Samiska björngravar och dess återspegling av relationen mellan människa och djur.

Sammanfattning: The Sami bear graves is an important source for archaeological research on the indigenous people of the Nordic countries. They bring stories of the past through the bones and through written sources from the 17th century. The mythological stories tell us about interactions between man and the holy creature that is the bear, and the buried bones have their own stories to tell. The aim of this study is to analyse the connection between the Sami and the bear and search for a thicker understanding about the reasons for this animal to be buried in own graves. By close readings of archaeological reports, analyses of the Sami culture and religious practices where the bear is present, and, not the least, thoughts about the fluid borders between human and animal agents, a bigger picture will emerge that explains why the bear were of such importance. This paper will thus be a contribution to the knowledge of the Sami culture and the archaeological research that has emerged over the last century.