Three Heritage Perspectives on Inhabiting Finnish Wilderness Cabins

Abstract

Finnish Wilderness Cabins, autiotupa in Finnish, are an intriguing example of Finnish cultural heritage. They are typically located in natural environments, detached from contemporary infrastructures. They are open, without a fee or registration, for a one- or two-night stay for anyone who is capable of making the journey. Together, these cabins form a unique network of dwellings that allow visitors to experience the wilderness and a way of living without modern conveniences. As built heritage, these modest dwellings — the “quiet architecture of the wild” — seem to have been left out of established heritage discourses. However, many of them are kept safe by the very landscapes they are located in: preservation of wilderness cabins is strongly intertwined with nature preservation. Cabins are, indeed, tangible structures, but the intangible skills, practices, knowledge and ways of living they shelter are as meaningful as their material aspects. Wilderness cabins lie at the intersection of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, past and present. Interestingly, the act of inhabiting these dwellings can be seen as a future-oriented practice, heritage futures, where heritage is understood not only as preserving the past, but as voluntary, co-operative future-making for a more sustainable tomorrow as well. Through a narrative literature review, this paper aims to outline a conception of wilderness cabins as heritage, and the kind of heritage they constitute. This approach is carried out through three heritage perspectives: built heritage, intangible heritage, and heritage futures.