Norwegian Sami policy in the 1970s – strengthening “Saminess” through renewal

Abstract

Norwegian Sami policy in the 1970s – strengthening “Saminess” through renewal In the course of the 1970s, certain events occurred in Sami politics which laid the foundation for renewed “Saminess” as well as recognition of the Sami people as an indigenous people of Norway. Sami rights were then, for the first time, presented as indigenous peoples’ rights.

The theme of this article is the strengthening of “Saminess” with the emphasis on how Norwegian Sami policy was formulated during the 1970s and to what degree the hunger strike might have influenced this policy. The purpose of the article is to acquire new knowledge about the Sami movement’s industrious generation through research based on qualitative methods.

Due to the neo-corporatism of the 70s, representatives of Sami organizations gained access to the political decision-making bodies that formulated official Sami policy. The strategy was to revitalize Sami culture by renewing elements such as art, literature, yoik, other Sami music etc. New forms of Sami cultural expression such as festivals and theatre were established, forming part of the revitalization process. Through this revitalization of Sami culture, together with an enhanced Saminess, the Sami people would, in turn, gain ground in relation to the dominant community. The term I have used to describe this revitalization is the Sami political community-oriented perspective. The efforts made by young Samis in their struggle to define and formulate a Sami policy aimed at strengthening Saminess appeared in a rather conspicuous fashion.

At the end of 1979, demonstrations against the dam-building project on the Alta-Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino waterway took place, subsequent to which Sami activists went on a hunger strike in Oslo. The hunger strike had a considerable effect on the Norwegian public at large, which has since led to support for the Sami policy.