Liberating Sápmi: Indigenous Resistance in Europe’s Far North

by Gabriel Kuhn

The Sámi, who have inhabited Europe’s far north for thousands of years, are often referred to as the continent’s “forgotten people.” With Sápmi, their traditional homeland, divided between four nation-states—Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia—the Sámi have experienced the profound oppression and discrimination that characterize the fate of indigenous people their lands have been confiscated, their beliefs and values attacked, their communities and families torn apart. Yet the Sámi have shown incredible resilience, defending their identity and their territories and retaining an important social and ecological voice—even if many, progressives and leftists included, refuse to listen. Liberating Sápmi is a stunning journey through Sápmi and includes in-depth interviews with Sámi artists, activists, and scholars boldly standing up for the rights of their people. In this beautifully illustrated work, Gabriel Kuhn, author of over a dozen books and our most fascinating interpreter of global social justice movements, aims to raise awareness of the ongoing fight of the Sámi for justice and self-determination. The first accessible English-language introduction to the history of the Sámi people and the first account that focuses on their political resistance, this provocative work gives irrefutable evidence of the important role the Sámi play in the resistance of indigenous people against an economic and political system whose power to destroy all life on earth has reached a scale unprecedented in the history of humanity. The book contains interviews with Mari Boine, Harald Gaski, Ann-Kristin Håkansson, Aslak Holmberg, Maxida Märak, Stefan Mikaelsson, May-Britt Öhman, Synnøve Persen, Øyvind Ravna, Niillas Somby, Anders Sunna, and Suvi West.

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous, History, Russia, Sweden, Politics

220 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2020

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never even heard of the Sami people, or thought much about northern Europe, before getting this book. I'm glad to know more about the area and people now. It's sad to see that Indigenous peoples everywhere are treated like shit.

[Vegard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read. I wish it had been longer, and that the discussions about decolonization had been a bit more concrete.

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything in this book was super interesting, a far cry from the "historical 17th c. saami people get christianized and called slurs and that sucks but that's the way things are" stuff I've had access to so far. The English Language Ressources appendix truly is a goldmine too.

[Rebecka Ekeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a sami myself I found this book to be surprisingly refreshing and motivating. In my opinion, the author writes with huge amounts of respect for the topics and people that is being written about.
I hope this book find its way to a lot of individuals that knows nothing about the topic at all. As well as to the people that have to live it everyday, as it’s beautiful getting to read the interviews; seeing as it can make the never ending fight feel a little less lonely❤️

[Morgan]

A collection of interviews with prominent Sámi activists and one of few books available on Sámi issues in English. An excellent introduction to Sámi radicalism, in all its diversity. Among the most interesting interviews are those with Niillas Somby (who was imprisoned for a sabotage attempt against the Áltá power plant, but managed to escape to Canada and was sheltered by the Nuxalk Nation), Øyvind Ravna (who explains the failure of the Norwegian state to implement ILO 169), and Stefan Mikaelsson (who speaks about a multitude of issues including feminism and the question of a Sámi state). Kuhn's introduction provides useful context for those who are unfamiliar with Sámi history.

[Thaléa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a precious overview of Sápmi's history and struggles, comprising of a well-documented historical overview, 12 interviews of Sámi scholars, politicians and artists and many tips to pursue reading, watching, listening, about the topic.
The book is not written by a Scandinavian, but by a foreigner having lived in Sweden for more than 10 years, which allows the book's content to unfold without the problematic exotifying gaze that Scandinavians often have in their own literature about this topic. It also allows discussing that very specific attitude towards Sápmi and where it originates from -- especially when it comes to Sweden.

This book was an incredibly fast, pleasant, heart-breaking, easy read, and yet I feel like I have learned a lot. Even at school, Swedes don't talk about Sápmi -- It is important to look at these issues eye-to-eye, and Gabriel Kuhn allows us to do so with his important book!

If you live in Norden, probability is that your local library has this book!

[Dimitrii Ivanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introduction to the political and social struggles of the Sámi in Norway, Sweden and Finland - a lengthy introduction by the author and a list of resources such as books and films, plus a series of 12 interviews with activists, artists, musicians, academics - often sharing several of these roles. This is a snapshot, with all the interviews conducted in the summer of 2019, and the author often refers to what other speakers told him before in the interviews, so there's cohesion, and different perspectives can be compared. There's quite a bit of diversity - we hear voices of men and women from three different nation-states, straight and queer, old and young. Mari Boine is perhaps the best-known of them, and it was interesting how Laestadianism influenced her. Stylistically, Niillas Somby was most impressive. The small Sámi community in Russia is only tangentially represented though. A good journalistic work overall.

[Karen Kohoutek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book is a valuable introduction to the political struggles of the Indigenous Sami people of Northern Europe. After an overview of their history to the present day, the bulk is made of interviews with Sami artists and activists. I helped a friend find books on Sami history a few years ago, which is complicated by the different spellings of Sami and the earlier use of Lapps and Finns to describe them, so just the thorough, multi-page appendix of sources is worth the price of the book, as are the translations of key essays and manifestos. While the interviews are fairly brief, they're insightful about both racism and Scandinavia, and their connections with other Indigenous people throughout the world (who often, at first, wonder what these white people are doing at their conferences, despite their painfully similar histories).

[Melissa Helton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised to find this book for sale at the Appalachian Studies Association conference in West Virginia, but I'm glad I did. As someone learning about my own Norwegian heritage, I am also learning about the Sámi and the terrible history and lingering legacy of colonization. I appreciate the variety of Sámi scholars, artists, politicians, and activists included in the this collection. It is a good introduction into this complex situation. As someone in the US with its terrible legacy of colonization and genocide of our indigenous nations, all the tactics against the Sámi were familiar: theft of land, forced conversion to Christianity, loss of language, forced sterilization, boarding schools, etc. I've already read a book by a poet mentioned in this ("The Sun, My Father" by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää) and I look forward to learning more about the Sámi people.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il libro è molto interessante, e dà spazio a interviste di diversi artisti, film maker, attivisti, Sàmi. Nonostante l'Europa, ed in particolare la Svezia, sono conosciuti come simboli di democrazia, di diritti ed uguaglianza, e mente aperta, ancora l'argomenti Sàmi è volutamente ignorato, partendo dalla negligenza nell'insegnare la lingua come lingua ufficiale alle violenze ai pastori di renne, ovviamente non riconosciute dalle fonti ufficiali. Il colonialismo della regione Sàpmi è assai subdolo perchè, eccetto la Russia, i paesi nordici europei sono da sempre simbolo di avanguardia, di burocrazia facile ed accoglienza per lo straniero. La storia che mi ha colpità di più è stata quella di Nils Olof Parfa, che evidenzia come identità e appartenenza a un popolo non riconosciuto può avere un effetto distruttivo sulla vita delle persone e sulla saluta mentale.

[Confexxi_history · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is divided in 2 overamm 2 part : a history and interviews. My favorite part was the history overview. There are even illustrations. I learnt a lot and it was very well explained and developped.

The second part was interesting as we could read many different opinions (sometimes even contradictory) from well-known Sámi. It gives us more nuance and more info from the history part.

[Kaitlin Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very interesting. Since reading my First Book about the Sapmi I have been craving more knowledge about them. This book has given me knowledge and a lot more questions about the Political Nature in Norway, Sweden and Finland as well.

[Kristoffer Liland · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional experience that is helping me rediscover my heritage, once stolen, now recaptured

[Casper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was worried to read an outsider's account of Indigenous history and art but I think Kuhn does a great job of taking a backseat as he elevates the voices of those he interviewed.

[Bert Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a native Swede, I had a poor understanding of the plight of the Samí. This book was an eye opener and has given me deeper insight into this unappreciated culture.