The coastline throughout Sandviken used to host a wealth of industry. While some remains, there has been a more recent shift towards lucrative housing enterprises. At Sandviksboder 77-78, within the property of Rolf Olsen Saltimport a/s we registered a kid hut project located on a small overhanging cliff facing the sea. At the time it was surrounded by abandoned industry, inviting explorations within old and precarious structures housing vermin and mechanical monsters. Like these buildings, little remains of the hut at present.
The site was located at a precipice which may have remained from previous demolition work in the area. A small shelf was accessible by climbing what resembled natural steps in the rock, housing several artefacts as well as a small provisory dwelling consisting of loose planks, rope and fur. Thus, the nature of the site was somewhat reminiscent of a miniature version of prehistoric Pueblo cliff dwellings in New Mexico and Arizona.
At the shelf we also found an old kitchen chair, but we were unable to determine its' proper age. Next to this, we also noticed an empty Coca-Cola bottle. Venturing to the south, balancing on a small crevice, we came across another part of the site which we imagined may have served as a kitchen, again concealing several artefacts which included a lamp shade stripped of fabric. The nature of the site and the plethora of abandoned artefacts made us concur that it is highly unlikely that this locality is connected to the previous localities, displaying markedly different cultural traits and craftmanship.
Is it certain that this site was inhabited by children, or was perhaps by American tourists who couldn't afford the prices in Bergen's hotels. I like to imagine though that the Anasazi of Montezuma's Castle may have stowed away as skralings on a returning viking longship and found a hospitable cliff in Bergen (with the advantage of fine Norwegian chairs)and Coca-Cola.
ReplyDeleteThose Arizona cliff dwellings are breathtaking, and when I've wondered how they kept toddlers on the cliff. (Or perhaps this explains the extinction of the Anasazi, and hopefully not your Bergen hutkind).
The Coca-Cola bottle may certainly be interpreted as evidence of cultural diffusion. The proximity of the site to the sea opens the opportunity for inter-atlantic contact. However, the North Atlantic current could in principle carry passengers from as far away as the Caribbean islands and meso-America. Consequently, the inhabitants may originate from anywhere within that region as well; these visitors even less likely to afford the prices in Bergen's hotels. However, with the cultural similarities to the Anasazi in Arizona, it is possible that very young Texans who have witnessed the latter sites, have ventured across the Atlantic from the Texan coastline and temporarily settled down on the west coast of Norway. If this hypothesis may be verified, we will certainly credit you for it.
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