Gulating Summer Seminar

Opening address by Heidi Grande Røys, Nordic Co-operation Minister and Minister of Government Administration and Reform, at the Gulating Summer Seminar, 23 June 2008.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?”

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
(Robert Burns, 1788).

Most people in our region immediately recognize the Scottish words "Auld Lang Syne". We instantly associate these words with expression of friendship, fellowship and hope. It is a song for remembering the past and reaffirming the importance of our future, and those important to us.

Minister, Chairman of the County Council, Mayor, dear friends, 

It is a great pleasure to open this summer’s Gulating Seminar!  I feel particularly honored as we have among us “auld acquaintances” visiting from across the sea. Today, we are “reaching out” with a view to revitalizing old bonds in new networks.

To us the sea has not been a dividing line – on the contrary, to our seafaring ancestors - and ever since - it has been the connecting medium. We all come from Atlantic nations situated on the periphery of Europe. Since “auld lang syne” we share historical and cultural bonds. Living conditions were more or less the same for most people in our region, key words being self-sufficiency and independence. 

It is in inspiring surroundings we are meeting today. Certainly, Gulen, - probably the oldest thing site in Northern Europe – is a perfect place to discuss matters of joint concern. This place has been central in our national history and institution building.

Usually, my visits to Gulen are pure pleasure and no mission. My family is fortunate enough to have a second home here, and admittedly, I feel a special attachment to this place.

Normally, the topics of the Gulating seminars are related to legal history. Today, however, the main focus is to explore the potential of a Thing Sites’ Network, to discuss if we should join forces to place our region and our thing sites on the cultural map of Europe. According to experts in legal and political history, our medieval institutions deserve a much more prominent place in peoples’ mind. Apart from the experts, not many people are aware of the significant impact of the ‘things’ on today’s modern institutions.

The Viking Legacy in politics and law
There is a direct line from the things to the modern society and the political and legal institutions of our times. Democracy has been the founding concept of our societies ever since the medieval parliaments of the things.  The centuries that passed until we became nations with our own constitutions, show a remarkable continuity.  The legal arrangements in the early middle ages are strikingly similar to our modern legal system. 

At the assemblies of the things, disputes were settled and political decisions made. At first it was probably a general assembly open to all free men. Later, each of the member counties sent a certain number of representatives to meet with state representatives.

We should admire our ancestors for their ability to organise society. They didn't have any written legislation - laws were memorized.  In fact, Norse legislation covered most areas of life and society, including guidelines on how to punish thieves in a society that had neither police nor prisons. In the Gulating laws, stealing to survive was not considered a crime. In many ways our Viking ancestors were not quite as barbarian as we are led to believe.  Even if the Vikings were known abroad as ruthless pirates, at home they lived in a well-ordered society, based on laws and principles of representation as defined in those times. 

Development of democracy
For centuries, our countries have had stable democracies and a high level of participation in society. We have a long tradition of democratic and rule-based governance. 

Democratic participation is not self-evident, it is not something that is won or introduced once and for all. It needs constant nourishing. We need to stimulate our basic values to sustain democracy. We need reminders of how we came to hold these values, of the process that led to our modern, representative system which today is among the more successful models of organizing society. 

Churchill so wisely said: “The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”  Now, together, we are looking backwards towards the future. Unconsciously, we carry the past with us, passed on to us from our ancestors through generations. Therefore - it is relevant to try to understand how history has influenced our mindsets, our ways of thinking, our identities – in short: our values and who we are. Our cultural heritage is the very backbone of our cultural identity.
 
This important part of our history needs to be told. It should be made more known to the public. It should be passed on to future generations. As a pre-school teacher, I very much welcome the children’s book on the Gulatinget, which I understand, is about to be published. To keep our history alive for the future, it is vital that values and narratives are passed on to the next generation.

Cultural heritage and local development
Cultural heritage is an important resource in local communities. It is part of our cultural identity; it gives us something to take pride in, it gives us confidence that we possess a legacy that matters to our national narratives. This is something that deserves to be “flagged” as an asset. The promotion of the thing sites as birthplace of modern democracy in Northern Europe could benefit our region in many ways. There is a trend that people want genuine qualities in peaceful surroundings. Most thing sites, I believe, should represent such unique qualities. Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Cultural tourism can help vitalize local communities by generating jobs, and boosting local economies.

Nordic cooperation - cultural heritage
As minister of Nordic cooperation I welcome this network initiative for several reasons:

Cultural cooperation is one of the cornerstones of Nordic cooperation. We share cultural traditions and democratic values. Cooperation regarding culture and joint cultural heritage relating to democracy development should therefore be particularly relevant.

I’d like to thank the Icelandic government for their initiative with regard to a serial nomination of Viking sites to the Unesco World Heritage List.  The Minister of Environment, Erik Solheim, has given his assurances of Norwegian contribution to this effect. We are looking forward to further cooperation with Iceland in this matter. Inclusion on the Heritage List would undoubtedly draw more attention to the thing sites. As our countries share common goals in cultural and natural heritage management, the Nordic countries have been requested by UNESCO to facilitate sub-regional cooperation.

So what could Nordic cooperation do for a Thing Sites’ Network?

I can assure you that the “thing sites” will be a future item for discussion on the agenda in relevant Nordic committees. This seminar is a great opportunity to develop and broaden the cooperation between the thing sites of the North Atlantic area. And: The Nordic Council of Ministers places high priority on cooperation within the North Atlantic region.  Also, the Nordic Culture Fund is currently giving priority to projects involving the West Nordic Region.

A Thing Sites’ Network is, in my opinion, an excellent initiative to make their role more known and more “visible” in the public in all countries concerned. In our ever globalising world, cooperation can yield a far better result than each individual thing site would be able to achieve on its own. It is cost-benefit efficient to rally forces - and resources. Innovation often starts with networking – the sharing of ideas, discussions of possibilities, of joint opportunities and experiences.

Great visions and innovative new ideas can bring down barriers and take us important steps ahead. The aim of this seminar is to form a network of contact and cooperation in the field of cultural heritage related to thing sites. I hope that such a network will be successful and inspire further cooperation.

Next year -2009 - is cultural heritage year in Norway – I need hardly remind you that this, of course, is an excellent occasion for highlighting our thing site legacy.

Closing
Finally, I’d like to thank the Mayor of Gulen and the organizers of this seminar for their valuable initiative. A seminar like this is an important first step to mobilize resources and join efforts. Hopefully, this may serve as a platform for developing closer cultural contacts both at a personal and institutional level, to the benefit of our thing sites and our region. Today more than ever, people need cultural roots. And the world needs culture as a basis for dialogue and communication. Remember: Great visions are the first steps towards great achievements. At other stages in history, big thoughts and innovative ideas have taken Vikings to America, and mankind to the moon… So, good luck in your deliberations, your network building and your future cooperation! 

And there’s a hand my trusty friend!
And give us a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
For auld lang syne.

Thank you for your attention!