third largest island in Norway; Langøy
Langøy
-Places:*Langøy, Møre og Romsdal, a village in Averøy, Norway*Langøy, Telemark, an island in Kragerø, Norway*Langøya, the third largest island in Norway...
, is because of the closeness to the rich fishing banks off Vesterålen
Vesterålen
Vesterålen is a district and archipelago in Nordland, Norway, just north of Lofoten.-The name:The Norse forms of the name were Vestráll and Vestrálar . The first element is vestr n west, the last element is áll m ' sound, strait'...
. Processing of fish
Fish processing
The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer...
has been, in addition to the fishing itself, the main employment of dwellers in Hovden.
Archaeological findings show that Hovden have been populated at least since 400 to 800 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
.
Malnes are today referred to as a part of Hovden. This latter day denomination constitute the Southern and western part of the community. Malnes was the clerical center for the northern part of Bø
Bø, Nordland
Bø is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Vesterålen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Straume...
until the church was moved from Malnes in 1829. The name of the parish is still Malnes.
Climate
Hovdens climate is a mild coastal climate. The winter is seldom cold. Average temperature in January is −1,4o C. The summer is seldom warm. Average temperature in August is 12,1o C. The precipitation is quite large with approximately 1000mm pr yearNorwegian only The Climate is perfect for drying fish as the temperature is seldom below minus two and above 10 in the most important months between January and May.The immediate closeness of the ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
make the climate mild. April to June have the least precipitation, while the wet months are the autumn months. The dominating winds are the South-West winds (mild and moist) and the North-east winds (cold and dry). The North Atlantic Drift
North Atlantic Current
The North Atlantic Current is a powerful warm ocean current that continues the Gulf Stream northeast. West of Ireland it splits in two; one branch, the Canary Current, goes south, while the other continues north along the coast of northwestern Europe...
(extension of te Gulf Stream
Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...
) is the reason for the mild climate. The continental shelf
Continental shelf
The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...
rises close to shore outside Vesterålen and have an insignificant impact on the life in the sea.
Etymology
Hovden have got its name from a high and steep cliff, now partly demolished, in the north-western part of the community. The word derives from the Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
language, and the stem of the word is the same as in modern Norwegian/Danish "hode", Swedish "huvud" and English "head". This cliff is at the former southern entrance to the harbor. Now closed by a breakwater. The islets on the northernmost point of Hovden was called Maarsholmen.
Malnes the integrated part of Hovden today means, according to Oluf Rygh
Oluf Rygh
Oluf Rygh was a noted Norwegian archeologist, philologist and historian. Oluf Rygh is recognized as one of the founders of professional archeology in Norway.-Background:...
in his book Norske Gaardnavne
Norske Gaardnavne
Norske Gaardnavne is a 19 volume set of books based on a manuscript prepared from 1897 to 1924 by Professor Oluf Rygh, a noted professor of archeology, philology and history at the University of Oslo...
, a headland with a shore made of rounded stones. A "moll" in Norwegian.
Malnes are today referred to as a part of Hovden. This latter day denomination constitute the Southern and western part of the community. Malnes was the clerical center for the northern part of Bø
Bø, Nordland
Bø is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Vesterålen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Straume...
until the church was moved from Malnes in 1829. The name of the parish is still Malnes.
History
Hovden is a part of a line of old fishing communities in Vesterålen. Between the northern AndenesAndenes
is a town and former municipality in Vesterålen district in Nordland county, Norway.Andenes was separated from Dverberg January 1, 1924. It was merged with Dverberg and Bjørnskinn to create the new municipality of Andøy January 1, 1964....
and the south-western Vinje there are several communities along the coastline with the common denominator the closeness to the fishing banks off Vesterålen
Vesterålen
Vesterålen is a district and archipelago in Nordland, Norway, just north of Lofoten.-The name:The Norse forms of the name were Vestráll and Vestrálar . The first element is vestr n west, the last element is áll m ' sound, strait'...
. Hovden is one of these, and have to its advantage good harboring conditions and "clean" seas outside. Most of the coast-line has a lot of rocks and skerries, so a good harbor was of vital significance to these communities.
Given the long settlement history, to maintain a large population is not possible in Hovden. From the census in 1666, nine men were registered as head of families in Hovden. Including families the total number of people could not have exceeded 60.
Agriculture in Hovden has been and still is limited. The main agricultural activity have been sheep and goat farming. But then as a supplement to the main income source; fishing. Conditions for farming large cattle is poor as the soil do not produce enough grass for larger cattle. Before potatoes came to Northern-Norway (before the early 19th century) there have been grown grains in Hovden, we do not know of the type, but oats
OATS
OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...
and barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
have been grown in northern Norway since before 1000 EC.
The fisheries have been and still are the most important economical activity in Hovden. Several different fisheries are important, but the most significant is the winter-fisheries between Christmas and Easter. These fisheries is also known under the name Lofotfisket. The Cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
, gadus morhua migrate from the Barents Sea
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
to spawn
Spawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
along the coast of Lofoten
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
and have to pass Vesterålen on its way. Hovdens location is excellent given the short way to the areas where the fish are migrating south and northbound. For people living in Hovden 80% of the total income was made during the first quarter of the year. The abundance of fish was way to much for consumption, and the fish was produced into dried fish
Stockfish
Stockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by cold air and wind on wooden racks on the foreshore, called "hjell". The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years...
and later salt fish, and then exported via Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
to Europe.
The proximity to the fishing banks drew fishermen to Hovden. From the latter part of the 19th century we know that in the winter months there could be up to 400 fishermen living on the small island across from the harbor (Holmen) and in the common landing place. They were living in cottages
Rorbu
Rorbu is a traditional type of seasonal house used by fishermen, normally located in a fishing village. The buildings are built on land, but with the one end on poles in the water, allowing easy access to vessels. The style and term is used along the coast of Western Norway and Northern Norway, and...
built for the purpose and under overturned boats.
During the latter part of the 19th century Hovden came under ownership from what is called in Norwegian "væreier". Literally translated a "fishing community owner". These owners had the total control of the economic activities in the community. And many had monopoly on buying and selling of the fish caught. This monopoly, and the fact that the investment in boats and nets got increasingly more expensive given the overall modernisation of the industry, made the fishermen dependent on the owner, not being able to pay their debts with their income.
With the motorization of fishing vessels, the first two decades of the 20thcentury the dependency on the "væreier" became even greater. With the motorization came a higher efficiency in catching fish and falling prices. Combined with the economic downturn in the thirties the profits from fishing soared. Many of the owners went bankrupt and as a consequence the fishermen and their families had even less profit to live on. These events led to the formation of a fishermens union and in turn a state controlled buying monopoly who managed price formation. The reorganization of the fisheries made it more profitable for the fishermen.
Nature
The typical coastal landscape of Northern Norway is present in Hovden. The earth is barren, dominated by grass and heatherCalluna
Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade...
. No wild woods are growing as a product of high exploitation by man, sheep and goats. The island Frugga is situated 1 km from Hovden to the north east. It is a nature reserve because of the large colony of puffin
Puffin
Puffins are any of three small species of auk in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among...
.
To the south the moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
Raen is stretching towards Nykvåg
Nykvåg
Nykvåg is a small village in Bø, in Vesterålen. Nykvåg is known for its rich bird life....
. This moraine is the end moraine from a glacier ending in the sea here. This is also a nature reserve.
Hovden i situated north of the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
and have both the midnight sun and the winter darkness. The Midnight sun
Midnight sun
The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon occurring in summer months at latitudes north and nearby to the south of the Arctic Circle, and south and nearby to the north of the Antarctic Circle where the sun remains visible at the local midnight. Given fair weather, the sun is visible for a continuous...
is present in Hovden between the end of May and the end of July. The polar night
Polar night
The polar night occurs when the night lasts for more than 24 hours. This occurs only inside the polar circles. The opposite phenomenon, the polar day, or midnight sun, occurs when the sun stays above the horizon for more than 24 hours.-Description:...
is between the end of November to mid January.
Culture
Being a northern Norwegian community the same cultural influences are present as in other northern Norwegian communities. The culture is influenced by the mobility of Norwegians from the south to the north in the latter part of the 19th century. It has also received influence from the SamiSami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
culture along with Russian, Finnish and Swedish culture as the migration in the northern part of the Scandinavian peninsula have been modestly restricted by state agencies until the 20th century and after the Russian Revolution.
The geographical location and the fact that the road was not built to Hovden until the 1950s made the dwellers self-contained and many of the cultural institutions was built by voluntary communal work. The freshwater-supply, street lights, a local church and a community house were all erected this way. Hovden had several Christian groups. A sports association was active in the 60's and 70's.
Hovdens population is now ageing, the average age amongst the inhabitants have passed 60. The Hovden Grendelag consisting of younger migrated people from Hovden, are now the main actor in the cultural field.