Inheriting a Nasjonaldrakt: The Synchronicity of Memory & Tradition in My Great-Grandmother’s Norwegian Bunad

Abstract

Bunad broadly defines the uniquely Norwegian festive attire inspired by regional folk dress traditions. The Nasjonaldrakt (National costume), Norway’s first bunad, evolved out of Norway’s independence movement during the late-nineteenth century when authentic symbols of Norwegian identity were embraced. Bunads are still widely used today, and over 500 bunad styles have developed since Norway’s independence in 1905. The bunad has only just begun to be researched as a contemporary phenomenon, and there is limited scholarship that focuses on the complexities of privately inheriting a bunad.

I recently inherited a Nasjonaldrakt (c. 1905) made by my great-grandmother, Agnes Rugtiv (born Ødven, 1893-1985), while growing up in Sandane, Norway. A multidisciplinary approach to studying this ensemble presents a case study that theoretically considers best practices for the life of objects with continuing cultural traditions. Drawing from a period of ethnographic research in Norway, I incorporate object- and cultural-based research conducted with museums alongside observations of contemporary bunad practices. The chronological narratives of fashion studies often exclude a nuanced understanding of the temporal and stylistic entanglements of traditional dress. Synchronicity as a theoretical framework emerges as I examine past memories and enduring traditions in order to address future inheriting practices for an ensemble of cultural heritage.