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Do you Have Pictures of Mountain Cattle? Help us Collect Stories of our Nordic Cultural Heritage!

Date: 2020.07.01

We are now saving your stories and images for future generations. Did your grandmother have mountain cattle when you were growing up? Or perhaps you took care of one yourself? Write to us about your experiences and memories. You choose the format, style and wording.

The collecting of the stories and images is done within the project “3MC – Traditional Transboundary Mountain Cattle Breeds in Nordic”. Along with several different partners, NordGen is gathering and spreading knowledge about mountain cattle.

Nordic Cultural Heritage

Northern finncattle, Norwegian Sidet Trønderfe and Nordlandsfe, as well as Swedish mountain cattle, are three breeds that traditionally have played an important role in the agriculture in the northern parts of Finland, Norway and Sweden. For many, they were part of everyday life, and for many more, these animals are a part of the cultural landscape.

“Today, mountain cattle are a rare sight in the fields. It is important to preserve the animals because they have adapted to the northern environment. The history of humans and cattle in the north is that of survival and adaptation. Together with their owners, the animals have survived the harsh conditions with dark winters and scarce resources” said Mervi Honkatukia, Section Leader at NordGen Farm Animals.

Everyday Chores and Extraordinary Tales of Survival

For future generations to be able to care for mountain cattle, it is important to know more about the relationship between humans and animals. Within the project, NordGen collects texts ranging from stories of everyday chores and observations to extraordinary tales of survival.

“There are legends about how animals have survived in times of hardship on thatched straw only, or that the owners were forced to leave their cattle at marshland to survive. Among other things, it is stories like these that we wish to have saved for future generations. We welcome all experiences” said Mervi Honkatukia.

Do you want to send texts or pictures to the memory bank? How to participate:

Send your contribution by 31 August 2020 by e-mail to ulla.ovaska@luke.fi or by mail to Ulla Ovaska, Luke, Latokartanonkaari 9, 00790 Helsinki, Finland.

Do you have pictures and wish to take part in the photo competition:

Email the picture by August 15, 2020, together with a brief description to mervi.honkatukia@nordgen.org. Enter “photo contest” in the subject field.
By submitting the image you participate in a photo competition within the framework of the 3MC project. We select five winners, who receive a prize from NorGen’s seed collection. The five winning entries will be submitted to the “EU in my region” photo contest.
You give the European Commission the right to use your image. If your contribution goes further, it may be printed as a postcard and viewed by thousands of Europeans.
If there are identifiable people in the picture, you need to have their written consent. For children under 18, you need written consent from a parent.