SKOGEN FORTELLER / MEAHCCEHALLAN
1 February, 14:00–15:00 in the forest area by Tennebekk Turparkering.

128 years ago, at the edge of the forest in Bergen/Birgon where Kanadaskogen meets Liavatnet, Bergenser and tourists would pay to go and see a group of Sami people and their reindeer. These individuals, presented as a family, were contracted and imported to Bergen/Birgon and displayed as exotic curiosities. Whilst we know more about the menu of the cafe than we do about the human beings offered up for entertainment, the name of this “Sami camp”, using a racial slur, continues to give its name to this part of forest – an offensive name that is replicated today on public maps and signs around the area.
In partnership with the Birgon ja biras sámiid searvi, Borealis presents a new commissioned sound work for this area of forest by Katarina Dorothea Isaksen, a Sámi artist, writer, politician and activist from Sážžá/Senja, residing in Bergen/Birgon. Broadcast on FM radio, temporarily re-inhabiting the forest space that was once the camp, Isaksen weaves a story of a person who disappeared almost completely from history.
Taking as its starting point the girl Maren Marie Kant, who was contracted to work at this “Sami camp”, Isaksen traces her story back to family roots in the reindeer herding South Sámi communities of Gauldalsvidda, through her employment and display at the Paris Exhibition of 1889, to her time in Bergen/Birgon and beyond. The audio piece, created in collaboration with podcaster Tuula Sharma Vassvik, reinserts Maren Marie Kant back into the forest, with a new context.
Skogen forteller/Meahccehallan is presented in a time when Norway as country is reckoning with the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation committee on the impacts of the Norwegianisation policy, and the City of Bergen has refused a petition to embrace the existing Sámi name for Bergen; Birgon. Through this event Borealis asks how violent histories can be perpetuated, even unknowingly, through language, and what power we have to imagine new histories, and futures, through words and sound.
Practical information
- The event happens in an area of forest, adjacent to the Tennebekken Turparkering – find it on Google Maps here. Borealis branding and people will greet you in the parking lot.
- The sound piece is approximately 45 minutes long and is in Norwegian. It will be broadcast at 1400.
- If you have a portable FM radio, please bring it with you, otherwise, some will be available to borrow.
- Coffee will be available for free
- This is an area of public forest, and does not have any toilet or shelter facilities. So dress according to the weather!
How to get there
Borealis will arrange a free bus, departing at 13.30 from Bergen Busstasjon. Please register your interest on this form to book a place and receive more details.
13.20 Meeting at Bergen Busstasjon, Perrong P
13.30 Departure with bus from Bergen Busstasjon
13.45 Arrival with bus Tennebekk Turparkering, Kanadaskogen
14.00 The event Skogen forteller starts
15.00 Departure with bus from Tennebekk Turparkering, Kanadaskogen
15.15 Arrival with bus Bergen Busstasjon
Access to the area of Kanadaskogen is also possible by car, with free parking at Tennebekk Turparkering – find it on the map here.
Accessibility
The area of forest for the listening session is directly accessible from the car park Tennebekk Turparkering via a gravelled path of approximately 100 meters. It is possible to experience the project without having to leave the path.
About Katarina Dorothea Isaksen
Katarina Dorothea Isaksen is an artist, writer, politician and activist from Sážžá/Senja, residing in Birgon/Bergen. Isaksen was elected as member of the board by Birgon ja biras sámiid (Bergen vicinity sámi association) for three consecutive periods, and currently holds the position as vice-chair. In addition to volunteering for the local Sámi community, Isaksen is a counsellor for SÁNAG (Sámi national competence center) and works as artist, writer and mediator. Isaksen has published works regarding history, art, and poetry centered in her own indigenous perspective.
Supported by Arts and Culture Norway & City of Bergen.
Presented by Borealis in collaboration with Birgon ja biras sámiid searvi.
Curated by Peter Meanwell.