(no subject)
The indigenous people of Scandinavia, known as the Sami, sometimes known to themselves as “the people of the sun and wind” inhabit the northern regions of Finland, Norway, Russia and Sweden. The Samis have an estimated population of 50,000 and live from reindeer herding, hunting, fishing and agriculture. They have lived in harmony with the harsh climate of Northern Scandinavia for thousands of years. Unfortunately, the exploitation of their land and natural resources has threatened the Sami way of life.
The Sami have a rich and inspired tradition of oral poetry, but the protest of the damming of the Alta River in Norway has represented a turning point after which their creativity in political literature has blossomed. Traditional Sami literature was comprised of yoik, or “songs” and muitalandaidu, or “tales.” Much of this literature was not even considered to be Sami, but something that was “picked up” by other cultures.
The yoik was a song of rebellion, similar to the blues. It was originally exclusive to the shamans, but went underground when a Danish king banned the yoik on punishment of death. With pre-Christian elements, the yoik told of mysterious creatures such as stalu (giants) or gufihtar (trolls). They were often improvised as self-expression, to keep the wolves in the herd, or as a lullaby. Many yoiks had double meanings, in order to communicate hidden messages. Comparisons and metaphors were used to communicate openly with other Samis, but without the understanding of colonizing people, allowing them to express opinions and facts which may have been dangerous to reveal. Sometimes they may go so far that a visitor would not realize they were being mocked. This was a powerful tool for the Samis to resist assimilation.
More recent literature has a contemporary class of its own. Modern Sami literature has been heavily influenced by massive changes in Sami life and social structure during World War II. The artistic revival following the social crises is marked by moving, sad poetry and artwork. A major theme is the conflict between the culture of nature and the industrialized world. Samis are finding their sense of identity torn between their traditional ways and the call of modern life.
Contemporary Sami literature is often composed to tell of how it is to be a Sami as compared to industrial life. Many Samis feel that the Swedish government does not understand Samis, so literature is sometimes used to communicate the Sami perspective to political institutions. Johan Turi, a pioneer in the field of Sami literature states that this is because a Sami doesn’t feel well in an enclosed government meeting space, but can only think clearly when out in the hills with “the wind blowing in their nose”.
Turi chose to write his book as an autobiography, an original way to make a political statement and the first of its kind. The book allows him to demonstrate the feeling of self in relation to dominant cultures, forming a new path between the Sami oral tradition and contemporary literature. This link provides a means to relate Sami traditional pieces to other cultures as well as closing some gap between Sami oral literature and Scandinavian written literature. Turi had hoped to write the definitive book on what it is to be a Sami, to help solve legal conflict regarding his people and to let people understand the Sami way of life. Originally intended only for Swedish legislators, his book Muittalus Samid Birra: en bog om lappernes liv (titled Turi’s book of Lappland in English) had tremendous success in helping an unexpectedly large audience understand the Samis.
In addition to writing of the need to preserve the Sami identity in the face of dominant cultures, Samis often write activist literature concerning nature. Samis are often compared to Native Americans, sharing the intimacy with nature, and regarding natural forces as something to be deeply respected. Samis feel that industrialized cultures are doing great wrong in exploiting nature like a resource capital. Paulus Utsi (1918-75) from Jokkmokk, one of the most successful Sami writers, tells grim poetry about the “strangers” who exploit their beloved Arctic land. These two prevailing themes are bitterly portrayed in Sami literature, giving us insight into the nomad’s way of life and integration with nature.
Many Samis don’t know their modern tongue, and many of those who do are illiterate. Only the northernmost population speaks Sami at all. There are few who speak Sami, making the market for Sami literature very small. There are so few readers of Sami that a book must be subsidized to produce Sami literature in the original language in order to cover its costs. This is why Sami writers feel it so important to reinforce the Sami language, preserving its history, culture, perspective and way of life. The use of Sami as the language of choice represents a political statement for many Sami writers who would be capable of writing in a majority language.
As the writer Veli-Pekka Lehtola tells us, a small language is weak and defenseless, “like a small fox, unprotected by the pack.” A piece written in an obscure language is very easy to distort, to be changed in the translation and difficult to preserve. It is easy to be subsumed by a majority language. For this reason, many Samis have taken to writing in major Scandinavian languages and in English, so they may reach a larger audience - as well as to reach other Samis who have lost their home language to the dominant western paradigm.
A Laguna-Pueblo writer, Leslie Marmon Silko criticizes translators from minority to majority language. Her point of view is that this “translation” is just pretense. She points out that most translators of minority languages are actually not conversational in these languages, so what they are really doing is rearranging ethnological transcriptions rather than translating. Much of the original content is likely to be distorted after a translation, bringing in the new language’s presentation and context.
Which language a Sami writer should use in modern day writing is a highly charged conflict. In choosing Sami, the writer makes a statement, preserves their own culture and can write more freely in their culture’s own voice. The downside is that the writer will reach a much smaller audience, be open to interpretation in translation and have less control over the final product of their published book. This is why some Samis are choosing to write in a major Scandinavian language or in English, allowing them to reach a wide audience, including those they wish to protest against, opening up a discussion to a whole country or region.
The subject of context is not only a concern regarding the language. There is a tendency for people to read alien literature in their own culture’s context, using their own culture as a yardstick to judge another. Readers can be very quick to see the work of indigenous peoples as primitive, or they may otherwise stereotype them within terms that are familiar to their own culture. They may romanticize them, projecting their own connotations over the original, intended meaning. It is often very difficult to be able to see literature from an unfamiliar culture within the unwritten framework intended by the author.
Stories have traditionally been the focal point of a Sami education. The basis of the Sami educational system was not about tests and competition, but a telling of stories. The Samis learned their history, culture, values and skills through storytelling. These stories were a part of everyday life, being told while they performed their daily work. Everyday life and storytelling were holistic, with no boundary drawn between the arenas of the ordinary and the academic. Marginalized societies often give a large significance to literature. Stories open up an avenue to communicate important matters to the outside world at a lack of other opportunities to do so.
Storytelling, however, is fading in Sami culture. Hugh Beach, an author who spent a year with the Sami tells that this is happening because the audience is growing smaller. Storytelling was the traditional way in which Samis communicated knowledge. Storytelling was a way to share diehtu (knowledge from experience) and dieda (scientific knowledge). Unfortunately, according to Turi, Sami writers sometimes find themselves mocked by other Samis for spending their time doing work that will produce no bread. Sami stories have definitely changed in both content and context.
We of dominant cultures can learn from Sami literature. The Sami tales can teach us about nature, tradition and incorporate genres of today and yesterday. The beauty of the Sami literature tells of our humanness in connection with nature.
The Sami have a rich and inspired tradition of oral poetry, but the protest of the damming of the Alta River in Norway has represented a turning point after which their creativity in political literature has blossomed. Traditional Sami literature was comprised of yoik, or “songs” and muitalandaidu, or “tales.” Much of this literature was not even considered to be Sami, but something that was “picked up” by other cultures.
The yoik was a song of rebellion, similar to the blues. It was originally exclusive to the shamans, but went underground when a Danish king banned the yoik on punishment of death. With pre-Christian elements, the yoik told of mysterious creatures such as stalu (giants) or gufihtar (trolls). They were often improvised as self-expression, to keep the wolves in the herd, or as a lullaby. Many yoiks had double meanings, in order to communicate hidden messages. Comparisons and metaphors were used to communicate openly with other Samis, but without the understanding of colonizing people, allowing them to express opinions and facts which may have been dangerous to reveal. Sometimes they may go so far that a visitor would not realize they were being mocked. This was a powerful tool for the Samis to resist assimilation.
More recent literature has a contemporary class of its own. Modern Sami literature has been heavily influenced by massive changes in Sami life and social structure during World War II. The artistic revival following the social crises is marked by moving, sad poetry and artwork. A major theme is the conflict between the culture of nature and the industrialized world. Samis are finding their sense of identity torn between their traditional ways and the call of modern life.
Contemporary Sami literature is often composed to tell of how it is to be a Sami as compared to industrial life. Many Samis feel that the Swedish government does not understand Samis, so literature is sometimes used to communicate the Sami perspective to political institutions. Johan Turi, a pioneer in the field of Sami literature states that this is because a Sami doesn’t feel well in an enclosed government meeting space, but can only think clearly when out in the hills with “the wind blowing in their nose”.
Turi chose to write his book as an autobiography, an original way to make a political statement and the first of its kind. The book allows him to demonstrate the feeling of self in relation to dominant cultures, forming a new path between the Sami oral tradition and contemporary literature. This link provides a means to relate Sami traditional pieces to other cultures as well as closing some gap between Sami oral literature and Scandinavian written literature. Turi had hoped to write the definitive book on what it is to be a Sami, to help solve legal conflict regarding his people and to let people understand the Sami way of life. Originally intended only for Swedish legislators, his book Muittalus Samid Birra: en bog om lappernes liv (titled Turi’s book of Lappland in English) had tremendous success in helping an unexpectedly large audience understand the Samis.
In addition to writing of the need to preserve the Sami identity in the face of dominant cultures, Samis often write activist literature concerning nature. Samis are often compared to Native Americans, sharing the intimacy with nature, and regarding natural forces as something to be deeply respected. Samis feel that industrialized cultures are doing great wrong in exploiting nature like a resource capital. Paulus Utsi (1918-75) from Jokkmokk, one of the most successful Sami writers, tells grim poetry about the “strangers” who exploit their beloved Arctic land. These two prevailing themes are bitterly portrayed in Sami literature, giving us insight into the nomad’s way of life and integration with nature.
Many Samis don’t know their modern tongue, and many of those who do are illiterate. Only the northernmost population speaks Sami at all. There are few who speak Sami, making the market for Sami literature very small. There are so few readers of Sami that a book must be subsidized to produce Sami literature in the original language in order to cover its costs. This is why Sami writers feel it so important to reinforce the Sami language, preserving its history, culture, perspective and way of life. The use of Sami as the language of choice represents a political statement for many Sami writers who would be capable of writing in a majority language.
As the writer Veli-Pekka Lehtola tells us, a small language is weak and defenseless, “like a small fox, unprotected by the pack.” A piece written in an obscure language is very easy to distort, to be changed in the translation and difficult to preserve. It is easy to be subsumed by a majority language. For this reason, many Samis have taken to writing in major Scandinavian languages and in English, so they may reach a larger audience - as well as to reach other Samis who have lost their home language to the dominant western paradigm.
A Laguna-Pueblo writer, Leslie Marmon Silko criticizes translators from minority to majority language. Her point of view is that this “translation” is just pretense. She points out that most translators of minority languages are actually not conversational in these languages, so what they are really doing is rearranging ethnological transcriptions rather than translating. Much of the original content is likely to be distorted after a translation, bringing in the new language’s presentation and context.
Which language a Sami writer should use in modern day writing is a highly charged conflict. In choosing Sami, the writer makes a statement, preserves their own culture and can write more freely in their culture’s own voice. The downside is that the writer will reach a much smaller audience, be open to interpretation in translation and have less control over the final product of their published book. This is why some Samis are choosing to write in a major Scandinavian language or in English, allowing them to reach a wide audience, including those they wish to protest against, opening up a discussion to a whole country or region.
The subject of context is not only a concern regarding the language. There is a tendency for people to read alien literature in their own culture’s context, using their own culture as a yardstick to judge another. Readers can be very quick to see the work of indigenous peoples as primitive, or they may otherwise stereotype them within terms that are familiar to their own culture. They may romanticize them, projecting their own connotations over the original, intended meaning. It is often very difficult to be able to see literature from an unfamiliar culture within the unwritten framework intended by the author.
Stories have traditionally been the focal point of a Sami education. The basis of the Sami educational system was not about tests and competition, but a telling of stories. The Samis learned their history, culture, values and skills through storytelling. These stories were a part of everyday life, being told while they performed their daily work. Everyday life and storytelling were holistic, with no boundary drawn between the arenas of the ordinary and the academic. Marginalized societies often give a large significance to literature. Stories open up an avenue to communicate important matters to the outside world at a lack of other opportunities to do so.
Storytelling, however, is fading in Sami culture. Hugh Beach, an author who spent a year with the Sami tells that this is happening because the audience is growing smaller. Storytelling was the traditional way in which Samis communicated knowledge. Storytelling was a way to share diehtu (knowledge from experience) and dieda (scientific knowledge). Unfortunately, according to Turi, Sami writers sometimes find themselves mocked by other Samis for spending their time doing work that will produce no bread. Sami stories have definitely changed in both content and context.
We of dominant cultures can learn from Sami literature. The Sami tales can teach us about nature, tradition and incorporate genres of today and yesterday. The beauty of the Sami literature tells of our humanness in connection with nature.