by Åsmund Ohnstad
Most farms were cleared after the birth of Christ. However, Undredal and Dyrdal may be a little older. After the Black Death in 1349/50, there were probably only people living in Undredal and Dyrdal. After 1850 some farms were abandoned when people emigrated to America. After 1900, new occupations arose, such as construction work, railway work, small industries and tourism.
Population development
Farms and smallholdings – changes in the population.
|
year
|
around 1350 | 1522 | 1556 | 1701 | 1845 | 1900 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
farms
|
15-17 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 10 |
|
smallholdings
|
40-60 | 4 | 12 | 23 | 40 | 53 | 14 |
|
population
|
340-360 | 20-28 | 60-70 | 185-195 | 736 | 720 | 210 |
the population of around 1350 has been calculated – somewhat uncertain.
Farm = a demarcated area with buildings, infields and outfields, farmed by one or more families. Smallholding = an area with buildings and infields, farmed by one family. The family shares the outlying land (parcel of woodland, summer pastures) with others.
Undredal and Hjøllo, is a large hamlet/ small village with around 90 inhabitants. At most, it had a population of 280 (1850). Farming was the predominant occupation until around 1920, when construction work and railway work became an alternative. Today there are four farms in operation and people commute to Aurland/ neighbouring municipalities.
Bakka/Tufte is a small hamlet with two farms in operation and a population of around 15. Goats and sheep are the mainstays of the farms. Two or three people commute to work.
Gudvangen and Ramsøy comprises the old trading post and hotel and two farms. Today, it has a population of around 35. Two farms are in operation and there is a hotel, shop, petrol station and two campsites. The hotel and the shop employ around 15 full-time staff and many more during the summer season. Some people commute to Aurland, Flåm and Voss.
The Nærøydalen valley has five farms, as well as a kindergarten, primary school, a furniture factory and a mine. One farmer has cows, one has cows and stables horses, two have sheep and one has goats. The school and the two businesses employ 15 to 20 people. The river that runs through the valley is a good salmon and trout river. The river owners lease fishing rights to anglers.
Livestock/ summer pasture farming
In former times people kept livestock and cultivated the fields. Cows and goats produced milk which was used in many ways. The farmers made butter and cheese, and the milk was used in many different dishes. The farmers only started delivering milk to dairies after 1900. The livestock were let out of the byre at the beginning of May. They spent the months from June to September in the summer mountain pastures, came home to graze in October and were kept in the byre from November to April. Milk production was very high at the summer pasture farms. The animals were out in the fresh air and could eat fresh and nutritious mountain grass. As summer progressed, new grass grew higher up the mountains. This grass was more nutritious than the grass that grew in the lowlands.
Cultivation
Farmers grew barley and mixed grains, from the earliest times. Barley needed a dry climate, while mixed cereals did better in damper climates. Barley was grown in the Aurland and Undredal areas, while they mostly grew mixed cereals in Nærøy. The corn had to be cut, dried, threshed and transported to the grinding mill to be ground in order to produce flour for cooking and baking. The flour was used to make porridge and flatbread. It was common to grow cereals until 1900-1920, and potatoes until 1970-1990. Potatoes were first grown in the early 1800s. Priests were the first people to start growing potatoes, and it took people a long time to understand the value of this crop.
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