AN ENLIGHTENING INTERVIEW
ABOUT THE
NORWEGIAN LUNDEHUND






The following text is from an interview taken on video tape that was kindly sent to us by Frank Mostad.

On the video, are Eleanor Christie, Roar Torsteinsen, Hilda Torsteinsen (Frank's grandmother's sister), Monrad Mikalsen, and others. It showed the village of Mostad, and the mountainous terrain in the background. It also showed the Lundehund in action!


Would you like to read this text in Norwegian?


VIDEO TEXT TRANSLATED 1994, 07-02 BY FRITZ B. MOSTAD AND FRANK B. MOSTAD ASSISTED BY KRISTIN LIE.


1. INTRODUCTION

This rerun now sends you a program about the Lundehund, a breed of dog which has many features unlike other dogs. From ancient times it was utilized for capturing puffins, and that is why it is called a "puffin dog" or Lundehund.

2. NARRATOR

In 1962 there were only 6 Lundehunds remaining in Norway. Today there several hundred. The survival story of this dog breed is like a fairy tale.

3. ELEANOR CHRISTIE

"When I cleaned out my cellar, I found a old dog magazine from 1925. It had an article which discussed a breed of dog which was very rare, and very valuable. It was the Lundehund."

4. NARRATOR

Eleanor Christie lived in Hamar at that time (where she ran a business) and also had a kennel. She got ahold of three Lundehunds. Ever since, her name has been closely associated with the Lundehund. She was the salvation of this breed of dog.

5. NARRATOR

But it was a completely different environment where these dogs came from. Stone and mountain in a dangerous sea of strong currents, Vaeroy, near the outermost extreme of the Lofoten archepeligo. Only the Rost group of islands lie further off shore. About 1100 people live on Vaeroy, a scanty 16 square kilometres. One third of the island is lowland below 30 m, and the rest is all mountainous.

6. NARRATOR

On the south part of the island lies the large bird nesting cliffs. On the narrow beach flat lies the village of Mostad. This is the last place that the Lundehund was used, and it was the only place that pure dogs could be still be found. In 1930 is was customary for every houshold to have 2 to 3 dogs, and there were probably 60 to 70 dogs in the village. The village of Mostad is isolated. It is accessible only by boat, or a difficult 2 hour walk over land (from the other major town on the island). A distemper epidemic ravaged the dogs in 1943, but it was during the war and no vaccine was available. Only 1 dog survived. But Eleanor Christie sent dogs from her kennel in Hamar to Monrad Mikalsen, so that Lundehunds were again to work and breed on Vaeroy. To understand the Lundehund's specialties, one must understand their natural habitat.

7. MONRAD MIKALSEN

"I have had many experiences, both on sea and land. My wife had a brother that fell somewhere over here, and I had a foster brother that fell down over there. We were cutting hay together on the mountain, and I saw him fall over the edge. I ran over with outstretched arms, but I missed him by only 10 cm. If I would have been able to grab him, then we would have both fallen to our deaths. It was impossible for me to have stopped him. He was 15 or 16 years old."

8. NARRATOR

A hard environment, but a rich environment. The birds of the mountain gave both food and means of earning a living. A good and profitable resource for the inhabitants of Mostad. One of the (most important) birds that breed there is the puffin. With its big funny head and a short neck, the bird seems very ancient. The puffins dig into the earth or boulder piles, and hatches their young there. These tunnels may be more than 2 metres long. Farthest in is the nest made from plant material, wool, and hair. Without exception, the puffin's nest can not be seen from the outside.

9. NARRATOR

The village of Mostad lies in a location strategically positioned for fishing, but poor and troublesome for harvesting hay. A few hundred years ago a government official wrote about this place, "Not a speck of hay went unharvested, even if the slope was so steep that the haycutters had to use a rope." The area of the cemetary for Mostad was double the size of the village, and Mostad only had 150 people in its day. They owned stones, mountains, and a fierce ocean. But in spite of the hardships, they were a prosperous people.

10. NARRATOR

In this habitat the Lundehund had an important role. It was used for hunting. If the fishing was poor, bird hunting was only hope. In order to keep their economy viable, they had to protect this special dog. It's most familiar feature is that it has 6 toes on each paw.

11. ROAR TORSTEINSEN

"This is the paw of a labrador retriever. It is rather round in the middle. The Lundehund's paw is structured very different. The paw is longer along the inner side of the foot, and there are two (extra functional) toes on the inside. This gives the paw a greater surface area. The benefits of this hunting dog are many. They can move their ears into different positions, so that when they back out of a narrow passage, they can lay their ears forwards (like this). (They can also move their ears to hear in many directions.) On the front legs, the toes are close together and firm, and this toe is much stronger than other toes. They need strong paws when they crawl through the rocks. (The dog is so pliable that he can stretch his forelegs out horizontaly.) It is also an advantage that the joints are flexible There are a complete set of muscles in the extra toeswazzu . Therefore, the Lundehund has a different stride from other dogs, so that as he walks, his front paw makes a rotation motion on the ground. This dog also has the advantage of an extremely flexible neck, and can lay his head completely backwards onto his spine."

12. NARRATOR

The largest puffin colony lies near the main ocean (on the south west side of Vaeroy). To get there you must climb 400 metres, and down the other side of the mountain. Before a path was dug out, many people fell to their deaths. The catch would be difficult. 40 to 90 puffins. If you lost your footing, that was the end.

13. HAYCUTTER ON THE MOUNTAIN SIDE

"During the haying time one August, there were two accidents."

14. NARRATOR

A series of tunnels make up the puffin colony on Vaeroy. >From the ocean to a height of 400 metres, there are an estimated 100,000 puffins. The adult puffins were hunted from the begining of May and into June. After they had been nesting for a while they became skinny. In August, the hunting started again for the young puffins, This is a young puffin. But the hunters would wait until the small puffins grew their down feathers. A good dog would bring back the bird to its owner alive and undamaged. The dogs were in their element at this task. The dog would crawl under the rocks and dig into the entrance. He will lay on his side and dig into the tunnel, turn around and come out, and do this over and over again. He might have to place his head on his back while he is turning around, as well as have to use his extra toes. He does this while he is laying on his side to dig himself forward. The dog must be very couragous. In this awkward position, in the darkest and most difficult tunnels, he must capture the tenacious puffin. And from the boulder piles comes a bark every time the puffin bites the dogs lip. The puffin is not helpless.

15. ROAR TORSTEINSEN

"I had a dog that I went hunting with one night. Suddenly the dog disappeared. I looked all evening for the dog and whistled for him. Later in the evening I had to give up. The next day I went up the mountain again to look, and there was no sign of him. Three days later the dog came home. I didn't recognize him at first because he was as skinny as a rail. It was only because he worked so hard to get free of the tunnel, that he got thin enough to escape."

16. NARRATOR

The dog can close his ears off and move them in all directions to prevent dirt from entering while he digs after the birds. But it also allows him to orient them to hear in all directions. When a person hunted puffins, they would have 2 or 3 dogs. Each dog would capture 20 to 40 birds in a trip. It could so happen that a dog could catch as many as 80 puffins. After a time the adult puffins stop feeding their young, and the young birds must crawl out and fly to the water. The elders told that this occurs every 23rd or 24th of August (Bartholemew's day). At this time superstition holds that all the trolls come out at night, and the mermaids would move the peoples cattle.

17. NARRATOR (HILDA TORSTEINSEN CLEANING A PUFFIN)

When the feathers were plucked from the bird, this was called "krossing". They used a special knife called a "krosse kniv" (krossing knife). A person who was good at this type of work could kross up to 100 bird in a day. "The meat gave food, and the feathers gave money," was a saying. Those who hunted the most would hire other people to "krosse". The feathers were kept by the hunter and the meat by the "krosser". The meat was rinsed off in the ocean and the entrails were fed to the dogs. The adult birds were used fresh. Before the last century, the birds were salted and dried. They hung the birds on racks to dry as they did with the fish. The young birds were the best to eat, and they used fresh or salted down also.

18. HILDA TORSTEINSEN

"We cooked the young birds first, but did not over cook them. We layed them in a frying pan with a lid on them, and we layed an heavy stone on the lid to press the birds flat. After a while they were baked in the oven until they were crisp. It was a delicacy."

19. MONRAD MIKALSEN

Question: "Did you eat as much bird as fish?"
Answer: "We ate more bird.
We soaked out the salted bird and fried them or made soup. I would sooner eat puffin than mutton. It was much better."

20. NARRATOR

Monrad Mikalsen, his 86 year old wife, and his dogs, were the last to live in the village of Mostad. After the last war, the Lundehund population increased. The dogs were used to hunt puffins as in past times. But when the people moved away in 1955, and this was a crisis for the Lundehund. In the past, a Lundehund was as valuable as a cow, but as the coastal villages changed, the dog became worthless. In 1962 there were just a few dogs left. In the same year, the "Norwegian Lundehund Club" was formed. Anna Lisa Torsteinsen organized a record of all the dogs.

21. ANNA LISA TORSTEINSEN

"The "Norwegian Lundehund Club" keeps a registry of all the dogs, and sends out a questionaire every year to find out how the toes and bite are developing, etc."

22. NARRATOR

Today there are 350 Lundehend in the country (Norway). The "Norwegian Lundehund Club" managed to salvage one of the worlds rarest breed of dog.

23. NARRATOR

As civilization changes, and the new comes in. Those who no longer have any function fall away. The Lundehund changed its function, and today many dogs are found in south-Norway as family pets. But the Lundehund will always be remembered from its traditional environment and historical memories. The steep mountains, the winter storms, and the midnight sun. An enchanted dog from and enchanted land.

The End.



VIDEO TEXT TRANSCRIBED 1993, 12-26 BY KEVIN J. MOSTAD.


1. NARRATOR (INTRODUCTION)

I Reprise sendes nå et program om lundehunden en rase som i noen trekk er helt ulik andre hunder. Fra gammelt av ble den brukt til fangst av lundefugl, og kalles derfor lundehund.

2. NARRATOR

I 1962 var det 6 lundehunder igjen i Norge. I dag er det flere hundre. At hunderassen ennå fins, er et eventyr.

3. ELAENOR CHRISTIE

"Da jeg ryddet opp i min kjeller, kom jeg over et hundetidsskrift fra 1925. Der stod det om en hunderase som burde spres og som var meget verdifull. Det var lundehunden."

4. NARRATOR

Eleanor Christie bodde dengang på Hamar. De hadde kennel. De fikk tak i 3 lundehunder. For lang tid framover vil navnet hennes være knyttet til lundehunden. Hun ble nemlig redningen for hunderasen.

5. NARRATOR

Men det var et helt annet landskap hunden kom fra. Stein og fjell i et farlig og strömhardt hav. Væröy ytterst i Lofoten. Bare Röst oyene ligger lenger ute. Rundt 1100 mennesker bor her på knapt 16 km2. 1/3 av oya er lavland under 30 m. Resten er Lofotenfjell.

6. NARRATOR

Söröst på oya ligger de store fuglefjellene. På den smale strandflata ligger Måstad grenda. Dette var siste sted lundehunden ble brukt, og det eneste sted det ennå fantes en stamme i 1930. Det var vanlig å ha 2 3 hunder i hver husstand, og det kunne være 60 70 hunder i grenda. Måstadgrenda ligger avstengt til. Man må bruke båt for å komme dit, eller gå 2 timer i tungt lende. Hit kom hvalpesjuken i 1943. Det var krig og ingen vaksine å få. Bar 1 hund overlevde. Men fra Christies kennel på Hamar fikk Monrad Mikalsen nye lundehunder tilsendt, lgjen vokste det opp en stamme av lundehunder på Væröy. For å forstå lundehundens særtrekk, må man kjenne miljoet den hörer til i.

7. MONRAD MIKALSEN

"Jeg har vært med på forskjellige ting, både på hav og land. Kona mi hadde en bror som falt utover her. Og jeg hadde en fosterbror som falt ned der borte. Vi var sammen og slo gras. Jeg så han falt utfor. Jeg sprang bort og strakte hendene opp, men det var 10 cm mellom han og hendene mine. Men du vet, hvis jeg hade fått fatt i ham, da hadde vi falt begge to. Jeg hadde jo ikke greid å ta han i lufta. Han var 15 16 år."

8. NARRATOR

En hard natur, men en rik natur. Fuglefjella gav mat, og også pengefortjeneste. Næringsgrunnlaget for måstingene var godt. En av fuglene som hekker her, er lundefuglen. Med det store, rare hodet og korte halsen, virker fuglen uhyre gammelmodig. Fuglen hekker i grovsteina ur, eller i jordganger den selv graver ut. Antagelig fins det jordganger som er mer enn 2 meter lange. Innerst et rede av plantedeler, ull og hår. Rent unntaksvis kan egget sees utenfra.

9. NARRATOR

"Måstad ligger bekvemt til for fiske, men besværlig til for höyavling", skrev en embetsmann om stedt for noen hundre år siden. Den minste grönne flekken ble slått, selv der det var så bratt at slåttefolka måtte gå i tau. Prestegarden var skuldsatt til 6 våg, dobbelt så mye som hele grenda Måstad. Og i Måstad bodde det 150 mennesker. De eide stein, fjell og et stridt hav. Men likevel ble de regnet som velstendsfolk.

10. NARRATOR

I dette miljöet hadde lundehunden en viktig plass. Den kunne brukes på jakt. Hvis fisket slo feil, var fuglen redninga. For å holde oppe bosettingsmönstret, måtte denne merkelige hunden vernes. Mest kjent er det at den har 6 tær.

11. ROAR TORSTEINSEN

"Dette er labben til en labrador. Tråpoten er temmelig rund på midten. Lundehundlabben har en helt annen struktur. Tråpoten går nedover langs hele indre foten, og det er to tær på utsiden. Det gjör at hele innersiden av foten blir lang. Andre gode jaktegenskaper er at den kan lukke öret i forskjellige stillinger. Når den skal rygge ut av hulen, kan den brekke öret slik som dette. Han kan brekke örene på forskjellige måter. På forlabben ligger tærne helt tett og fast oppover. Og denne tåa er mye sterkere enn de andre. Dette er ting den har bruk for når den går på steinunderlag. Det er også en fordel at beina er myke. Det er et fullt muskelsett til denne tåa. Derfor har lundehunden et annet gangsett enn andre hunder. Når hunden begynner å gå får foten en roterende bevegelse. Hunden har også et stort utslag i nakkeleddet. Han kan böye hodet helt bakover."

12. NARRATOR

Den store lundefugl kolonien ligger ut mot storthavet. For å komme dit må man först opp 400 m. og så ned igjen på yttersida. Fra båt kommer man ikke i land der. För denne stien ble gravd ut, var det mange som falt ned her. Fangsten kunne være tung. 40 90 fugl, og hvis man da mistet balansen, var det slutt.

13. HAYCUTTER ON THE MOUNTAIN SIDE

"Det var i slåtte tida i august. Da var det to ulykker her."

14. NARRATOR

Lundeura lundefuglkolonien på Væröy. Ned til sjöen en höydeskilnad på 400 m. Kanskje bortimot 100,000 lundefugl. Fangsten på voksen lundefugl tok til i mai og varte til ut i juni, til fuglen hadde ligget så lenge på egget, at den var mager. I august ble det jaktet på lundeungene. Dette er en liten unge. Men dengang fangsten ble drevet, ventel de til ungene hadde fått fjærdrakt. En god hund skader ikke fuglen men kommer med den levende. I dette terrenget kommer lundehunden til sin rett. Han skal smyge seg inn under steinene, og grave seg inn i jordganger. Ligge på sida og karre seg inover, snu, ut igjen, opp, ned. Han må kanskje "brekke nakken" for å komme rundt. Kanskje bruke eksra tåa når han må ligge på sida for å ta seg fram. Og han skal være modig. På det trangeste og mörkeste mörter han motstanderen, fuglen med det kraftige og hvasse nebbet. Og fra ura kommer det et hyl hver gang lunden får tak i leppa på hunden. Fuglen er ikke forsvarslös.

15. ROAR TORSTEINSEN

"Jeg hadde en hund som jeg gikk i ura med en kveld. Plutselig ble hunden sökk vekk. Jeg lette hefe kvelden og plystra. Men utpå natta måtte jeg gi meg. Neste dag gikk jeg opp igjen og lette. Ikke en lyd å höre. Men 3 dager etter kom han hjem. Jeg kjente ikke hunden igjen. Han var tynn som en strek. Da hadde han magret så mye at han greide å komme ut av ura."

16. NARRATOR

At hunden kan knipe igjen öret eller endre stilling, kan være for at öret ikke skal bli fullt av jord når han karrer seg inn etter fuglen. Men det kan også være at han skal orientere seg etter lyden. I ura hadde man med seg 2 3 hunder, og hver hund kunne fange 20 40 fugl på en tur. Men det hendte at en hund kunne fange 80 fugl. Etter en tid slutter lunden å mate ungen og han må ut fra ura og ut på havet. De gamle fortalte at dette skulle skje natta mellom 23, og 24, august. Bartholomeus dagen! För den förste jernnatta den natta alle troll var ute, og den natta havfrua holdt flytting med kyrne sine.

17. NARRATOR (HILDA TORSTEINSEN CLEANING A PUFFIN)

Å fjerne fjær og dun kalte man krossing. Det ble brukt en krossekniv. En som var övd, kunne krosse over 100 fugl på en dag. "Kjöttet gav mat, og fjæra gav penger", var ordtaket. De som jakta mest kunne få andre til å krosse mot at jegeren beholdt fjæra og krosseren fikk skrottene. Skrottene ble renska i fjæra. Avfallet var mat for hundene. Den voksne fuglen ble brukt fersk, men för hunreårsskiftet ble den salta og törka. Det hang lunder til törk som fisk på hjell. Men ungen var den beste. Den ble både salta og brukt fersk.

18. HILDA TORSTEINSEN

"Ungen koker vi först. Den er ikke tungkokt. Så legger vi den i steikepanna med et lokk på. Oppå lokket legger vi en stein for å få fuglen flatpressa. Etter en stund har jeg den i ovnen for å få den sprö. Det er en delikatesse!"

19. MONRAD MIKALSEN

Sporsmål: "Spiser dere like mye fugl som fisk?"
Svar: "Vi spiste mer fugl. Vi vanna ut den salte fuglen og lagde steik eller suppa. Jeg foretrakk det fremfor fårekjött. Det var mye bedre!"

20. NARRATOR

Monrad Mikalsen, 86 år kona og lundehunden, er de siste igjen i Måstadgrenda. Etter siste krig kom lundehundstammen seg opp igjen, og hunden ble brukt på den gamle måten. Men så kom fraflyttinga rundt 1955, og en ny krise for hunderasen. I Gildeskål var en god lundehund like mye verd som en ku. Men kystsamfunnet endra seg. Hunden ble verdilös. I 1962 var det igjen bare noen få lundehunder. Det året ble Norsk lundehundklubb opprettet. Anne Lisa Torsteinsen förer kort over alle lundehundene.

21. ANNA LISA TORSTEINSEN

"Lundehundklubben får kopi av registreringsbevisene. Vi sender ut spörreskjemaer hvert år for å få vite hvordan tærne er utviklet, bittet er osv."

22. NARRATOR

I dag er det 350 lundehunder i landet. Lundehundklubben greide å redde en av verdens mest sjeldne hunder.

23. NARRATOR

Når samfunnet endrer seg vil noe falle fra, og nytt komme inn. Det som ikke lenger har noen funksjon faller fra. Lundehunden endra funksjon, og i dag fins de fleste sör i landet som familiehunder. Men lundehunden vil alltid minne om det underlige landet den kom fra. De bratte fjellene, vinterstormene, og de lyse nettene. En trolsk hund fra et trolsk land.

The End



...Puffins Rule!

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