Early Sámi visual artists - Western fine art meets Sámi culture

Johan Turi (1854–1936), Nils Nilsson Skum (1872–1951) and John Savio (1902–1938) were among the first Sámi visual artists. The production of their art work occurred between the 1910s and the early 1950s. Sámi aesthetics had its basis in folklore, i.e., handicraft or duodji, which did not follow the principle of art for art’s sake but combined beauty and practicality. Art was part of community life. Not until the 1970s was the word daidda, which is Finnish in origin and which means “art”, adopted into the Sámi language. Turi and Skum became famous through their books. They drew and wrote in order to pass the traditional knowledge of their people on to succeeding generations. They also wanted to introduce Sámi life and culture to non-Sámi people. One typical feature of their work is that they depicted Sáminess in a realistic way and sought to strengthen and preserve the Sámi identity through their art. In Turi and Skum’s work, both the documentation of community life and their own personal expression were strongly present and equally important; for this reason their pictures and texts have both practical and aesthetic dimensions. They did not attend school and were self-taught artists. The third pioneer of Sámi visual arts was John Savio, who, unlike the other two, attended secondary school and studied visual arts both independently and under the guidance of a mentor. He expressively combined Western ways of depiction with Sámi subjects. My article examines what made these early Sámi artists change over from Sámi handicraft, duodji, to Western visual arts, how they used Western pictorial conventions in dealing with their Sámi subjects, and the significance of their art for Sámi identity and culture. They lived and worked under cross pressure: the first few decades of the 20th century were characterized by racial theories that denigrated Sámi people, and the period following World War II was marked by demands for modernization and assimilation. Therefore, I also discuss how the conflicts of the time influenced the art of these three early Sámi artists

Sustainable mining, local communities and environmental regulation

Sustainable mining is an objective as well as a tool for balancing economic, social, and environmental considerations. Each of these three dimensions of mining – and sustainable development – has many components, some of which were chosen for closer study in the SUMILCERE project. While there is no single component that in itself provides a definitive argument for or against sustainable mining, the research reveals some that have proven valuable in the process of balancing the different dimensions of sustainability. In the SUMILCERE project, comparative studies enabled us to identify factors such as the following, which are essential when discussing the balancing in practice of the three dimensions of sustainable mining cited above: the framework and functionality of environmental regulation to protect the environment (environmental sustainability); the competitiveness of the mining industry in light of environmental regulation and its enforcement (economic sustainability); public participation and the opportunities local communities have to influence their surroundings, as well as communities’ acceptance of projects (social sustainability) before and during operations; and the protection of Sámi cultural rights in mining projects (social and cultural sustainability). Although each of the three dimensions of sustainability leaves room for discretion in the weight assigned to it, ecological sustainability, protected by smart environmental regulation and minimum standards, sets essential boundaries that leave no room for compromises. Economic and social sustainability are possible only within these limits. Details of the analyses in the Kolarctic area and accounts of the methods used can be found in the cited SUMILCERE articles.publishedVersio

Editorial

The editorial frames a special issue that introduces Scandinavian cinema and media scholars to ecomedia studies and its potentials

Projections for Sámi in Norway: Schools as Key to Revitalization

The paper presents three different projections of the future number of Sámi language users in Norway based on the contemporary number of children receiving instruction in Sámi in the Norwegian school system, either North, Lule or South Sámi. There exist three different curricula for the subject Sámi, one for first language pupils (Sámi 1), one for second language pupils (Sámi 2), and one for pupils with no previous knowledge of the language (Sámi 3). Depending on whether only Sámi 1 pupils become future language users, or also Sámi 2 or even Sámi 3 pupils do so, a sober, moderate, and optimistic prognosis can be made, respectively. The sober prognosis predicts a dramatic decrease for North Sámi and slight decrease for the other two varieties, whereas the moderate prognosis predicts stability for North Sámi and increase for Lule and South Sámi, and the optimistic prognosis predicts an increase for all three varieties. A number of factors that are likely to modulate the prognoses are brought to attention and discussed, unveiling that more information is needed regarding a number of issues that bear on how the future of the Sámi languages in Norway can be estimated

Neoliberal governance, sustainable development and local communities in the Barents Region

There are currently high hopes in the Barents Region for economic growth, higher employment and improved well-being, encouraged by developments in the energy industry, tourism and mining. The article discusses these prospects from the perspective of local communities in five locations in the region, which spans the northernmost counties of Finland, Norway, Sweden and Northwest Russia. The communities studied are remote, relatively small, multicultural, and dependent on natural resources. The salient dynamic illuminated in the research is how ideas of sustainability and neoliberal governance meet in community development. While the two governmentalities often conflict, they sometimes also complement one another, posing a paradox that raises concerns over the social aspect of sustainable development in particular. The article is based on international, multidisciplinary research drawing on interviews as well as statistical and documentary analysis

PLACE Events 2015-2016

This document describes PLACE events at Linfield College for 2015-2016

Excavations and the afterlife of a professional football stadium, Peel Park, Accrington, Lancashire: towards an archaeology of football

Association football is now a multi-billion dollar global industry whose emergence spans the post-medieval to the modern world. With its professional roots in late 19th-century industrial Lancashire, stadiums built for the professionalization of football first appear in frequency in the North of England. While many historians of sport focus on consumerism and ‘topophilia’ (attachment to place) regarding these local football grounds, archaeological research that has been conducted on the spectator experience suggests status differentiation within them. Our excavations at Peel Park confirm this impression while also showing a significant afterlife to this stadium, particularly through children’s play

Kultuvrralaš iešvuođat loguin mat gullet sámi árbedihtui.

Source at https://journalofmathematicsandculture.wordpress.com/2017/12/28/journal-of-mathematics-and-culture-volume-11-number-3/.English abstract: The mathematics curriculum for Sámi students in Norway is a mere translation of the national curriculum text. This article aims to contribute to the discussion of the need for a Sámi mathematics curriculum. The study identified cultural properties of numbers in Sámi traditional knowledge. Traditional school mathematics and the national mathematics curriculum do not discuss the cultural properties of numbers. Modern Sámi institutions aim at relating to traditional knowledge. We present founding documents and the logo of two Sámi institutions for education and research. The study investigated these documents with respect to how the numbers three and four occurred, and we describe cultural properties of these two numbers. We indicate that studies of other parts of Sámi traditional knowledge will reveal more cultural properties of the two numbers, and that investigations of other numbers will reveal further cultural properties. Thus, we conclude that there is a need for a Sámi mathematics curriculum that encompasses the cultural properties of numbers.Čoahkkáigeassu: Matematihkka oahppoplána Sámi ohppiid várás lea dušše sámegillii jorgaluvvon našunála oahppoplána. Dán artihkkala áigumuš lea doarjut dárbbu sierra sámi matematihkka oahppoplána divaštallama. Dan dutkamis bohtet ovdan kultuvrralaš iešvuođat loguin mat gullet sámi árbedihtui. Dábálaš skuvla matematihkka ja našunála matematihkka oahppoplánain ii leat sáhka loguid kultuvrralaš iešvuođaid birra. Ođđaáigásaš sámi ásahusain lea ulbmil váldit vára sámi árbedieđus. Mii guorahallat guovtti Sámi oahppo- ja dutkaninstitušuvnna dokumeanttaid ja dovdomearkkaid (logo). Mii dutkat dokumeanttaid ja logoid dainna ulbmiliin movt logut golbma ja njeallje leat boahtán ovdan ja mii čilget dán guovtti logu kultuvrralaš iešvuođa. Mii mearkkašit ahte dutkat eará osiid sámi árbedieđuid fuomášahtášii eambbo kultuvrralaš iešvuođaid. Danne mii loahpas árvalit dárbbu Sámi matematihkka oahppoplánii mii sisttisdoalašii loguid kultuvrralaš iešvuođaid