Värden i hembygden. En etnokartering i Kyrkefalla socken

Abstract

This essay describes the process of an ethnocartograpy of the countryside at the villages Graven, Backen and Kårtorp in Kyrkefalla parish, Tibro kommun, Sweden. Ethnocartography is a method that is transmitting information about local land use outside the community itself. This is mostly done at indigenous tribes in development countries but this essay shows that it can be done in a modern society in Sweden. Knowledge about land use and its history is often passed on orally to other generations but since the agricultural revolution in the middle of the 20th-century the knowledge of the surrounding countryside is no longer as necessary to survive. The aim of the essay was find non economic values in form of the locals use of the landscape and draw them on a map. Knowledge, folklore and historical land use were some of the values that this essay focused on. These values are representing the countryside of those who lives there, and they are representing it. The main method in this work was interviews with 20 persons that either lived in the area or had knowledge about its history, lore and use. The interviews resulted in a paper map with objects in form of points, lines and areas. This map was then drawn in ArcMap and the objects was categorized under a set of headlines. The map is presented in Bilaga III. A comparison was then made with historical maps to see any similarities and to draw any conclusions. A survey in the field of some of the objects resulted in more objects and new knowledge. This was also added to the map. The result is that there is lots of non economic values in the area, this essay have documented a small part of it. A further aim was to let the participants share their knowledge with each other and hopefully to other generations. The authors own assessment is that this was a success.