Traditional arts and crafts are part of the cultural traditions cherished by members of the Daughters of Norway. We have a pride in learning about our shared heritage so that we can pass it on to the next generation.

There are many wonderful sites which fully delve into the rich cultural heritage of Norway today and in the past. One of the best of these sites is Norway.com, the official website of Norway in the United States, sponsored by the Norwegian Embassy and Consulate General. The Culture section includes all topics, with information on historic work and artists, as well as current information on all the personalities and events involving Norwegian artists in the United States.

Our members and lodges participate in various Norwegian cultural folk arts.

DECORATIVE FOLK ARTS

Decorating has always been important in making life more beautiful. For a population that spent long periods of its winter in cold and darkness, it isn't surprising that many of the folk crafts practiced today in Norway had their roots in a desire to make things more beautiful and colorful. Colors were used in (tradtional Norwegian) textiles and folk painting. Our members are active in continuing both Norwegian folk painting and stichery.

ROSEMALING

Although Rosemaling is a Norwegian folk painting tradition, it is thought to have been brought to Norway by traveling European itinerant painters. Gradually, the Norwegians developed their own particular style and palette, and Rosemaling spread from one region to another. It began in Southern Norway and spread throughout the country, with each region developing a distinctive style. However all styles are distinguished by the Rose, in various shapes and sizes and specific strokes. By the seventeen hundreds Rosemaling was already being used to decorate Norwegian furnishings and homes.

Rosemaling has been passed down from generation to generation and carried across the ocean with Norwegian immigrants to many other countries. Today, it is popular both in Norway and the United States. In the United States the Vesterheim Museum in Iowa has the best historical collection of Norwegian-American Rosemaling art. There are many other individuals and groups with Rosemaling collections who offer classes. Check out sites on our links page. We have many accomplished Rosemalers in our organization, and many lodges offer classes from time to time.

NORWEGIAN FELT CRAFTING

Felt Crafting has been around for a long time and practiced in many countries. Norwegian wool felt slippers are well-known world-wide as a very comfortable, warm and welcoming footwear. The art of felt crafting was brought to the United States by Scandinavian immigrants and shared with others. One of Sigrid Undset Lodge #32's original members, Anne Einset Vickrey, became an internationally recognized author and designer in felting. She gives many workshops and taught felting to many groups as well as created many felt craft kits, books and videos. She is a modern day example of traditional Norwegian folk arts and crafts being passed on today in America. Today many recent immigrants from Norway are following in her steps and teaching this craft, creating not only slippers, ornaments, but also jewelry. To learn more about felting, ask some of our lodges or visit this online site.

NORWEGIAN KNITTING AND SWEATERS

Norwegians have been knitting since the ninth century. Sheep were plentiful and the climate was cold, and wool clothing was a natural choice. Nowegian sweaters began as black and white combinations made from natural wool colors, and eventually became multicolored combinations. Patterns evolved from natural designs, such as the snowflake or reindeer. Originally, the sweater was tucked in, so the design was only found on the top. Then color and overall patterns were developed, and Norwegians began wearing their sweaters to church! Although it was said in the past that one sweater would last for a lifetime, in modern times the variety of colors, styles and patterns allow one to have a different sweater for every outfit if you like.

Many Daughters of Norway Lodges have members who are gifted in knitting sweaters, socks, mittens and gloves and also blankets and afghans in traditional designs or sometimes designing their own motifs. Occasionally our lodges will have programs in which members show off their Norwegian sweater collections.

NORWEGIAN HARDANGER EMBROIDERY

This form of embroidery takes its name from the coastal town in southwest Norway where it developed a distinct style and is still used as decoration on the apron of the folk costume, or bunad, of that region. It is also used for decorating tablecloths, napkins, towels, bedspreads, pillows and curtains.

Hardangar embroidery combines drawn and counted thread work, along with satin stitch. It is done on an even-weave fabric, traditionally linen, with pearl cotton or linen thread, again traditionally natural color white on white or cream on cream.

The historical origin of this type of embroidery may have been in ancient Persia. It traveled through Byzantium to southern Europe where it was popular during the Renaissance. It may have reached Northern Europe and Norway through the Crusaders or the Vikings. Hardangar is related to Danish and Dutch Hedebo, English Ayrshire work and Ruskin lacework and was earlier known as Norwegian Drawn Work.

American thread companies visited Norway at the end of the 19th Century and recorded local designs to produce books of patterns. At the Paris Exposition of 1900, an apron with Hardangar embroidery by Brita Skalveit of Aga, in the Hardangar district, won an award and Hardangar embroidery became known worldwide.

This lovely lace is time-consuming to make and precision is important in its execution. A visit to a site with more information on this embroidery is well worth it.

• The Caron Collection
• My Hobby Craft
• La Chatelaine Designs

Many of our lodges continue to have members teaching this style of embroidery and having programs on it. Contact your local lodge to find out more about their upcoming program offerings.

OTHER FOLK ARTS

FOLK DANCE AND MUSIC

Early Norwegians had music and dances of their own prior to contact with the outside world, but as Norwegians interacted on a regular basis with other Europeans, their music and dance changed. Norwegians incorporated European (primarily French) instruments, dance steps, and even dance attire into their traditions. However, the things that remained strictly Norwegian were the Norwegian musical melodies. These were practiced and passed on by generations of Norwegians living in remote locales.

Today's Norwegian folk dancing is thought to have started sometime in the mid seventeenth century. As Norwegians emigrated to other countries beginning in the eighteen hundreds, they took their Norwegian dances with them and continued to dance them in their new country. In countries outside of Norway the dances remained somewhat "frozen in time" and tend to focus on retaining the core movements of each dance. These dances are still done in Norway today with both subtle and rich variations, characteristic of a living tradition.

Norwegian dancers perform in the national Norwegian bunad, a folk costume. The unique bunader(bunads) and other traditional dress from the many different regions of Norway always assure an interesting visual spectacle. During the 1994 Olympic Games in Lilehammer, world audiences could see The Hedmark Danselag (founded in 1991) performing selections of Norwegian folk dances. Norwegian folk dance is performed in many countries today. In the United States there are many multi-aged folk dance groups (see our link page for a listing). Many of our members and their children are part of these groups.

The traditional music played for dancing is provided by traditional instruments, most often the fele (ordinary flat fiddles), trekkspel (accordion), torader (Norwegian concertina), tussefløeyte (recorder), langeleik (Norwegian zither), hardingfele (Hardanger fiddle), munnharpe (mouth harp), guitar, piano, and various horns and flutes. Many of these instruments are thought to be European in origin, and industrious Norwegians improved upon certain of these instruments, the most well known being the Hardanger fiddle which is different from a violon or fiddle. It has four or five sympathetic strings that run underneath the fingerboard and add echoing overtones to the sound. This fiddle is beautiful with elaborately decorated mother of pearl inlays and black pen and ink drawings.