Lohkh åarjelsaemiengïelesne. – Norwegianisation of the Sami may be thought by many to have taken place before and is part of history, but I would argue that it is still taking place. That’s what Sara Emilie Jåma says. She is one of the reindeer owners at Fosen, which is about an hour from Trondheim. When one of Europe’s largest land-based wind power plants was set up on parts of their reindeer grazing area, reindeer husbandry became more difficult. The wind power plants are in operation even though the Supreme Court has issued a judgment in the case. Both the Storheia and Roan wind power plants have been set up in violation of indigenous rights. It is these that she believes are an extension of the Norwegianization. The reindeer owners say that the wind turbines disturb the reindeer. The Supreme Court has ruled that these turbines thus violate the human rights of the reindeer owners at Fosen. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news A dark chapter in Norwegian history The norsification that Sara Emilie believes is still taking place took place “officially” over a period of 100 years. From the 1850s to the 1960s, Norway pursued a targeted Norwegianization policy aimed at the Sami and national minorities. From the 1850s to the 1960s, Norway pursued a targeted Norwegianization policy aimed at the indigenous Sami people and national minorities. Several of the survivors after the interning say that they were punished for speaking Sami, even if they did not know any other languages. The authorities had several reasons for pursuing a policy of Norwegianisation. Among other things, the Sami were seen as an inferior “race”, and it was seen as something positive if you removed the culture, the language and simply turned the Sami into Norwegians. “Norwesking” in modern times Sara Emilie Jåma says that her son has also reflected on what the wind turbines really mean to them. After she had taken part in the actions in March, he wondered why she had been travelling. Here is Sara Emilie Jåma with some of the other reindeer owners. They were in Oslo to participate in the demonstrations against wind power at Fosen in March. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB – I have a nine-year-old boy. I tried to explain that it is about these windmills, that they have been set up illegally, and that it is not right. It shouldn’t be like that, she says. While Sara, in the car on her way to football training, tries to explain to her son why she traveled to Oslo, the son interjects: – “It’s Norwegianisation, that”. I think that when a nine-year-old can understand it, then adults should also understand it, she says. Lost valuable time The reindeer owner tells news that more time has passed than she would have hoped to fight against the wind turbines at Fosen. – The authorities are trying to phase out reindeer herding with wind power plants. My knowledge gaps in traditional reindeer husbandry are not due to my father, it is not my father’s fault that I have these shortcomings, I would say it is the state and how they have used his time, she says. Sara Emilie says that her son, who is now nine, wants to work with reindeer when he grows up. She hopes it can be done. Photo: Private Sara Emilie says that she actually thrives best in the background, but that the Fosen case is something she is passionate about, and therefore feels it is important to come forward with her story. – When we were at a support concert at Riksscenen, we from the Fovsen-Njaarke reindeer herding district were invited up on stage. I felt out of place. Because I felt a feeling that I don’t deserve to stand here. I had not contributed anything visible in this match, she says. Jåma says that everyone in the reindeer grazing district has paid a price in this fight. When the Fosen actions took place in Oslo, she got to experience a support she didn’t know existed. – It was very nice to see. Both Sámi and more who are not Sámi showed their support for our fight. It was very surprising to see that there was so much attention to the case, so the campaigners should be very grateful for that. The report The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will publish their report on 1 June, which they have been working on for five years. In the report, they will, among other things, present the consequences of the Norwegianisation that Sara Emilie Jåma mentions. Since it was established in 2018, the commission has worked to collect personal stories from survivors of the Norwegianization period and their descendants. These retellings will form the basis for proposals for measures that can contribute to improving the relationship between the Sami, Kven and Forest Finns and the majority population. The commission has kept its cards close to its chest about what the report will contain, but a member of the commission, Liv Inger Somby, tells news that they have had direct contact with the government about the matter. Member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Liv Inger Somby. Photo: Inga Máret Solberg Åhrén / news Beyond that, the commission will not say anything about the content of the report, or how they have worked with the Fosen case. The commission’s leader, Dagfinn Høybråten, expressed his concern about the Supreme Court judgment which states that the wind turbines at Fosen have been set up illegally in a letter to the government last year. Sara Emilie Jåma says that it will be difficult to reconcile with the state as long as the Fosen case is not resolved. – Can you trust the Norwegian state as long as the wind turbines are allowed to stand? – No, Jåma answers shortly. – Will stand in this fight for the rest of my life if necessary. Elle Nystad is the head of the Norske Samers Riksforbund youth organization. She was also one of the first thirteen activists who started the campaign against wind power at Fosen in February. – I can relate to some of what Sara Emilie says. Among other things, the fact that you can feel that you are not good enough, and that you have a big hole in your heart and that you lack knowledge about the Sami around you because of Norwegianization, says Nystad. Elle Nystad is an activist, and hopes her activism can inspire others. Photo: Tom Balgaard / Tom Balgaard/news Nystad says that she wants to tell Jåma that she is not alone in feeling this way. She thinks it’s sad if someone feels hopeless about the future, but has some uplifting things to say. – We young Sámi will never give up. I will stand in this fight for the rest of my life if necessary, says Nystad. Nystad says that she hopes the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report can be a wake-up call for both the Norwegian people and the government. – I hope it creates a greater understanding of our history, and why such land interventions can be so heavy for us to bear, she says. Disagree State Secretary Elisabeth Sæther in the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy does not agree with the claims that the Fosen turbines are an example of modern Norwegianisation. State Secretary Elisabeth Sæther (Ap) does not agree that wind power at Fosen is Norwegianisation. Photo: Ketil Kern / news – Is it true what Jåma says; is the wind power plant at Fosen an attempt to alienate the reindeer owners in the area? – It is not true. Since day one after the Supreme Court’s decision in the Fosen case, the government has worked to follow up on the verdict and secure the rights of the reindeer herders on Fosen, says Sæther to news. – It is important for the government that we make progress on the matter. We have taken important steps forward. The State Secretary says that they are now working in two tracks to get a solution to the issue of the wind turbines. – The Minister of Petroleum and Energy has taken the initiative to mediate between the reindeer herding and the wind power concessionaires, with the aim of reaching an agreement which safeguards the reindeer herding on Fosen’s permanent right to cultural practice and which is acceptable to both parties. – Such an agreement solution, which can be achieved via the mediation track, will be able to provide a quicker clarification in the matter than otherwise. All parties will benefit from that, and I therefore hope that this track leads forward, says Sæther. In addition, Sæther says that they are working to collect knowledge that will form the basis of new measures in the case of wind power at Fosen. New campaigns The weekend after the report is released, Oslo’s streets will once again be filled with people wearing cardigans, says Nystad. On Saturday 3 June, it will be 600 days since the Supreme Court ruled that the wind turbines at Fosen were set up without a valid permit, and then the demonstrators will take to the streets again. 500 days after the verdict, what was to become one of the biggest Sami demonstrations of our time started. First, 13 activists sat down at the Ministry of Oil and Energy. Then they were carried out, and several thought that was it. Until they received an admission and apology from the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre also promised that it would not take another 500 days before the case is resolved. Now it remains to be seen what the 600-day demonstration and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report will have to say about the matter. Cages! Hello! Do you have any thoughts on the matter? Or do you have a story about Norwegianization that you want to tell? You can write me an informal email and we’ll talk 😄 Or you can read more about the truth and reconciliation commission and other Sami issues here.
ttn-69
Great expectations for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report – news Sápmi
