Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.2004, Qupperneq 192

190
Nalbinding in the Faroe Islands?
Nálabinding í Føroyum?
Osva Olsen' and Ingvar Svanberg2
1 Føroya Fornminnissavn, FO-110 Tórshavn, Faroe Islands. Email: osvaolsen@yahoo.se
2 Department of East European Studies, Box 514, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden.
Email: Ingvar.Svanberg@east.uu.se
Úrtak
A goymsluni á Føroya Fornminnissavni eru varðveittar
nálir, sum fornfrøðingar hava funnið í grevstrum í
Kvívfk og Tjørnuvfk. Hesar nálir kunnu bera prógv um
at føroyingar nálabundu áðrenn teir lærdu at binda í
16. øld. At bundnar vørur vóru høvuðsútflutningsvøra
Føroyinga í 17. og 18. øld er kanska orsøkin til at
nálabinding, sum er ein meira tíðarkrevjandi tekstilur
teknikkur, doyði út. Ein tulking av Tarnovius ber kanska
prógv um at fólk nálabundu í Føroyum í 17. øld. Eingir
nálabundnir gripir eru varðveittir, sum kunna prógva at
so er, og próvføri í kelduni er eisini veikt.
Sjálvt um nálirnar til nálabinding eru einfaldar eru
tær eyðkendar. Nálirnar úr Kvívík og Tjørnuvík bera
kanska haldgott prógv um at føroyingar nálabundu,
áðrenn teir lærdu at binda.
Abstract
Archaeological findings of needles, now in the collection
of Føroya Fornminnissavn, from Kvívík and Tjørnuvík,
may indicate that nalbinding did exist as a textile
technique in pre-modern Faroe Islands before knitting
was introduced in the I6lh century. Large-scale knitting
dominated the export from the Faroes during the 17lh
and 18th centuries and may be the reason why the more
time-consuming nalbinding technique did not survive.
An interpretation of a passage in Tarnovius might,
however, indicate that nalbinding was still used in the
Faroes in the I7lh century. No textile artefacts support
this conclusion, and the evidence in the source is weak,
so the passage in Tarnovious must be treated with much
care.
Although the needles for nalbinding are simple
in their construction, they do have a speciftc and
recognisable form. The needles in the collection of
Føroya Fornminnissavn from Kvívík and Tjørnuvík
may confirm the conclusion that nalbinding was known
earlier in the Faroes.
Introduction
Sheep have probably existed as domesti-
cated animals in the Faroe Islands for as
long as there have been human settlements.
Shepherding was one of the main economic
activities in the pre-industrial Faroe Islands.
Some scholars believe that sheep have ac-
tually bestowed their name to the islands
- ‘Sheep Islands’. Sheep may be viewed as
a key symbol of the traditional local culture
(Ortner, 1973). They yield mutton, intes-
tines, blood, horn, bone, lard and manure,
but wool and skin have always been signifi-
cant products. The usage of wool and skin
was probably the main reason, why human
beings domesticaled sheep (Hjárpe and
Olsen, 2001). Being able to manufacture
leather from sheepskin for clothing, such as
shoes and outdoor jackets and trousers, was
Fróðskaparrit 51. bók 2004: 190-199