A House of the Commons

Published at P2P-Foundation on March 14, 2018.

The "våningshus" of the small farm Holmstadengen by Skreia.

-Flickr.

Norwegian Layman's Christianity peaked in this house. The man who lived here for almost 40 years, Magnus Johansen Dahl from Spydeberg, was the son of a "husmann", which in some aspects was worse than serfdom. Serfs were many places well protected by traditions. In spite of his background, Dahl became the apostel of the Totenåsen Hills.

About 1900 the "husmannsvesen" ended, and the smallholders around and on the Totenåsen Hills were now independent, proud farmers. The forests of the Totenåsen Hills was a commons where they could grass their livestock in summertime, and cut firewood and and timber for their personal needs during wintertime. Some too worked for the sawmills during the winter, and even these were run like cooperatives, like the diaries. By Sagelven River they had a common bathhouse where they gathered to clean their bodies on Saturdays, before they went to their "bedehus" on Sundays. A "bedehus" was a kind of prayer house, but without clerks, because in Norwegian Layman's Christianity they were all priests.

These former "husmenn"-slaves were now not just proud and independent farmers, they were even priests with their own religion and apostel. This was a religion of the commons, as they organized themselves free from the State, they had their own songbook gathered by Dahl, Pris Herren, and their own music Associations, which formed several talented musicians. Knut Anders Sørum is the last in this chain of musicians going back to M.J. Dahl, a bestselling Norwegian artist.

Almost everything was a commons in these days, their religion, the forests, their businesses, their songs and so on. And in the center of all this was the preacher, shoemaker and farmer M.J. Dahl, the apostel of the Totenåsen Hills. He came from Østfold County, the same county where Hans Nielsen Hauge, too a son of a "husmann", wandered out from some years earlier. Hauge became the apostel of Norway, as he walked around the whole of Norway spreading his gospel. While Dahl walked around the Totenåsen Hills, connecting the congregations which grew up here in his footsteps.

A child's shoe most likely made by the shoemaker M.J. Dahl.

These smallholders with their newly won freedom put much pride in being good farmers, with Dahl as their example. Dahl was widely recognized for how he run his small farm Holmstadengen, and even got a diploma for his farming skills from the Norwegian Agricultural Association.

Magnus Johansen Dahl was a commoner, one of Norway's most important commoners of all times, with his farm Holmstadengen as the nave for these proud commons he represented in every aspect of his life. He was an apostel living in the midst of his followers, being one of them and their example for life, like Jesus. He toiled in the soil, walked on his feet and worked as a craftsman. And the door of his home was always open, so that everyone who needed advice or to be prayed for, could just step inside.

This is why this house represents a peak in the Norwegian commons and culture, and in my regards is Norway's most important house, as our most valuable values were found here.

The fields where the apostel of the Totenåsen Hills toiled in the soil.

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I want to add two relevant comments by Alexander Viken at Kulturverk, unfortunately in Norwegian language.

"Nå må man nærmest velge sin fortid og fremtid ut fra trender man ikke kjenner historien til og idéer man egentlig ikke forstår, og dermed virrer selv oppegående mennesker hit og dit på jakt etter noe de ikke vet hva er." - Alexander Viken

"Ikke at symboler, riter, historier og merkedager ikke kan ha stor betydning, men fordi symbolene er som gravstener i samtiden. Symbolene er ikke tegn på det levende og aktive lenger, men det døde og glemte, suttekluter for en sivilisasjon som har fortapt seg selv i endeløse spekulasjoner." - Alexander Viken

Related

Syv historiske plasser som Europa har glemt (Holmstadengen kommer innunder denne kategorien.)

Få norske bygder har hatt større klasseskiller enn Østre Toten (Sett i et historisk lys var det en utrolig klassereise disse forhenværende husmennene i grendene oppunder Totenåsen gjorde i tiden under M.J. Dahl, selv en husmannssønn. Min tippoldefar var en lavt aktet husmann, som nå med ett ble småbruker, prest og allmenninger, med egen kultur hvor alle stod på likefot.)

In Search of the Commons (Av Petros største aha-opplevelser var den norske lekmannskristendommens rolle, under samtaler med den tidligere presten i Hurdal)

Urbane kafégjester oppfører seg i tråd med forfedrenes levebrød (Dette kan nok også forklare hvorfor lekmannskristendommen, som på mange vis var en delereligion, ble så sterk i Norge, og da særlig i karrigere strøk, som i grendene rundt Totenåsen. På Vestlandet og tildels Sørlandet hadde man i tillegg klyngetunene.

Nede i bygda på Toten slo ikke lekmannskristendommen rot på langt nær samme vis som i de karrige grendene oppunder Totenåsen, fordi de hadde ikke samme behov for å samarbeide. Storbøndene holdt seg heller inne med geistligheta.)