Conducting Archaeology in Swedish Sápmi Charina Knutson
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Charina Knutson Lnu Licentiate No. 33, 2021 Globally, there is a growing awareness of the rights of indigenous peoples. Heritage is often at the heart of the discussions. The right of indigenous peoples to maintain, protect and develop expressions of their cultures, | such as archaeological and historical sites, has been established in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007). Context Implementations and ChallengesConducting Archaeology in a Postcolonial in Swedish Sápmi – Policies, Conducting Archaeology However, the implementation of these rights varies from country to in Swedish Sápmi country. This licentiate thesis examines how heritage management in Sweden relates to the indigenous Sámi. The study focuses on – Policies, Implementations and Challenges archaeological projects, i.e. surveys and excavations, and investigates to what extent the Sámi are included and their rights respected. in a Postcolonial Context The results indicate that the Sámi rights are partly respected in publicly funded projects. However, 90% of all archaeology in Sweden is conducted in a commercial context and linked to development projects. In such circumstances, Sámi rights are not always respected. Charina Knutson The study asks which processes and structures hinder the decolonisation of indigenous heritage management in Sweden. Lnu.se isbn:978-91-89283-32-9 (print) 978-91-89283-33-6 (pdf ) linnaeus university press CK_Omslag_redII.indd Alla sidor 2020-12-15 14:33:19 Conducting Archaeology in Swedish Sápmi – Policies, Implementations and Challenges in a Postcolonial Context Licentiate Thesis Charina Knutson CONDUCTING ARCHAEOLOGY IN SWEDISH SÁPMI – POLICIES, IMPLEMENTATIONS AND CHALLENGES IN A POSTCOLONIAL CONTEXT Licentiate Thesis, Department of Cultural Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, 2021 Lnu Licentiate No. 31, 202 ISBN: 978-91-89283-32-9 (print), 978-91-89283-33-6 (pdf) Publiced by: Linnaeus University Press, 351 95 Växjö Printed by: Copycenter, Linnaeus University, Växjö Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................. 5 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... 6 1. Introduction ................................................................................................... 7 About the Licentiate Thesis ........................................................................... 7 Aim, Goals and Objectives ............................................................................ 8 Research Problems and Questions ................................................................. 8 Method .......................................................................................................... 9 Definitions ................................................................................................... 12 Ethical Considerations ................................................................................. 18 Overview of the Licentiate Thesis ............................................................... 21 2. Contexts and Backgrounds .......................................................................... 22 The Sámi in Sweden .................................................................................... 22 Sámi Prehistory and History ........................................................................ 27 Historic views on the Sámi people .......................................................... 28 People in Norrland from the Stone Age to the Iron Age ......................... 29 Groups and Ethnicities in Iron Age Fennoscandia .................................. 32 The Sámi in the Viking Age and the Middle Ages .................................. 33 State-sponsored settlements ..................................................................... 36 The Role of Cultural Heritage in Swedish Colonialism .......................... 39 Rights to Land and Water ........................................................................ 40 Summary: Sámi Prehistory and History .................................................. 42 Contract Archaeology in Sweden ................................................................ 43 The Contract Archaeology Process ......................................................... 46 3. Theory ......................................................................................................... 48 Indigenous Archaeology – a Postcolonial Turn .......................................... 48 Archaeology and Colonialism ................................................................. 50 The World Archaeological Congress ...................................................... 53 Indigeneity and Heritage ......................................................................... 55 Collaboration – on Equal Terms? ............................................................ 62 Summary: Indigenous Archaeology – a Postcolonial Turn ..................... 65 Community Archaeology ............................................................................ 66 Improving the Quality and Effect of Archaeology .................................. 67 Critical Views on Community Archaeology ........................................... 71 4. Policies Concerning Indigenous Archaeology............................................. 75 About Ethics and Policies ............................................................................ 75 1 The Policies in This Study .......................................................................... 77 The First Code of Ethics of the World Archaeological Congress (1990) 77 The Code of Practice of the European Association of Archaeologists (1997) ...................................................................................................... 78 The Guidelines for Good Archaeological Practice of the Swedish Archaeological Society (2000) ................................................................ 79 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) ................................................................................................................. 79 National Minorities and Minority Languages Act (2009) ....................... 80 The Sámi Heritage Programme (2015) ................................................... 81 Analysis of the Policies ............................................................................... 83 Summary: Policies Concerning Indigenous Archaeology ........................... 88 5. Indigenous Archaeology in Jämtland County – an Archive Study.............. 90 The Archive Study – Purpose and Background .......................................... 90 Method of the Archive Study and Selection of Sources .............................. 93 Analysed Reports from the Year 2000 ........................................................ 96 Reports from the Year 2018 .................................................................. 104 Contract Archaeology and Research Archaeology – a Comparison ......... 108 Summary: Indigenous Archaeology in Jämtland County – an Archive Study ................................................................................................................... 114 6. Voices on Indigenous Archaeology in Sweden ......................................... 116 Purpose and Methods of the Interviews .................................................... 116 Theme No 1: What Is a Sámi Heritage Site? Can a Site Have an Ethnicity? ................................................................................................................... 119 Theme No 2: Who should be responsible for the expertise in Sámi heritage? ................................................................................................................... 125 Theme No. 3: Who Should Manage Information About Sámi Heritage Sites? ......................................................................................................... 128 Theme No. 4: What Is a Good Process of Contract Archaeology? ........... 137 Theme No. 5: Should Sámi and “Swedish” Heritage be Managed, Interpreted, and Mediated Together or Separately? .................................. 144 Summary: Views and Attitudes on Indigenous Archaeology in Sweden .. 147 7. Concluding discussion ............................................................................... 156 Sámi Heritage Management – Problems and Possibilities in a Postcolonial Context ...................................................................................................... 159 Questions for the Future ............................................................................ 166 Swedish Summary (Sammanfattning) ........................................................... 167 Frågeställningar och metod ....................................................................... 167 2 Resultat ...................................................................................................... 170 References ..................................................................................................... 175 Archaeological Reports in the Archive Study ........................................... 191 Appendix 1. Information for Interviewees: Conditions for Participating in the Study .............................................................................................................. 194 Appendix 2. The First Code of Ethics of the World Archaeological Congress ......................................................................................................................