mi Journalism with an Indigenous Perspective i ©LivIngerSomby 2016 Mus lea ollu muitalit, muhto dus lea nu unnán áigi Liv Inger Somby Sámi University of Applied Science Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino, Sápmi, Norway Photos: Anne Lise Flavik, Jan Helmer Olsen, Liv Inger Somby, Digitalmuseum, Sámi Vuorka Dávvirat, Riddo Duottar Museum, Nord-Troms museum and private pictures from informants and their families ii “Luohtán ahte it bilit mu muitalusaid. Don fertet bissut mu duohtavuođas,it ge lasihit maidige!”- “I trust that you do not destroy my stories. Keep to my truth and do not add anything more!” Anna Gudveig Mosebakken, born 1909 Anna Gudveig sitting behind her sister Máret. They are sitting by the river where they grew up. Photo: Gunhild Anne and Alf Nystad iii Acknowledgements First of all I would like to thank all the women who have shared their personal life-stories with me. That they opened their homes and let me come in. I feel priviliged that I had the chance to meet all of them, including their families and that they allowed me to be part of their lives for some days. I also followed some of the women for years, it was important for me to keep the contact, be able to talk with them about the past and the present. Asking them to tell stories for me. To tell about their lives, like the moment that changed their life or the event they always are thinking about. Off course, they were also talking openly about their families, relatives and friends. Twenty years ago I was interviewing and mingling with 27 elder women. Giitu- Thanks to all of them sharing their stories with me. Din muitalusat leat seamma divrasat go máilmmi čábbaseamos helmmot. Lean vurkkodan daid ollu jagiid ja dál de ilbmet oassi muitalussan! I would like to thank Dr.Professor Charles Husband, Dr. Professor Tom Moring, Dr. Associate professor Lia Markelin and Dr. Associate professor Nils Johan Päiviö, they are the Ofelaččat - Pathfinders of Master in Sámi Journalism from an Indigenous Perspective. Thanks also to co- supervisor Associate professor Asta M. Balto for giving good clearing advices during the writing process. I have many good friends and colleagues and they are always trying to support, so we can reach our goals as journalists. One of them is former magazine editor Sara Ellen Anne Eira. She has challenged me to work with Indigenous Journalism and when this Master program was planned, she challenged me again! Ollu giitu Sárá Ellen Ánne! Thanks also to Nils Johan Heatta for the support, challenging me to work with storytelling and Indigenous Journalism. Thanks also to our Pathfinder and such a wise woman, our mother Álehttá. She has guided us through many tough years, as a young widow with six children and a reindeer herd. My classmates, new friends, these two years have gone to fast, thanks for all the creative conversations and discussions! My heroes and supporters at home, Máret, Risten Iŋgá and Issát Máhtte, dii lehpet dorjon ja veahkehan gokko sáhttá ja galgá, Giitu! Liv Inger Guovdageaidnu, Juovlamánnu- December 2016 iv Abstract This thesis is about women’s untold lifestories. Told by elder Sámi women who lived in two different countries, the Norwegian- and Finnish side of Sápmi. For more than twenty years ago I conducted twenty-seven elder women about their lives, including both good and bad days, and good and bad experiences. These women, they were old already then, so now, in year 2016, only three of twenty-seven informants are still alive. I conducted them to understand and learn more about our oral traditions, about the past that mobilizes the present time and gives us the reflection about the future generations in Sápmi. Usually the oral tradition is rich among the Sámi people, there are many good storytellers. So with this master thesis’ I would like to find out more about; how come that elder women are so invisible with their stories and what are the stories we are loosing, because we do not conduct them? I am following three historical periods, that will show the changes in local socities and how these changes are described and told by women born in the period of year 1895-1930. Dá lea masterčálus mas eallilan nissonolbmuid muitalusat leat vuođđun. 20 jagi dassái de bivden 27 nissonolbmo muitalit munnje sin eallimis ja vurkejin dáid muitalusaid dássážii. Jos eat beroš, eatge luoikka beljjiid vuorraset olbmuide, de báhcet muitalusat muitalkeahttá dahje čihkosii ja áiggi mielde de vajálduvvojit. Jearahaladettin 20 jagi dassái, de ledje dát nissonat agis 67 gitta 100 jagi rádjai. Golmmas leat ain eallimin. Mis lea rikkis muitalanárbi. Čeahpes máinnasteaddjit ja buorit muitalusat, nu ahte dáinna masterčállosiin čalmmustahttán nissonolbmuid muitalusaid ja vásáhusaid golmma áigodagas, dološ, dalá ja ođđa áiggis. Mihttun lea máhcahit muitalusaid fas midjiide, čájehit árvvu ja beroštumi, numo eamiálbmot filosofiijas ja metodas vurdo. Munnje lea olbmuid muitalusaid čohkken sihke dehálaš ja mávssolaš. Key Words: Women Stories, Elders, Untold, Memories, Traditional knowledge, Taboo, Traumas, Assimilation, The Change of Society, Feminism history, Sápmi, Indigenous v Terminology use: Eallin – life Eallin – life Muitalit Birgen – – talk or tell manage life Birgen – Muitalit – Birgehallat – manage life Oadjudittalk or– tell manage work, build trust life, people and money Oadjudit – build trust Birgehallat – Ceavzit – manage work Soabadit – and people survive live in peace Eallingeardi – Ceavzit – Soabadit – life cycle, lifetime survive live in peace vi Eallingeardi – TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 Research questions ................................................................................................................. 3 Why is it important to collect stories? .................................................................................... 3 The marginalisation of the role of women in the research ..................................................... 4 Presenting my informants and the context of this research .................................................... 5 Learned early to listen and not ask questions ......................................................................... 9 2. KEY WORDS IN THE FIELD OF STUDY .................................................................... 10 The Sámi People ................................................................................................................... 10 3. SÁMI FEMINISM: A Historical Perspective ................................................................... 11 Women invisible and forgotten women’s erasure from history ........................................... 15 Lack of research about violence ........................................................................................... 18 Why women do not talk or tell about themselves? ............................................................... 19 4. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE FOR THIS RESEARCH PROJECT .......................... 21 Storytelling as a lifelong friend ............................................................................................ 22 The collective reservoir of shared knowledge ...................................................................... 23 Life stories, what is that? From personal narrative to social history .................................... 24 5. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................... 26 Important to have written agreements .................................................................................. 27 The learning journey ............................................................................................................. 28 This is the way I worked when I was gathering stories ........................................................ 29 Working as “insider” or “outsider” conducting stories ........................................................ 31 Indigenous Methodology ...................................................................................................... 31 Indigenous Journalism .......................................................................................................... 33 Show respect, while you are working with Indigenous Peoples ....................................... 34 Elder women invisible in media........................................................................................ 35 The first memories and the picture she is carrying from her childhood ............................... 36 The stories came while we were working ............................................................................ 37 She came as Risten and out she went as Kristine ................................................................. 38 6. THREE HISTORIAL PERIODS IN SÁPMI ................................................................... 39 The history 1910-1920 .......................................................................................................... 39 “Little hope for the future of the Lapps” .......................................................................... 41 Three women who protected the Sámi way of living ....................................................... 42 vii The untold stories, the stories they do not talk about ....................................................... 44 Talking back .....................................................................................................................