Per Markus Persson Bals was born in Karesuando in 1898. Like his parents, he was a reindeer herder. In 1924, Per Bals married Anna Maria Blind, but tragically she died the following year. Eight years later, he married his second wife, Hilma Kristine Persdotter, with whom he had four children: Per Henry, Netty Maria, Märta Helena and Ingrid Marianne.
Per Bals moves to Vilasund
In 1919, when a new treaty on grazing rights was signed between Norway and Sweden, many of the old grazing areas on the Norwegian side were closed off to the Swedish Sámi. The closure of those grazing areas, which had been used for many generations, meant there was suddenly insufficient grazing for the reindeer herders of Karesuando. As a result, around 30 reindeer herders were compelled to relocate.
In 1926, Per Bals took his herd of 200 reindeer and headed south, his sadness compounded by his grief over the loss of his wife. After five long years, Bals settled at Vilasund near Tärna, 800 km away. Here there were better prospects, with grazing areas in the Tärnafjell mountains, and access to summer pasture on the Norwegian side.
On his long multi-year trek, Per Bals was accompanied by several other herders, including Olof Andersson Omma and his wife, Kristina. Altogether, there were more than a thousand reindeer in their combined herds. Bals and Omma spent four years at Tjengalluokta near Jokkmokk, but because of limited grazing in this area they were eventually asked to continue farther south.
In 1928, Per Bals had gone to Tärna to investigate and found the nearby mountains well suited for reindeer husbandry, so he was optimistic about their move. In the winter of 1931, after a month’s journey with reindeer and all their belongings, he and Omma and their herds arrived at an old Sámi settlement at Strimasund near Överuman.
Per Bals’ new goahti
In 1943, Per Bals built a turf hut (goahti) in Spjeltfjelldalen, Norway, where he was spending summers with his herd. After suffering a heart attack four years later, he found himself forced to sell the entire herd of 525 reindeer, of which 160 were breeding adults, for 29,000 kroner.
The new Balskøta was established in 1991 at the initiative of Statens Skoger (now Statskog), which also financed the construction of the kåta. The reason for setting up the kåta was to provide a facility for outdoor enthusiasts and mountain hikers in a pristine mountain area.
Per Jakob Hansgård from Statens Skoger enlisted teacher Bente Sørhøy and student Ola Pettersen from Kongsvegen Upper Secondary School in Mo i Rana to rebuild the kåta. In addition, Ingvald Jåma from Nord-Trøndelag was hired as an expert in kåta construction, and the structure was built based on South Sámi building traditions.
Today, an information board about Per Bals and Balskøta has been set up at the new Balskøta along the Nordlandsruta trail.
Sources:
- De tvångsförflyttade. Birger Ekerlid, 2013
- Note about Balskøtæ, Birger Ekerlid/Dag Brygfjell, 2022
