The Walsers were peoples of ancient German descent who
settled in the higher reaches of the Alps and especially in
the valleys surrounding Monte Rosa at about 1200 meters of
altitude where they preserved their ancient German language,
customs and traditions. These protected and isolated colonies
in the harsh terrain of the high mountains had to work hard
for their survival: they had to cut down forest, till the
land, create fields and meadows for cultivation and grazing,
build houses and during the summer produce everything
necessary to feed the families and animals during the long
winter months.
Their ethnic and linguistic isolation and
difficulties in communication and transport made them
fiercely independent and proudly free, all at the price of
continuous hard work. The Walser colonization was certainly
pacific as the Valsesians had little to lose in granting
them land which was not exploited by them. In their new
lands they felt free of the ancient feudal ties of their
country of origin where they had been serfs, and they became
aware of their new found freedom to take decisions and plan
the use of their own territory. The Walser occupation took
place stealthily as the newcomers did not immediately
establish relations with the locals.
Through a network of
uninterrupted contacts and connections, they continued to
receive from the Vallais supplies of staple commodities such
as salt, metal tools, cereals and clothing. Later the
colonies became practically self-sufficient and the
umbilical cord connecting them to their old country fell
away. Once they had acquired their right to the neighborhood,
salt and equipment were obtained at the market in Varallo,
in exchange for livestock and cheese.
Their integration was
complete when the Walser parishes were recognized, these
being, from an administrative point of view, the equivalent
to self-government.
The Walser people arrived in Alagna by
passing through Macugnaga and they occupied the herdsmen's
shelters in the Mud area which are now part of the present
day hamlets of Pedemonte and especially Oubre Rong which at
1330 meters is the oldest settlement in existence.
Later
expansion led to the tilling of land at the base of the Alagna alp now called Pedelegno. The settlement in Alpe di
Otro was the work of families arriving some time later from
Gressoney. The generations which followed the pioneers
perfected their claims to the territory, extending
colonization around the primitive nuclei.
The presence of the Walser tradition in Alagna
The presence of the Walser culture is today still strong in
Alagna and you can you breeze it in the architecture of the
houses, of the hamlets and also with the people, still
talking the old German dialect, proud of the the Walser
culture. Many historic cultural associations work today to
keep and promote the Walser tradition making of Alagna an
active center for the circulation of the history of the
Walser people.
