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The Sami National Day As a Prism to Tromsø Sami Identity: the Past and the Present

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The Sami National Day As a Prism to Tromsø Sami Identity: the Past and the Present The Sami National Day as a Prism to Tromsø Sami Identity: the Past and the Present Valentina Kharina Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education UiT The Arctic University of Norway Autumn 2013 The Sami National Day as a Prism to Tromsø Sami Identity: the Past and the Present By Valentina Kharina Master of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education UiT The Arctic University of Norway Autumn 2013 Supervised by Professor Bjørg Evjen, Center for Sami Studies, UiT ii iii To my dear parents, Konstantin and Galina iv v Acknowledgements I would like to thank all the people who made it possible to prepare, organize, fulfill and finish my research project about Tromsø Sami identity. It was really a great pleasure for me to collaborate with you, to learn from you and to grow as a professional with you. I am deeply grateful to my informants for sharing their experiences and ideas regarding the celebration of the Sami National Day, Tromsø Sami community and the Sami people of Norway in general. Thank you for those absorbing discussions of the issues I had with you. They have become the core of my research work. I would like to express my grateful thanks to my supervisor, Bjørg Evjen, for challenging my understanding of a contemporary indigenous community and the concept of identity, for the development of my understanding of indigenous issues, for never giving me ready-made answers to my questions but pushing my thoughts forward in the development of understanding. Thank you, Bjørg, for your positive energy and your constant support throughout the whole process of my research work. I am grateful to Torjer Olsen and Rachel Issa for their guidance and support. Thank you for teaching me indigenous methodology and challenging my use of methods. I would like to thank my MIS 11 group-mates for their comments and pieces of advice regarding my research work. They were of great help. Furthermore, thank you for your wonderful company that has made my studies at the University of Tromsø pleasant and full of positive emotions. I am also grateful to the Center for Sami Studies and its staff for the given opportunity to participate in Master’s Programme in Indigenous Studies, for the spiritual and financial support in the fulfillment of my research project. I thank my family and friends for being with me, for being patient to me and for supporting me in all my projects. vi vii Abstract The thesis “The Sami National Day as a Prism to Tromsø Sami Identity: the Past and the Present” researches the way Tromsø Sami identity has changed over the last 20 years. The institution of the Sami National Day is used as a shaping tool of the concept of identity. In this work I investigate the way the celebration of Sami Day has changed since the time the holiday was established in 1993 up to nowadays: in the past the celebration had a small-scale, local, character, uniting a limited number of the Sami people and their friends, while today the Sami National Day unites the whole city and is celebrated not only by the Sami - the number of which has significantly increased - but also by foreigners and Norwegians living in the city. On the basis of this analysis I research the way Tromsø Sami identity has developed over the last 20 years: it has become much more visible in society and stronger. Moreover, I investigate the issue of the level of development according to my research model Tromsø Sami identity is today. The research is based on 22 interviews and has primarily qualitative character. Therefore, the results of the research can’t reflect the whole Tromsø Sami community but they show the readers some patterns in it. Key Words Tromsø, Norway; identity, the Sami National Day; indigenous, Tromsø Sami community; symbols; change. viii ix Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. vi Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. viii Key Words ............................................................................................................................................. viii Chapter 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Research Questions ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Relevant Research ......................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Key-concepts ................................................................................................................................. 3 1.4 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................................. 5 1.5 Fieldwork ....................................................................................................................................... 7 1.5.1 Data ........................................................................................................................................ 8 1.5.2 Methods ................................................................................................................................. 8 1.5.3 Interviews ............................................................................................................................. 10 1.6 Success and Challenges in the Use of the Methods .................................................................... 14 1.7 My Role in the Project ................................................................................................................. 15 1.8 Chapter Outline ........................................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 2. Historical Background ......................................................................................................... 19 Introduction to the Chapter .............................................................................................................. 19 2.1 Background Information about the Sami People ........................................................................ 19 2.2 The History of the Sami in Norway .............................................................................................. 22 2.2.1 The Period of Norwegianization, or Assimilation ................................................................. 22 2.2.2 The Period of Revitalization.................................................................................................. 25 2.2.3 The Establishment of Sami Rights in Norway: the Collaboration of the Official Authorities and the Sami People ...................................................................................................................... 28 2.2.4 The Interconnection of Political Power and Identity ........................................................... 31 2.3 The Establishment of the Sami National Day .............................................................................. 32 Conclusion to the Chapter ................................................................................................................. 34 x Chapter 3. The Acceptance of Tromsø Sami Identity by the Sami themselves .................................. 36 Introduction to the Chapter .............................................................................................................. 36 3.1 The City of Tromsø ...................................................................................................................... 36 3.2 Tromsø Sami Community ............................................................................................................ 37 3.3 The History of the Process of Sami Revitalization in Tromsø ...................................................... 38 3.4 The Celebration of the Sami National Day by Tromsø Sami at the beginning of the 1990s ....... 41 3.5 The Celebration of the Sami National Day by Tromsø Sami Nowadays ...................................... 43 Conclusion to the Chapter ................................................................................................................. 46 Chapter 4. The Acceptance of Tromsø Sami Identity by the Norwegian Authorities and the Development of Tromsø Sami Institutions .......................................................................................... 47 Introduction to the Chapter .............................................................................................................. 47 4.1 The University of Tromsø and the Promotion of Sami Issues ..................................................... 48 4.2 The University Museum of Tromsø and the Promotion of Sami Issues ...................................... 51 4.3 The Center for Sami Studies and the Promotion of Sami Issues ................................................. 53 4.4 The Celebration of the Sami National Day at the University of Tromsø: How was it Twenty Years Ago? ................................................................................................................................................... 55 4.5 The Celebration of the Sami National Day at the University of
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