A Beautiful People

Feb. 6 is set aside as a national day in Sweden, celebrating the Sámi.
The Sámi are Scandinavia’s indigenous people. Archeological digs place their ancestors in the region as early as 9000 BC. Today the Sámi people occupy northern parts of Sweden, Norway, portions of Finland and eastern Russia. The larger community’s population is divided into four groups: north Sámi, south Sámi, Lule Sámi, and east Sámi. Each is known for speaking with a distinct dialect though the language of all is closely related to Finnish.
Ostersund, where I’m attending school, is located in the area that is populated by the south Sámi.
The Sámi have a beautiful and complex culture, the type that inspires jealousy among American’s whose cultural roots are spread thin. In the first written record of their presence, the Roman historian Tacitus described Sámi living a subsistence life style.
Traditionally, they herded reindeer, but few still make their living that way.
Holidays mean food. I love to cook. So when friends invited me to help preparing a traditional national day dinner, I was all for it.
I had no idea what I was in for.
Trying to fit reindeer meat to feed 40 people in to a five-gallon pot is a bit of a logistical problem. The feast prepared with my Sámi friends, David and Inga-Lisa, also included carrots, potato and rutabaga , knickabrod (rye crackers) and klump, which is similar to dumplings.
Once the meat and vegetables started to boil, the aroma was delicious.
Before other guests arrived, David and Inga-Lisa changed into traditional dress. Their colorful clothing, bright reds, blues, greens and yellows, made for a festive atmosphere. It’s apparently possible to tell what type of Sámi someone is by their traditional dress. Comparing Inga-Lisa’s north Sámi attire with David’s south Sámi clothing, I could see subtle differences in decorative patterns and designs.
Inga-Lisa doesn’t speak Sámi. “I wish I did,” she explained. “My parents weren’t allowed to learn it.”
The language deficit is a reminder of the Swedish government’s dark history with respect to her own indigenous people. As part of its efforts to assimilate the Sámi, government policies sought to eradicate the Native language and culture. Other policies led to forced relocations and what amounted to substandard education. Reading about this history, I was reminded of our own government’s treatment of American Indians in the late 1800 and 1900s.
Today, Sámi culture is experiencing a renaissance. People my age are working to keep the culture alive and pass it along to future generations.
The Sámi parliament of Sweden was established in 1993; it governs cultural issues for the Sámi but has no real political power. The Sámi Parliament seems to hold a similar place to Alaska Federation of Natives. Universities in both Sweden and Norway are offering degrees in Sámi language and culture. It is comforting to see the resurgence of Sámi coulter. However all is not perfect, racism still exists and stereotypes persist among the wider Swedish population. Modern Sámi face many of the same obstacles and stereo types as Alaska natives do.
Joining in this effort the Swedish government is now helping to preserve and protect the right of a beautiful people that they spent so long trying destroy.
With the guests present and the food laid upon the table, it was time to eat. There were heaping platters of meat and bright orange carrots, yellow turnips and potatoes. The guests served themselves tentatively at first, trying little bits of the meat and vegetables, they were even less sure of what to expect then I was. The mildness of the meat combined with the almost sweet taste of the carrots surprised me. It was plain simple but absolutely wonderful. As I ate my meal, I pondered my food. The simplicity of the meal was a reflection of the Sámi’s ancient substance lifestyle.