Traditionally the residents of the scattered farming villages raised cattle in seasonal alpine camps during the summer and brought them down to the valley floor for winter. In the 17th and 18th centuries, most of the high meadows and cattle herds were acquired by Bernese patricians.
Historically, residents of scattered farming villages herded their cattle into alpine camps during the summer months and then moved them to the valley floor for winter. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Bernese nobility gained control over most of the high meadows and cattle herds.