Davvi Šuvva 1979 Being Sámi, Becoming Indigenous Vocal and Musical Manifestation of Sámi and Indigenous Movement Synnøve Angell Thesis Submitted for the Degree: Master of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies Faculty of Social Science, University of Tromsø Norway, Spring 2009 Davvi Šuvva 1979 Being Sámi, Becoming Indigenous Vocal and Musical Manifestation of Sámi and Indigenous Movement Synnøve Angell Thesis Submitted for the Degree: Master of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies Faculty of Social Science, University of Tromsø Norway, Spring 2009 Dedicated to those who made Davvi Šuvva real and to those who share their voices. Thesis co-funded by a travel grant from the Centre for Sámi Studies, University of Tromsø. Cover photo taken from www.karesuando.se September 2007. Festival poster made by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää Photo from www.karesuando.se September 2007 Map taken from Davvi Šuvva 1979 program Photo by Nils Gustav Labba, Samefolket nr. 8 1979 Photo by Nils Gustav Labba, Samefolket nr. 8 1979 Photo by Aslak Aarhus Nordnorsk Magasin nr. 4 1979 Photo by Aslak Aarhus, Nordnorsk Magasin nr. 4 1979 Photo by Aslak Aarhus, Nordnorsk Magasin nr. 4 1979 Photo by Nils Gustav Labba, Samefolket nr. 8 1979 Photo by Nils Gustav Labba, Samefolket nr. 8 1979 Pelle Niia, Paul Anders Simma and Lars Anders Sikku Photo by Nils Gustav Labba, Samefolket nr. 8 1979 Photo by Aslak Aarhus Photo by Nils Gustav Labba, Samefolket nr. 8 1979 Nordnorsk Magasin nr. 4 1979 Oula Näkkäläjärvi and Nils-Heaikka Valkeapää and Piera Balto Photo, Sámi Áigi nr. 12, 29 Juni 1979 Photo by Nils Gustav Labba, Samefolket nr. 8 1979 Photo by Aslak Aarhus Nordnorsk Magasin nr. 4 1979 “…network of singing…” “Crosswise the Australian continent the Aboriginal people drew lines through the landscape; along these lines the cultural heroes from the Dreamtime had wandered and left behind the sacred mountains and rivers, stones and water holes, clenches of trees. The heroes sang while they walked, and their songs – which still are sung – are not only stories about the landscape; it was through singing that the landscape was created. The songs of the neighbouring tribes linked together verse after verse, and like this the whole of Australia was held up in a social network of singing, which told the traveller where he or she should go 1 and what was to be expected in the remote far away.” 1 Nielsen 1996:25-26, referring to Chatwin’s The Songlines 1987, my trans. Acknowledgements First I would like to say hui ollu giitu - thank you so much - to all of you who shared your time, stories and memories with me - mun lean nu giitevaš – I am so grateful. Thank you so much to Heaika Hætta, Nils Martin Kristensen, Kalle Mannela, Britta Marakatt-Labba, Lars Anders Sikku, Kjerstin Simma, Ánde Somby, Marry A. Somby, Inghilda Tapio, Nils-Henrik Valkeapää and Magne Ove Varsi for your tales and memories of your experience of Davvi Šuvva 1979; without you this history, tale and thesis would not have become what it is. Thank you to all of you I furthermore have met who have contributed and helped me in different ways. Without your generosity this thesis would not have been delivered as it is. My deepest gratitude goes to my ‘birth helpers’; supervisor Professor Bjørg Evjen and co- supervisor Associate Professor Harald Gaski. Thank you so much, Bjørg, for hours of commitment, patience and persistent encouragement, challenges, structure and advice. Hui ollu giitu, Harald, for your cheering and meticulous comments, creative advice and for always reminding me of the Sámi perspective. Thank you to Rachel Issa Djesa for thought provoking input and encouragement along the road. I am much obliged to the Sámi Centre at the University of Tromsø for the funding that made me able to travel all those 1000s of kilometres to do this physical and mental ‘archaeological’ journey. It has been a great and enriching experience! Thank you to Professor Mikael Svonni for proofreading, comments and helpful advices on sources. Thanks to John Gustavsen for articles and letting me see a copy of “Vaimmustan lea biegga”, a documentary on Nils-Aslak Valkeapää. I would also like to thank Johannes Kalvemo for lending me dvd-copies of the TV documentaries on both Davvi Šuvva festivals. Thank you to Ole Isak Mienna at Sámi Radio in Kiruna for letting me have ‘my own’ studio for three days going through all the tape recordings that was done on the festival; I am particular indebted to sound technician Anders Mettävainio for helping me with those fragile tapes again and again. I am also grateful for the help I got from Kerstin Blind at SVT Sápmi for tracking the documentary film “We are all brother and sisters” by Paul Ánde Simma and getting a copy sent from Stockholm to Kiruna while I was there. Ollu giitu buohkaide! Giitu to Lene Anthonsen for helping with details and technical challenges. I am also very appreciative of hours of conversations on life, writing and Sámi culture as well as disciplinary advices and approaches from friend and researcher Svanhild Andersen. Thank you so much to Hild-Jorunn Oskal, Torill Letto and Hjørdis Kaland for friendship, encouragement and support. Thank you to my mother, my sister and my nephew. And last but not least a big hug and thank you to my class mates Anastassia, Anna, Asebe, Charity, Erick, Gemechu, Kalpana, Kanako, Richard, Rosa and Tonje. Hakuna matata! Tromsø May 19th 2009 Synnøve Angell Abstract This thesis focuses on the significance of Sámi and Indigenous Vocal and Musical Expression in ethno and indigenous political mobilizing in the 1970s and particularly in June 1979. My point of departure is the Davvi Šuvva festival; the first Sámi and international indigenous culture and music festival after the establishing of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples. It took place on a hill in a Sámi and Swedish/Finnish border village in the north of Sweden and in the middle of Sápmi. My research is based on the interviews with people who organized the festival, artists and audience as well as written contemporary sources, a film about the event and 16 authentic tapes of recordings of the concerts at Davvi Šuvva. The oral sources of eye and ear witnesses represent insider views and experiences and the contemporary written sources of attending news paper journalists and writers from other magazines represent both insider and outsider perspective. “Davvi Šuvva 1979” also documents the ethno political background of the festival and discusses various perspectives on collective identity. While powwow dance and traditional Native chanting expressed First Nation and Cree Indian identity and Inuit Identity was expressed by traditional drum dance and drum singing Davvi Šuvva also demonstrated how yoik conveyed various Sámi identities. My intention is to show how and why vocal and musical expressions had, and still have, a particular significance in oral indigenous cultures as a means of struggle. The conclusions reached are that manifestations of Sámi and indigenous cultural expression and resistance like the Davvi Šuvva festival contributed to pride, recovery, dignity and positive self awareness and that the festival as such strengthened Sámi identity and indigenous togetherness and belonging. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One: Climbing Kaarevarra _________________________________________________ 1 1.1 Sounds of ‘davvi šuvva’ and the view from Kaarevarra............................................................... 2 1.2 Former tracks ................................................................................................................................3 1.3 Comments and critical views of sources....................................................................................... 9 1.5 Outline of the Thesis................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter Two: How to think about and conduct fieldwork and evaluate sources ____________ 15 2.1. The fieldwork............................................................................................................................. 17 2.1.1. Reflecting on and preparing for the field........................................................................................... 17 2.1.2 Arriving in Gáresavvon ...................................................................................................................... 19 2.1.3 Thoughts and reflections before meeting the narrators....................................................................... 20 2.1.4 Reflections on a kitchen table account in Gáresavvon ....................................................................... 21 2.1.5 Back to Kaarevarra, getting another outlook ...................................................................................... 23 2.2 Culture, identities, community and the Fourth World ................................................................ 25 2.2.1 Voicing culture ................................................................................................................................... 25 2.2.2 Ethnic and cultural identity................................................................................................................. 28 2.2.3 Indigenous peoples- First Nations people – Eamiálbmot ................................................................... 33 2.2.4 Community and unity - Oktavuohta ................................................................................................... 35 Chapter 3: History, Politics and Cultural Expressions _________________________________