Among islanders and eider culture – a unique world heritage

The eider culture on Vega was known for its unique tradition, which had existed for centuries. It was somewhat by chance that I came into contact with this unique environment on the Helgeland coast. The first recordings for the film about the Island People were made in 2004–2005 and the film was shown on NRK in 2010.

At Vega, I got to experience how humans and birds lived in close symbiosis through the special eider culture.

The introduction to the story in the film "The Island People" was the author Inga E. Næss from Trondheim. She is a Norwegian author and cultural worker, born in 1940 on Vega in Nordland, and known for her commitment to the preservation and dissemination of coastal culture, especially the eider farming on Vega. Næss played a central role in documenting and making visible this unique tradition, where the islanders protected and facilitated the eider's nesting in exchange for valuable eider down. Her efforts were crucial for Vega Island to be listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004, in recognition of the unique interaction between humans and nature.

In the film "The Island People" I followed Inga E. Næss and her young friend Stein Are Ludvigsen in their all-consuming work to preserve island culture.

Through Inga Næss, we got to know Øystein Ludvigsen and Snefrid Jakobsen at Hysvær. Øystein was the last islander who fished and farmed in the traditional way.

A tradition with deep roots

Eider farming on Vega dates back to the Viking Age and has been an important part of the coastal community for generations. The islanders have developed a sustainable method to protect and facilitate the eider's breeding season, such as at Muddvær where birdwatchers Erna Nilsen and John Robert Karlsen meet every spring where they lived as children.

Here they protect the eiders from predators during the vulnerable breeding season and build small stone houses and wooden boxes, where the birds can nest in safety.

In return for the protection they receive, eiders leave their valuable down in the nests after their young have fledged. This down, known for its exceptional lightness and insulating properties, has been a sought-after commodity throughout history.

Later in the film we met Turid Næss and Gisle Ebbesen, who had restored the old coastal farm on Store Emårsøy. They wanted to show what life had once been like on an island farm, with the sea as their closest neighbor.

Photo Helge Haukeland and Ole Vidar Søviknes. Script and direction Randi Storaas.