{"id":1512,"date":"2023-11-06T20:36:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-06T20:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nordligefolk.no\/?p=1512"},"modified":"2025-11-06T21:37:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T21:37:35","slug":"greneveving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nordligefolk.no\/en\/greneveving\/","title":{"rendered":"Branch weaving"},"content":{"rendered":"

The natural household was based on small resources that were fully utilised. R\u00e1tnugo\u0111\u0111in \/ branch weaving is a unique Sami duodji tradition with roots dating back to prehistoric times. R\u00e1nu \/ branches have for centuries been of great importance to the S\u00e1mi. Made from homespun wool, the branches are water-resistant and easy to use in all weathers. The migrating Sami who came down to the coast were important users. They bought and swapped branches from the resident Sami and used them as a bedspread to sleep under. It was used in the carriage of both the horse-drawn sleigh and the reindeer sleigh and packhorse. Branches that were beginning to wear out were sewn together to make winter tent canvas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The weaving method is of great cultural and historical value. It can be traced far back in time, to ancient Greece and up to Denmark in the Bronze Age. In North Troms and Finnmark it has existed since prehistoric times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

R\u00e1tnu \/ branches are woven on a simple backing loom, the r\u00e1tnostuolet \/ branch loom, the v\u00e1rfi \/ warp is made by simultaneously weaving a selvedge that is sewn to the beam. Traditional branch weaving on a loom is still a living tradition in Olmm\u00e1iv\u00e1ggi \/ Manndalen, but r\u00e1nut \/ branches have been woven in the coastal areas of northern Troms and Finnmark up to the 1940s and 50s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NF.1930-0122 R\u00e1tnu \/ branches<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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R\u00e1tnu \/ branches. Photo: Norwegian Folk Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is a r\u00e1tnu \/ branches of older type. This type, with listo - wide, contrasting coloured stripes above and below, and alternating simple borders, was common before the war. The base colour is natural white with two types of alternating borders in natural black. Length 204 cm, width 143 cm (widest part). The branch was purchased in D\u00e1lo\u0161v\u00e1ggi \/ Olderdalen, G\u00e1ivuotna \/ K\u00e5fjord from Alette Pedersen in 1930.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Detail of R\u00e1tnu\/ branches. Photo: Norwegian Folk Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
NFSA. 2734 R\u00e1tnu\/ branches<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Natural white r\u00e1tnu\/ branches of an older type from G\u00e1ivuotna \/ K\u00e5fjord. The r\u00e1tnu \/ branch is natural white with sheep black listo and a repeating pattern stripe. Length 192 cm, width 140 cm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was deposited from the University Ethnographic Museum in 1950, and found in the Norwegian Folk Museum's warehouse without a number in 1991.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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R\u00e1tnu\/ branches. Photo: Norwegian Folk Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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R\u00e1tnu\/ branches. Photo: Norwegian Folk Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Johanna Lindvall weaves branches in D\u00e1lo\u0161v\u00e1ggi\/ Olderdalen, G\u00e1ivuotna\/ K\u00e5fjord. The branch loom is set up against the outer wall of the house. The photograph was taken around 1920 by Sigvald Liljedal. North Troms Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

NFSA. 2733 R\u00e1tnu\/ branches<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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R\u00e1tnu\/ branches. Photo: Norwegian Folk Museum.

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

R\u00e1tnu\/branch is an older type of branch with a traditional natural white base colour and a repeating pattern stripe in sheep black. The beginning and end of the branch are marked with simple stripes in black. NFSA. 2733 was purchased in Olmm\u00e1iv\u00e1ggi \/ Manndalen, G\u00e1ivuotna \/ K\u00e5fjord. It has been found without a number during cleaning in the carpet warehouse at the Norwegian Folk Museum. Catalogued accession 1800 - 1900.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NFSA. 3451<\/strong> r\u00e1tnu\/ branches<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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R\u00e1tnu\/ branches. Photo: Norwegian Folk Museum.\n\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Natural white r\u00e1tnu \/ branches with repeating pattern border in sheep black from Olmm\u00e1iv\u00e1ggi \/ Manndalen, G\u00e1ivuotna \/ K\u00e5fjord. This branch is of a more standardised type, without listo and with wider stripes, which became more common from the 1950s. Purchased for the Norwegian Folk Museum in 1955.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

R\u00e1tnu \/ grena is produced by Anne Hansen, Olmm\u00e1iv\u00e1ggi \/ Manndalen, and is 220 cm long and 140 cm wide. The entire production of the grena, spinning, warping and weaving was documented, photographed and partly filmed by Marta Hoffmann in 1955. Hoffmann was a conservator and textile researcher at the Norwegian Folk Museum, specialising in handicrafts, textiles and textile manufacturing processes. She was involved in the revitalisation of the branch weaving tradition in Olmm\u00e1iv\u00e1ggi \/ Manndalen after World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Anne Hansen connects the gutter of the grass carpet to the boom. Manndalen in 1955. Photo: Marta Hoffmann \/ Norwegian Folk Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
NFSA. 3655 R\u00e1tnu \/ branches<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

This r\u00e1tnu \/ branch with colourful patterned stripes was made by Nils Oppervoll, Olmm\u00e1iv\u00e1ggi \/ Manndalen, G\u00e1ivuotna \/ K\u00e5fjord, 1958. The branch is made from natural and coloured homespun yarn and has a grey base and two alternating patterned stripes in black, white, red, yellow and turquoise. It has a red listu, wider stripes at the top and bottom. Length 2.10 metres and width 1.40 metres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Centre for Northern Peoples will get a copy of this branch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NFSA. 3655 R\u00e1tnu \/ branches. Photo: Norwegian Folk Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The natural household was based on small resources that were fully utilised. R\u00e1tnugo\u0111\u0111in\/ branch weaving is a unique Sami duodji tradition with roots dating back to prehistoric times.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-handverk-og-duodji"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nordligefolk.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nordligefolk.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nordligefolk.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nordligefolk.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nordligefolk.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1512"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/nordligefolk.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1528,"href":"https:\/\/nordligefolk.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512\/revisions\/1528"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nordligefolk.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nordligefolk.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nordligefolk.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nordligefolk.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}