The Scandinavian indigenous: The Sami

One of the first things that I wanted to do the most when I arrived in Scandinavia was to gather more information about the Sami people. As in Brazil, the north of Europe has its own indigenous people as well. They live in the north part of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia, territory known as Sápmi in Lapland. 

Sami family around 1900

Lapland

The Sami has lived in this region for thousands of years. When the Germanic people migrated from Central Europe to Scandinavia, both people started to miscegenate. I found it peculiar that I, as a Brazilian person, could not tell them apart by their physical differences alone. I understand then that the self-identification of the people happens through their culture and language.

 Traditional dress (they wear it all the time). One day I saw a father and his son in a supermarket wearing these colorful clothes. I found it amazing!  

The Swedish, Danish and Norwegian language have their similarities, but the Sami one is completely different, tending to be more like the Finnish language. It is interesting to perceive that even though they have lived through the process of assimilation during the last centuries, the Sami got to persist and resist to it. Today there are still big communities that obtained the right to exercise their traditions and language. They have established their own parliament and also have a beautiful flag, the most beautiful one I have ever seen. 

 

The art craft is something very different. When I was in Kiruna, I was able to have a little contact with the Sami culture. Along the road I saw men on a snowmobile taking care of the reindeers that are besides the road, and in the city I visited the museum and I saw their material culture, I mean, the art craft. 

 It is definitely worth it to go to the little museum located in Jukkasjärvi, to learn a bit about their situation nowadays, and of course to have the opportunity to eat a smoked reindeer meat sandwich, known as suovas.   Heating up my feet while I wait for my suovas. Temperature outside, -15 C degrees.   

The trip was wonderful, there is so much to talk about, but time is short. So I suggest that you watch a beautiful Swedish film that was released last year and tells us a bit of the Sami conditions in the 30’s, in a context that the white supremacy ideas were rooted in people’s mentality, even including teachers’. It is worth to see it because it does not only tell a story of struggle against prejudice, but because it draws our attention to some ideologies that have been again gaining some traction in some place in our society.  The name of the movie in Swedish is SAMEBLOD and SAMI BLOOD in English, directed by Amanda Kernell. 

Outside of the museum

 Giitu!

Tack !

Obrigado!

Thanks!