Emilie Demant Hatt
Encyclopedia
Emilie Demant Hatt (21 January 1873 - 4 December 1958) was a Danish artist, writer, and ethnographer
. Her area and of interest and expertise was the culture and way of life of the Sami people
.
in northern Jutland
, Denmark
. From the age of fourteen to seventeen she had a romantic relationship with Carl Nielsen
whom she met in 1887 in Selde. Expecting to become engaged, Nielsen had a psychological crisis over their relationship. Nielsen was living at the time with Emilie's uncle and aunt in Copenhagen. Emilie Demant Hatt went on to preserve several original early music manuscripts of Nielsen's.
From 1898 to 1906, she studied painting and drawing in Copenhagen
with Emilie Mundt and Marie Luplau, at the Women's Academy of Art, a school within the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
While an art student, she changed her last name to Demant. In 1904, Demant and her sister took a train trip to northern Scandinavia
. It was here on the iron ore train in Swedish Lapland that they met a Sami wolf hunter, Johan Turi
(1854–1936). The encounter made had a dramatic effect on Dement who was very interested in Sami culture and their way of life. While relying on an interpreter, Turi told Demant that he wanted to write a book about "Lapps
," while Demant stated, “I have always wanted to be a nomad.” Demant spent the next several years learning the Sami language at the University of Copenhagen
with the linguist Vilhelm Thomsen
while continuing her painting studies.
and from Karesuando to Tromsdalen, where she spent the summer of 1908. Though untrained as an ethnographer, she kept a journal, took photographs, and sketched and painted what she saw. While male anthropologists had visited this area previously, Demant was the first woman to have lived so closely with the Sámi. Demant was also the first investigator to discover the Sami mothers perform infant head moulding
.
In the fall of 1908, Demant spent 6–8 weeks with Johan Turi in a mountain cabin where she assisted Turi with his book Muitalus sámiid birra ("The Book of Lapps"). She took the notebooks in which Turi had written his book in Sami back with her to Denmark. She then transcribed the text, translated it into Danish, and organized it. She was assisted by Anders Pedersen and Vilhelm Thomsen. The book was funded by the Swedish mining director, Hjalmar Lundbohm. 'Bogen om lapperne ("Johan Turi’s Book of Lapland") was published in 1910 in a bilingual Sami-Danish edition in 1910, and in 1931 as an English language edition.
Demant made another ethnographic visit to Sweden in 1910, where she lived in Glen with the South Sami couple Marta and Nils Nilsson.In 1913, she published Med lapperne i højfjeldet (translation: "With the Lapps in the High Mountains"), an account of Sami customs based on her one year nomadic travels in 1907-08.
Demant Hatt painted all her life and exhibited her works at art exhibitions. She wrote additional works about the Sami and produced a series of paintings focused on Lapland
. The collection is located at Stockholm's Nordic Museum
. Other Demant-Hatt paintings are located at the Skive Museum of Art. A substantial part of the Sami costume collection in the National Museum of Denmark's Ethnography Department was collected by Dement Hatt during the period of 1915-1924.
In 1915, she was awarded the Barnard
Medal Award. She was awarded the 1940 Arthur Hazelius medal
in Stockholm
for her Sami research. She was a member of the Geographical Society of Finland.
geologist
and chemist
Hjalmar Lundbohm
whom she met in Jukkasjärvi
in 1907.
In September 1911, she married Aage Gudmund Hatt
, a professor of cultural geography
at the University of Copenhagen
.
Emilie Demant Hatt wrote her autobiography, Foraarsbølger ("Spring Torrents") 1949. On her death in 1958, the manuscript was submitted to the Royal Danish Library and was subject to a 25-year rule. It went without notice until 2002, and it is planned for publication.
Sjoholm, Barbara. "The Autumn Migration," excerpt translated from Danish to English from Emilie Demant Hatt's "With the Lapps in the High Mountains" in Natural Bridge (Fall, 2008) .
Sjoholm, Barbara. Excerpts translated from Danish to English from Emilie Demant Hatt's "With the Lapps in the High Mountains" in The Antioch Review (Spring, 2008).
Sjoholm, Barbara. Excerpts translated from Danish to English from "With the Lapps in the High Mountains" by Emilie Demant Hatt in Two Lines XIV (Winter, 2007).
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
. Her area and of interest and expertise was the culture and way of life of the Sami people
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
.
Early years
Emilie Demant Hansen was born in 1873 to a merchant's family in Selde, by the LimfjordLimfjord
The Limfjord is a shallow sound in Denmark that separates the island of Vendsyssel-Thy from the rest of the Jutland Peninsula. It extends from Thyborøn Channel on the North Sea to Hals on the Kattegat. It is approximately 180 kilometres long and of an irregular shape with several bays, narrowings,...
in northern Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. From the age of fourteen to seventeen she had a romantic relationship with Carl Nielsen
Carl Nielsen
Carl August Nielsen , , widely recognised as Denmark's greatest composer, was also a conductor and a violinist. Brought up by poor but musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he demonstrated his musical abilities at an early age...
whom she met in 1887 in Selde. Expecting to become engaged, Nielsen had a psychological crisis over their relationship. Nielsen was living at the time with Emilie's uncle and aunt in Copenhagen. Emilie Demant Hatt went on to preserve several original early music manuscripts of Nielsen's.
From 1898 to 1906, she studied painting and drawing in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
with Emilie Mundt and Marie Luplau, at the Women's Academy of Art, a school within the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
While an art student, she changed her last name to Demant. In 1904, Demant and her sister took a train trip to northern Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. It was here on the iron ore train in Swedish Lapland that they met a Sami wolf hunter, Johan Turi
Johan Turi
Johan Turi, born Johannes Olsen Thuri also spelt Johan Tuuri or Johan Thuri or Johan Thuuri was the first Sami author to publish a secular work in a Sami language...
(1854–1936). The encounter made had a dramatic effect on Dement who was very interested in Sami culture and their way of life. While relying on an interpreter, Turi told Demant that he wanted to write a book about "Lapps
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
," while Demant stated, “I have always wanted to be a nomad.” Demant spent the next several years learning the Sami language at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
with the linguist Vilhelm Thomsen
Vilhelm Thomsen
Vilhelm Ludwig Peter Thomsen was a Danish linguist. In 1893, he deciphered the Turkish Orkhon inscriptions in advance of his rival, Wilhelm Radloff...
while continuing her painting studies.
Career
In 1907, she returned to northern Scandinavia and lived in a Sami siida in the Swedish mountains outside Kiruna with Sari and Aslak Turi, Johan Turi's brother. She migrated with them and other Sami in the winter and spring of 1907 and 1908, to JukkasjärviJukkasjärvi
Jukkasjärvi is a locality situated in Kiruna Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 519 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated at 321 meters elevation....
and from Karesuando to Tromsdalen, where she spent the summer of 1908. Though untrained as an ethnographer, she kept a journal, took photographs, and sketched and painted what she saw. While male anthropologists had visited this area previously, Demant was the first woman to have lived so closely with the Sámi. Demant was also the first investigator to discover the Sami mothers perform infant head moulding
Artificial cranial deformation
Artificial cranial deformation, head flattening, or head binding is a form of permanent body alteration in which the skull of a human being is intentionally deformed. It is done by distorting the normal growth of a child's skull by applying force...
.
In the fall of 1908, Demant spent 6–8 weeks with Johan Turi in a mountain cabin where she assisted Turi with his book Muitalus sámiid birra ("The Book of Lapps"). She took the notebooks in which Turi had written his book in Sami back with her to Denmark. She then transcribed the text, translated it into Danish, and organized it. She was assisted by Anders Pedersen and Vilhelm Thomsen. The book was funded by the Swedish mining director, Hjalmar Lundbohm. 'Bogen om lapperne ("Johan Turi’s Book of Lapland") was published in 1910 in a bilingual Sami-Danish edition in 1910, and in 1931 as an English language edition.
Demant made another ethnographic visit to Sweden in 1910, where she lived in Glen with the South Sami couple Marta and Nils Nilsson.In 1913, she published Med lapperne i højfjeldet (translation: "With the Lapps in the High Mountains"), an account of Sami customs based on her one year nomadic travels in 1907-08.
Demant Hatt painted all her life and exhibited her works at art exhibitions. She wrote additional works about the Sami and produced a series of paintings focused on Lapland
Lapland (region)
Lapland is a region in northern Fennoscandia, largely within the Arctic Circle. It streches across Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula . On the North it is bounded by the Barents Sea, on the West by the Norwegian Sea and on the East by the White Sea...
. The collection is located at Stockholm's Nordic Museum
Nordic Museum
The Nordic Museum is a museum located on Djurgården, an island in central Stockholm, Sweden, dedicated to the cultural history and ethnography of Sweden from the Early Modern age until the contemporary period...
. Other Demant-Hatt paintings are located at the Skive Museum of Art. A substantial part of the Sami costume collection in the National Museum of Denmark's Ethnography Department was collected by Dement Hatt during the period of 1915-1924.
In 1915, she was awarded the Barnard
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
Medal Award. She was awarded the 1940 Arthur Hazelius medal
Artur Hazelius
Artur Immanuel Hazelius , Swedish teacher, scholar and folklorist, founder of the Nordic Museum and the open-air museum Skansen in Stockholm....
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
for her Sami research. She was a member of the Geographical Society of Finland.
Personal life
Demant had a close relationship and friendship with the SwedishSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
geologist
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and chemist
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
Hjalmar Lundbohm
Hjalmar Lundbohm
Johan Olof Hjalmar Lundbohm was a Swedish geologist and chemist and the first managing director of LKAB in Kiruna. He is almost regarded as the founder of the city....
whom she met in Jukkasjärvi
Jukkasjärvi
Jukkasjärvi is a locality situated in Kiruna Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 519 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated at 321 meters elevation....
in 1907.
In September 1911, she married Aage Gudmund Hatt
Gudmund Hatt
Professor Aage Gudmund Hatt was a Danish archaeologist and cultural geographer. He was a professor of cultural geography at the University of Copenhagen from 1929 through 1947...
, a professor of cultural geography
Cultural geography
Cultural geography is a sub-field within human geography. Cultural geography is the study of cultural products and norms and their variations across and relations to spaces and places...
at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
.
Emilie Demant Hatt wrote her autobiography, Foraarsbølger ("Spring Torrents") 1949. On her death in 1958, the manuscript was submitted to the Royal Danish Library and was subject to a 25-year rule. It went without notice until 2002, and it is planned for publication.
Partial works
- (1913), Med Lapperne i høfjeldet (Danish language)
- (1918), Die lappländischen Nomaden in Skandinavien
- (1920), Lappish Texts written by Johan Turi and Per Turi. With the cooperation of K. D. Wiklund, edited by Emilie Demant-Hatt (English language)
- (1922), Ved Ilden : eventyr og historier fra Lapland (Danish language)
External links
- Kuutma, K. (January 1, 2003). "Collaborative Ethnography Before Its Time: Johan Turi and Emilie Demant Hatt". Scandinavian Studies : Publication of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study, 75, 2, 165.
Sjoholm, Barbara. "The Autumn Migration," excerpt translated from Danish to English from Emilie Demant Hatt's "With the Lapps in the High Mountains" in Natural Bridge (Fall, 2008) .
Sjoholm, Barbara. Excerpts translated from Danish to English from Emilie Demant Hatt's "With the Lapps in the High Mountains" in The Antioch Review (Spring, 2008).
Sjoholm, Barbara. Excerpts translated from Danish to English from "With the Lapps in the High Mountains" by Emilie Demant Hatt in Two Lines XIV (Winter, 2007).