Pebersvend

Figure 1: Danish woman covered in cinnamon as part of traditional Pebersvend tradition (Source: Twitter)

 

 

As previously discussed on this blog family is a cultural universal.  Every cultural group has specific definitions and rules surrounding family and familial relationships.  With this comes the expectation that individuals, upon reaching the appropriate age, will leave their birth family and start their own family, which is where today’s blog post is relevant.  There are various cultural norms, values, beliefs, and traditions when it comes to enabling single individuals to begin their search for their own family, but some are far more successful than others, thereby requiring assistance from others within their cultural group.  This blog post addresses one such cultural aid that happens in Denmark: the Pebersvend tradition.

 

The Pebersvend tradition hails back several centuries to the original spice trades in Denmark.  Beginning in the 16^th century the Danish government had a very tight control on the importation of spices, and government officials, specifically men known as Pebersvends, were designated agents who would travel across Denmark selling spices.  There were very strict rules attached to this very important official duty, including the requirement not to marry.  If a Pebersvend were to marry he would be released from his occupational duties because it was improper for a man to not be home with his spouse and family. 

 

Today, the occupation of being a traveling spice salesman no longer exists, but the term Pebersvend continues.  No longer referencing single salesmen it now refers to any single, unmarried individuals who are at least 25 years of age.  If a man is identified as a Pebersvend (or woman identified as a Pebermø,  "pepper maiden”) then they can be subject to a birthday rite of passage that marks not only their age but also their single, unmarried status.  This involves single, unmarried men and women being tied to a lamp post and covered in cinnamon by friends and family members (Figure 1).  Depending on how much cinnamon is used and how mischievous the friends and family are the hapless victim may be allowed to wear googles or other clothing and eye protectants.  Also, water may splashed on the individual as a means of binding the cinnamon to their body.  If the cinnamoned individual remains unmarried by the time they reach age 30 the rite of passage escalates.  This time the individual is not doused in cinnamon but instead pepper, and eggs may be used as a binding agent.  As a birthday present they are gifted a pepper grinder, and a large pepper grinder statue, meant to represent a phallus, may be built in their front yard. 

 

None of this is meant to cause undue harm or stress to the single, unmarried individuals.  This tradition continues on as a fun and playful prank.  As the average Dane marries in the early to mid-30s no one actually expects Danes to be married before their 25^th or 30^th birthdays.  Also, each time an individual is doused in the spice they are typically treated to a drink at a nearby pub.  Ultimately, though, this tradition demonstrates the long standing cultural values of Danish culture, as well as its rich cultural history that adapts and changes throughout the ages.

 

Works Cited

Dodgson, Lindsay. "If you're still single at 25 in Denmark, people throw spices all over you in the street - and it only gets worse as you get older." Business Insider 18 February 2018. Electronic.

Rummel, Rachel. "Pebersvend." 2022. Gastro Obscura. Electronic. 20 May 2022.

 

Applied Anthropologist Profile: Rachel Grant, Archaeologist Turned Fiction Writer

Rachel Grant (Source: www.rachel-grant.net)

Archaeology tends be a popular topic in various fictional arenas, from movies and television shows to novels and short stories.  With this in mind it should come to no surprise that as novelists draw upon archaeological subject matter archaeologists sometimes transition to writing fiction themselves.  That was very much the case for best selling author, Rachel Grant. 

 

Growing up Grant aspired not to become an archaeologist but a novelist.  She wrote her first novel in sixth grade, and she was an avid reader of various works of fiction, including books written by Elizabeth Peters (archaeologist turned fiction writer herself).  When she went to college she initially majored in English, but by her own admission she let the confidence of her youth overcome her as she felt like she could learn nothing further from her English instructors.  She switched her major to anthropology, focusing on archaeology.  She did this because she believed that she could make a great career out of archaeology, and her experiences would provide her plenty of resource material to draw upon if and when she returned to writing.

 

She was not wrong on either account!  She traveled the world in her ten years as a professional archaeologist, but shortly after the birth of her first child the appeal of archaeology began to dissolve.  Citing growing health concerns (as archaeological field work is quite hard on the body) she investigated her options, turning back to her first love: fiction writing.  With her husband’s emotional and financial support she dove head first into it and never regretted the transition.

 

Grant draws upon her extensive archaeological experience for much of the subject matter of her books.  She also employs her anthropological research skills to identify and better understand the cultural and historical elements she uses in her work.  She does this to provide authenticity to her work.  She feels that by adding these realistic elements to her work she provides educational material wrapped up in a good story to and for her readers, and her readers appreciate her efforts as they demand more and more of this.  Grants’ archaeological and fiction writing endeavors demonstrate how anthropology, and in this case, archaeology, can go hand in hand together, providing a fulfilling career that fulfills herself and provides wildly great entertainment for her fans.

 

References

Grant, R. (2017, March 27). An Interview with Rachel Grant – and a giveaway! (Caz, Interviewer)

Grant, R. (2019, October 23). Fly on the Wall: Peek into a Conversation Between Rachel Grant and Jayne Ann Krentz. (D. Soluri, Interviewer)

Rachel-Grant.net. (2022). Author Bio. Retrieved from Rachel Grant: Thrills. Romance. Archaeology.: https://rachel-grant.net/bio/

Endangered Languages Profile: Kalaallisut/Tunumiisut (Western & Eastern Greenlandic)

Figure 1: Map of Greenland with place names in Kalaallisut/Tunumiisut (Greenlandic) and Dutch

 

Today’s blog post will feature an endangered language but with a twist.  Typically, when endangered languages are discussed in this medium the tone is very somber and grave, but in the case of Kalaallisut and Tunumiisut (known in English as Western/Eastern Greenlandic) the situation is not as dire.  This blog post will explore what this language is, where it is spoken, and how it may be removed from the endangered list.

 

Kalaallisut and Tunumiisut are part of the same language subgroup of the larger language family of which it belongs, which is the Inuit language family.  Many linguistic scholars often refer to these as separate languages, but the Inuit prefer and have requested that all languages within the Inuit language family be considered dialects, which is how they will be referred to herein.  The reason for this request is related to the active misinformation and extermination of Inuit identity over the decades, and by recognizing these as dialects of one Inuit language (and identity) better efforts at preserving the language, its dialects, and Inuit identity can be realized.

 

Kalaallisut and Tunumiisut are spoken throughout Greenland (Figure 1), and they are considered the official language of the country.  These dialects are classified as a polysynthetic, noun-incorporating language.  Put simply, speakers add prefixes, suffixes, and even combine nouns to create multiple meanings in short phrases.  These very large nouns can be very difficult for adult learners to catch onto and learn because the morphology and grammar of the language is so widely different from Indo-European languages.  You can hear how the language is spoken and how daunting it may seem to pick up here.

 

Because Greenland was a Dutch colony until the 1950s and did not become independent until the 1970s Dutch is still widely spoken within Greenland, as well as serves as the primary language of government, commerce, and higher education.  This adds a barrier to learning Kalaallisut and Tunumiisut because they are not seen as important as Dutch or other languages of commerce and politics.  However, the government of Greenland has put forth efforts to encourage the learning of Kalaallisut and Tunumiisut.  They are making efforts to translate government documents into Kalaallisut and Tunumiisut, as well as renaming places throughout the country with Kalaallisut and Tunumiisut names (as seen in Figure 1).  There are also efforts to create words and phrases for science and industry to entice outsiders to learn Kalaallisut and Tunumiisut.  Lastly, there is an active Kalaallisut and Tunumiisut media that provides information and news via written and oral format, with there being newspapers, news channels, and radio programming dedicated to only being delivered in these dialects.  This means that there is hope to remove this language from the endangered languages list if these efforts continue and are fully successful.

 

Works Cited

Endangered Languages Project. "Kalaallisut." n.d. Endangered Languages Project. Electronic. 6 May 2022.

Grenoble, Lenore. "Kalaallisut." n.d. Sorosoro. Electronic. 6 May 2022.

Yoder, Kate. "As ice melts and seas rise, can endangered languages survive?" 12 October 2016. Grist. Electronic. 5 May 2022.