Bark pits are a type of remains and the result of the Sami harvesting the inner bark of pine trees early on. They knew that bark was useful, and modern research shows that the inner bark contains both starch and minerals, especially calcium. The bark was crushed into flakes and sprinkled over meat and fish soups where it had a thickening effect. In spring, the inner bark is particularly tasty and contains more sugar than during the rest of the year.
In connection with a survey of the area along Gardsjöbäcken in 2017, Erik Sandén, Västerbotten Museum, found an unusual number of Sami bark pits on the eastern side of Gardsjöbäcken. Archaeologists from the Västerbotten Museum, the Swedish Forest Agency and the Forest Museum have visited the area on two occasions and registered almost 50 bark pits within a 2.3 km long stretch along the eastern side of Gardsjöbäcken, which is unique. The finds are dated to have been made in batches during the period between 1677 and 1804. The area was then part of Tjuvekelis, an area with three Lapp tax lands where the area in question in Gardsjöbäcken was part of the Lapp tax land Gardejaur (Gardsjönäs).
The Gardejaur interest association sees its task as educating and informing about these finds in order to promote the area’s forest Sami history.
You can walk along the eastern side of Gardsjöbäcken and see for yourself the ancient remains of bark pits harvested by the Sami in bygone times (see map). There is also a trapping pit system on the lower part of the eastern side. If you drive towards Gardsjönäs from the E12 along the road that runs on the western side of Gardsjöbäck, you can easily reach the scenic Storfallet. A few hundred meters up the road there is a small parking lot where you can stop with a car and walk 400m to the fall at Gardsjöbäcken where there is a shelter and fireplace. (see map).
Gardsjöbäcken and the marked areas on the map can also be reached if you continue towards Gardsjönäs and at the four-way junction go towards Sorsele. There you reach the northern bridge over Gardsjöbäcken where there is parking and a rest area. The bark pits are most easily reached from this rest area.
