1. Strangers in Their Own Land

Speak – but speak our language. Wear clothes – but only what we want you to wear. Learn – but learn in our way.

The assimilation policy left a deep scar in Saami society. It is a trauma that is passed from generation to generation.

2. Border Crossing People

One day it was one village. The next day it was two. Divided between a King and a Tzar. In the years to come the villagers paid their taxes not to one, but to three countries.

The nation has no borders, but countries do. The Saami were divided by the four states of Russia, Finland, Norway and Sweden. But still there is one united Saamiland, Sápmi.

3. Cross-Generational Stories

In the nearby mountain lives Stallu, the man eating ogre. I am not supposed to go there at night time when he is awake. And Čáhcerávga, a water wrath living in our well, could snatch me away. Anytime. Grandmother says not to go near. I know my territory, it’s monsters and spirits.

Saami children know which places are safe and which are not because of the stories passed from generation to generation. They learn the right way of doing things through stories.

4. The People of Eight Seasons

Nature will tell us what’s next: When it’s time to gather the reindeer herd, when it’s time to fish, when the cloudberries are ready to be picked and when it’s time to rest. We listen and nature will show. We gulahalla luondduin – speak with the Earth.

Spring, spring-summer, summer, fall-summer, fall, fall-winter, winter, spring-winter. The rhythm of life is based on the circle of the seasons.

5. Persistent Stereotypes

People see me, but they don’t really see me. They expect me to behave and act like my ancestors did. People see me through romantic images or negative expectations they have for my culture. Am I the one who decides what I am, how I look and how I behave? I’m not here to fulfill the stereotypes, not the good ones or the bad ones.

Modern society evolves but somehow the Saami should stay the same.

6. Living Outside the Samiland

The pace of the city is faster, it makes one almost dizzy. The air smells filthy and the ground is filled with trash. Back home the snow is white. Here it’s brown or it doesn’t exist at all. There is too much of everything: the noise, the smells, people, houses, cars, trees, colors… Too much! I miss home, where I can breathe again, where I can hear my language and be with my people. Until I want to escape again. Back here. In the city.

Most Saami already live outside Saamiland. For instance, 1000 Saami live in the Helsinki area. Some Saami people identify themselves as city-Saami.

7. Ultima Thule

I am the light and I am the darkness, I am the strong and I am the frail. In all extremes, I have persisted and adapted – but for how long?

By definition, Ultima Thule is “A distant unknown region; the extreme limit of travel and discovery”. Saamiland is located in the Arctic. The area is characterized by the long distances and extreme variation of light and temperatures. The people have adapted to harsh conditions. Although the people have adapted, the beautiful Arctic nature is very sensitive to changes.

8. One Nation, Many Languages

My great grandmother spoke Inari Saami, Northern Saami and Finnish. Grandmother, áhkku, spoke Northern Saami and Finnish. My father spoke Northern Saami and Finnish but lost the first one. I speak only Finnish. How can my children find their voice if they don’t know their mother tongue?

The Saami have always been multilingual. Even though many Saami have lost their language, the Saami don’t fall silent.

9. Ethnostress

Don’t panic! It’s up to you to ensure that Saami culture, language and traditions survive. No pressure.

Saami languages and culture are endangered. From the moment a Saami child is born, they inherit a responsibility of preserving and reviving their culture. It can be a heavy burden for one individual to carry.

10. Activism and Artivism

An island. Standing tall in the middle of a river. This island is Moratorium, where laws don’t apply. Occupied by brave Saami warriors. Fighting for their rights with disobedience. Using words and art as their weapon.

The Saami are a nation of peace. Still they have been forced to fight for their survival. Some Saami fight with words, art and music.

11. The Future Sami

Where do we go from here? Blend in, change our ways or find our voice and prosper? How do we gain our living in the future? What happens to us and the Saamiland?

The Saami can listen and understand nature but can they overcome the power of the artificial? What kind of skills will Saami people need in the future to survive and make most out of what is available? How can ancestral and local knowledge be adapted to meet the demands of the future?

12. Lost Memories

When Áddjá is gone, who will tell his story? When he forgets, who will remember?

Many aging Saami have their future in institutional care. Often the connection to their culture is cut off. The languages learned later become forgotten and independent performance weakens. Nothing in the new environment reminds them of the life they’ve lived.