Opinions

Hate Crimes Against Swedish Sámi Revealed In A New Brå Report

 

Map of the Sámi Country (Sápmi), Sámi Information Centre. The largest number of Sámi live in northern Finland, Sweden and Norway. Map by: Anders Suneson.

The exact number of Sámi in Sweden is unknown, as the national statistics service does not collect information on the ethnic composition of the country's population. However, in 2015, there were 4,653 Sámi reindeer owners in Sweden, and before the 2017 Sámi Parliament elections, 8,766 people were registered as eligible to vote.

According to the Swedish Sámi Parliament, there are currently 80,000–100,000 Sámi in the world. Of this number, Sweden, which has a population of 10.4 million, is home to 20,000–40,000 Sámi, or 0.2–0.4%. It is not known, however, how many people of Sámi descent identify themselves as Sámi.

The Sámi are an indigenous people and have been recognized as such by the Swedish Parliament since 1977, and have also been recognized as a people in the Swedish Constitution since 2011.

Sweden has a long history of racism against the Sámi

At the end of the 19th century, a government body for Sámi issues was formed, called Lappväsendet (lit.: Lappish creatures), which was part of the county administrations in Jämtland, Västerbotten and Norrbotten. The authorities employed so-called "Sámi bailiffs" who were given great power over the Sámi.

Vicar Vitalis Carnell argued that it was best for the Sámi to remain in the mountains and engage in reindeer herding, because otherwise they would end up in poverty. This assertion was based on the racist belief that the Sámi were unable to manage their own affairs and were not as developed as the Swedes.

In Uppsala, in 1922, the State Institute for Racial Biology was established, which existed until the end of the 1950s. The institute studied the racial characteristics of people, primarily the population of Sweden, which was divided into races that were more or less valuable from the point of view of Swedish racologists.

The first director of the institute, Herman Lundborg, focused on the study of the Sámi. Among other things, the institute's researchers believed that "racial mixing" between Swedes and Sámi was particularly dangerous. This belief was based on the idea of ​​a "Nordic race" whose members had superior qualities and therefore should not mix with other races. Sweden's treatment of the Sámi throughout history has had a negative impact on the Sámi culture, language and identity. On the one hand, forcing the Sámi to abandon their traditional way of life and culture and adapt to Swedish social norms, and on the other hand, alienating and exoticizing the Sámi, especially the reindeer Sámi, has created tensions and traumatic experiences that still affect Swedish society. Earlier, the Sámi Parliament of Sweden came to the same conclusion in 2018.

In December 2021, the Swedish Children's and Youth Ombudsman published a report stating that almost half of the children of the country's five national minorities (Sámi, Tornedalings, Swedish Finns, Roma and Jews, the latter only to a small extent), as well as those of African descent and Muslims, had experienced abuse or persecution.

From the report of the Swedish Ombudsman for Children and Young People Elisabeth Dahlin, December 21, 2021 About Children's And Young People Vulnerability For Racism (in Sweden), during the preparation of which 73 minors were interviewed:

The results of the study show that (in modern Sweden) racism is part of children's everyday life from an early age and is expressed in a variety of ways. Children are made invisible (ignored), are viewed with suspicion, and have to endure verbal aggression, threats and violence. Children are subjected to racist treatment in various settings, both from other children and from adults. In many cases, racist slang is used against them, especially in schools, where racist language is the norm.

Hate crimes against the Sámi are in many ways similar to hate crimes against other national minorities in Sweden, but there are also some clear differences. The crimes are more often local and often target reindeer and the reindeer husbandry, according to a new study by the Crime Prevention Council (Brå) published in May 2024. The 93-page document was based on interviews with Swedish Sámi and police officers from the country's northern counties, as well as police reports. The bibliography of the study includes 116 titles.

The authors of the study concluded that the Swedish authorities, especially the police, are not interested in registering all manifestations of hatred towards the Sámi, as well as other minorities, and the country does not have a special body that would deal with this problem at the national level. On the contrary, the police, which does not have sufficient resources, are more likely to conceal hate crimes, for example, by refusing to register complaints. The same applies to local authorities.

Below is an abridged version of the report

It is clear from both the interviews and the police reports that hatred against the Sámi occurs in a variety of environments and contexts. It is expressed at school, in the workplace, at home, in public spaces and, not least, on the Internet. The severity of the hate speech ranges from offensive characterizations of the Sámi to more serious racist remarks, threats and violent crimes.

While anyone with a Sámi identity can become a victim, the risk of becoming one appears to be higher for those with obvious Sámi attributes, such as clothing or a name that is clearly Sámi. The interviews highlight that Sámi in reindeer herding families may be particularly vulnerable to hate crimes.

Several reasons for the lack of information on the vulnerability of the Sámi

There are several reasons for the lack of research on the vulnerability of the Sámi to hate crimes and other manifestations of racism. One reason is that the group is small in number. This means that even the relatively large negative impact on it is not reflected in statistics based on the number of reports received by the police or other authorities during the year.

The willingness to report hate crimes is generally low, and when it comes to crimes against the Sámi, there are additional factors that complicate the situation. One reason is that the crimes occur in a local context with perpetrators whose identity is known. The tendency for the police to report these events may also be influenced by the historical relationship of the indigenous people to the state as a result of policies implemented against the Sámi, where the judiciary is seen as an extended arm of the state.

Hate crimes against the Sámi occur in different types of environments and contexts: at school, in the workplace, at home, in public spaces, and last but not least, on the Internet. Verbal attacks occur in person, on the phone and via social media, for example through targeted messages to young Sámi via Snapchat or Yodel. Although the locations and types of crimes vary, some expressions against the Sámi are particularly common. "Lappjävel", "Lappish son of a bitch", or "Lappish bastard", is by far the most common expression, according to interviewees and police reports, and is sometimes used in conjunction with verbal threats or physical violence. Other expressions allude to common prejudices regarding the appearance or supposed character traits of the Sámi.

In addition to hate speech directed at individuals, there are also offensive comments posted online that are directed against the Sámi in general. In this case, the offensive expressions are directed at the Sámi in general, sometimes in conjunction with more or less direct death threats: "if only we delete the posts (i.e., exterminate the Sámi), then everyone can hunt and fish" or "kill all the Sámi with mustard gas".

Varying degrees of severity of crimes affecting reindeer herding

The reindeer herding industry is subject to various types of criminal attacks, often involving reindeer: snowmobiling with the intent to kill or maim, setting dogs on them and killing the reindeer. Since the crime scene in these cases is a forest or other remote location with no witnesses, it can be difficult to establish the hate motives of the perpetrators. Although poaching and intentional attacks on reindeer occur throughout the Sámi area (Sweden, Finland and Norway), cases of  animal cruelty occur most frequently in the Swedish county of Norrbotten, according to both interviewees and police reports.

Hate crimes as a reaction to Sámi rights

From the interviews it emerged that certain circumstances are perceived as triggering hate crimes. Some hate crimes involving reindeer herding arise from conflicts with landowners, forest owners and farmers who feel that reindeer are damaging their land. Other conflicts involve hunters and snowmobilers who feel restricted by the legal rules of reindeer herding.

Crimes often occur in small communities

Hate crimes against the Sámi differ from hate crimes against other groups in that they often occur in small communities where “everyone knows everyone else” and the perpetrator is often someone the victim knows. In police reports, unknown perpetrators appear primarily in cases of incitement and in cases where reindeer are injured or killed, where the likelihood of identifying the perpetrator is low.

Police reports typically record events with more serious elements of the crime: long-term stalking, death threats or violence against a person. Incidents of verbal abuse, which stand out as relatively common in interviews, are almost completely underrepresented in police reports, indicating that the willingness to report these types of events is low.

Brå's Assessment

The Sámi, both related and not related to reindeer herding, are at risk of hate crimes and other manifestations of racism. The risk results in insecurity and restrictions in the daily lives of the Sámi and affects their ability to exercise their rights. For example, Sámi may be forced not to wear traditional Sámi clothing, not to speak their native language, or otherwise hide their Sámi identity. This type of crime is largely hidden, which entails the risk of a lack of support and resources.

Today, the Sámi engaged in reindeer herding are the most vulnerable group when it comes to racism and hate crimes. Brå particularly wants to emphasize the need to include hate crimes against the Sámi in local situational overviews, which form the basis of preventive work, especially in the Sámi administrative municipalities. It also wants to emphasize the importance of paying attention to elements in hate crimes against the Sámi that threaten democracy, which should be reflected in the priorities of the police.

Combating negative images and prejudices against the Sámi is fundamental to combating hate crimes. Strengthening democracy and working to promote knowledge about the Sámi in schools, both from a historical perspective and in the future, are important.

Brå still sees a risk that work to combat racism and hate crimes against the Sámi may lose momentum in the future. The fact that the police have not received new instructions to strengthen the fight against hate crimes may indicate that this task is not a priority for the authorities. It can also be noted that the measures of the action plan to combat racism against the Sámi will only be implemented until 2024. At the same time, there are no signs that conflicts around reindeer herding will end any time soon.

Hate crimes occur in a variety of contexts

Although the location and type of crime vary, some expressions are consistently repeated. The most pejorative term for the Sámi is "Lappjävel", "Lappish son of a bitch", or "Lappish bastard", as stated above, while others reflect prejudices about what constitutes the appearance or supposed character traits of the Sámi: "shorty" for a Sámi woman, or "bent neck", "grant-eater", "lazy", "drunkard" together with negative reinforcement words such as "disgusting" or "idiot". Misogynistic terms such as "pussy" and "whore" are also used, especially if the victim is a Sámi woman or girl.

Young Sámi bullied at school and on social media

Brå interviewed Sámi of different ages, some of whom had attended traditional nomadic schools, others more modern Sámi schools. Some of the Sámi attended regular municipal schools, without a Sámi focus. From interviews and police reports it appears that violations of various kinds, threats and violence in the school environment against the Sámi are not the past, but the present of Swedish schools.

Nomadic school, around 1930. A teacher teaches Sámi children in a school hut, Stora Axhøgen, Härjedalen. Photographer: K.G. Rosenberg / Nordic Museum

The interviewees describe mixed impressions of their school time when it comes to racism and hate crimes. While some describe school as a safe environment, others describe the vulnerable position they have been in for years, fearing that they might be targeted because of their Sámi identity. A young Sámi woman explains:

The Sámi school in the city is located next to the Swedish school. And already on the way to school there is a difference between being Swedish and Sámi. We were riding the bus together with students from the Swedish school, and then it started... When we got on the bus, they took our hats away and called us bastards. I guess everyone has experienced this. My mother also used to go to a Sámi school and it was even worse for her.

Several interviewed Sámi who went to regular Swedish schools describe their schooling as a difficult time. This is especially evident in interviews with Sámi men who experienced incidents of violence at school at various stages of their education. A man says:

Threats and hatred are something that has existed from the very beginning. I grew up with this at school, you could say with a lot of bullying. Both verbally and physically. Some (psychologically) broke down. For example (Swedish schoolchildren) could smear (a Sámi) with mud…

A male interviewee, who himself was subjected to violence and bullying at school, says that vulnerability looked different for his sister:

I have a younger sister. She's a girl and I don't know if that made it any better. Girls can be brutal, then. There was ostracism and the kind of silent bullying that I know she had to endure. I know she had a hard time with that part. Fucking Lapp shouts, stuff like this. Lapp whore, all this stuff you don't say to guys.

Hate crimes in public environments

Another phenomenon that comes up in interviews but is not in police reports is hate crimes in public environments. This can happen in a grocery store, in a pub, or on public transport. A woman describes an incident during a walk:

Jokkmokk is perhaps the most vibrant Sámi community on the Swedish side except Karesuando. Then you think, "here is a safe environment, here they are not, the conflicts in that way”. But me and my friend were out walking and there was someone who rolled down the window of the car and yelled "Lapp bustard".

Another interviewee tells of a man who approached her as she sat down at a bus stop and asked where she was from. He then squeezed her thigh and asked, "Are you Sámi?" Another describes an ice hockey match she attended with her son and grandson, where the spectators chanted "Lapp bustard" for the team from Luleå.

Some believe that the risk of being attacked in public is higher when wearing Sámi national dress. A man recalls someone shouting "Sámi bastard" when he went out into town dressed like that. Another interviewee tells of Sámi people dressed in black being given buckets of water by the Swedes to pour over themselves during the opening ceremony of the Sámi Parliament in Kiruna. There are also descriptions of discrimination where Sámi people were denied entry to dance halls.

Hate and threats against the Sámi on the Internet

Hate messages on social media are aimed at a broad audience and can influence children and young people who spend a relatively large part of their time in the digital environment. The interview highlights the recurring occurrence of hate and threats against the Sámi on the Internet.

Forums vary and can include social media such as Facebook groups that bring together locals or interest groups such as hunting. They can also include comment fields on local or national media. Police reports mention the song Sameslakt (Slaughtering the Sámi), which has spread across the Internet and sings about shootings, stabbings and extermination of the Sámi.

Much of the content published on the Internet also contains words and concepts that refer to or hint at racial biology. The Sámi are accused of being unable to provide for themselves, seeking grants and having a low IQ. The posts also describe the Sámi as loud and backward, and question the Sámi's rights as an indigenous people.

Graffiti and other forms of vandalism directed against the Sámi in general

Police reports show that in a limited geographical area and for a limited period of time (Nazi) swastikas were painted on Sámi-language signs at institutions. Another experience is described in the interview. A woman recalls an incident when she was a child:

We lived in town when I was little, and so we went under a viaduct. I had just learned to read. Then it was written on a wall that "a good Sámi is a dead Sámi". And then I read it to my mother and asked "Why do they write like that?". And mother answered "there is only someone who has written wrong.”

The presence of road signs with Sámi place names that have been shot at, stolen or otherwise vandalised indicates actions that are clearly directed against the Sámi. Some interviewees believe that this type of vandalism has become more widespread since road signs with Sámi place names were first erected in the late 1990s, which is confirmed in interviews with employees of the Swedish Transport Administration who replace damaged signs.

Hate crimes in the workplace

Sámi are also affected in their workplaces Some police reports mention hate crimes where the perpetrator is a current or former colleague. These cases most often involve relatively harsh language and repeated harassment, with incidents affecting both Sámi men and women. But there are also anonymous harassments in the workplace, such as the victim's car being vandalized or anonymous offensive notes being sent to the victim.

Anyone can be the target of hate

Interviews include testimonies from people who are not Sámi themselves but who have nevertheless been the target of hate crimes against Sámi people. These include people who have been targeted because of close relationships with Sámi people, non-Sámi people in Sámi concession villages, and people who work on Sámi issues. The interviews also reflect geographical differences, with areas with a large Sámi population generally considered safer. Some say it is easier to be Sámi in the cities, although the feeling that Sámi are treated as second-class citizens can be stronger in smaller villages in the interior. Outside of densely populated areas, ignorance, invisibility, and exotification are more of a problem than threats and hatred.

Hate crimes against reindeer herding

Reindeer herding is a Sámi industry closely associated with the Sámi. Hate crimes against the reindeer herding industry are a recurring theme in Brå's interviews, as well as in the background research.

Reindeer – an animal and more

Reindeer can detect when colder weather is on the way, and are known to prepare for it by conserving their energy. Photo: Lola Akinmade Åkerström.

The interviews emphasize that reindeer herding plays an important role in preserving the Sámi people, their identity, and their culture. Some Sámi interviewees believe that attacks on reindeer should be seen as more than just attacks on animals, because the reindeer are closely linked to the Sámi people and their rights. The interviewee says:

It's usually seen as an isolated event. In a majority society, you can't connect it to the fact that it's structural racism. But there's a reason why they hunt reindeer. They don't hunt moose to torture them. They don't hunt foxes. There's a very strong connection to the fact that reindeer belong to people. And who do they belong to?

Another interviewee compares reindeer to domestic animals to describe what it's like to find a reindeer killed:

That's what takes the hardest and that's what's the most boring when it happens. That judgment literally kills... So imagine that someone is angry with you and then they go and kill your dog. It takes quite a lot.

At the same time, there is legal uncertainty regarding reindeer. One of the reasons for this is that reindeer are so-called domestic game and are somewhere between game and domestic animals. Since reindeer have owners, they are not game, and a person who commits a crime against reindeer cannot therefore be held liable for violating the Hunting Act. As a result, killing a reindeer is classified as theft, vandalism or cruelty to animals, depending on the circumstances of the crime.

Reindeer poaching with more or less clear hate crime motives

A police officer interviewed who deals with crimes affecting the reindeer herding industry tried to estimate the scale of the phenomenon; the most common motive for this type of crime, in his opinion, is killing for meat:

The damage to the reindeer herds from poaching for meat is enormous. We are probably talking about  150-200 reindeer for [a Sámi village]. Per year, I think. And that is ONE Sámi village.

So, judging from the interviews, it seems that the scale is quite tangible, it is larger than what is indicated in the hate crime statistics. Even when a reindeer is killed for meat, there may be a hate crime motive behind the crime. There are examples in the police reports of people posting messages on social media in which they either stated that they shot reindeer or encouraged others to do so. The following example of such comments directly related to Girjasdom appears in the police report:

"... there are two reindeer corpses hanging in my garage. So celebrate Girjasdom" (The Girjas judgment). "If we all go into the forest and collect food, how long will it be before all the reindeer are gone?"

"The solution is to shoot what you see. No reindeer, no rights!"

Note: In 2020, the Swedish Supreme Court ruled on a lawsuit filed by the Sámi village of Girjas against the state. The subject of the lawsuit was to determine the subject of the right to permit hunting for small game and fishing in the mountainous areas adjacent to the Sámi villages.

Swedish hunters strongly opposed the positive decision of the Supreme Court for the Sámi, thereby challenging the principle of the rule of law in this country.

We will continue to work to ensure that hunters living in Sweden have access to small game hunting in the highlands as before, said Birgitta Isaksson, chairwoman of the Norrbotten Hunters' Association.

Several interviews reported that over time, the number of cases has increased where reindeer are not killed, but intentionally wounded so that they slowly bleed to death in the forest. One interviewee reported finding several shot reindeer over the course of a week:

The ones I found were still alive. They still had a bullet in them and they were bleeding. And it was not done by the same person, because it happened in different places and (they were shot) with different calibers.

Mutilated reindeer most common in Norrbotten

Reindeer poaching is described as a problem throughout the Sámi areas of Sweden, Norway and Finland. However, cases of cruelty and cruelty are more common in Norrbotten. A police officer says:

It's different in this region, that's my firm opinion. There are more problems in some places and less in others. Generally speaking, I would say that the biggest problems occur in Norrbotten. There are mainly Sámi villages there, but we also have (a court decision on a lawsuit) the Girjas villages. They have geographical areas that are reindeer grazing areas, and also hunting and fishing areas, and so on. Add to that heavy industry, mining and all that. There will be one awkward brew somehow. There are many ingredients.

This picture is confirmed by several Sámi interviewees, and the police also report that the clear majority of the most obvious hate crimes involve reindeer killed in Norrbotten.

Reindeer chased or hit by snowmobiles or cars

Police reports and interviews indicate that reindeer are deliberately hit or chased by cars on the road. The perpetrators often take photographs of the crime scene and then share them on social media, often with accompanying text such as "finally one less reindeer".

One police officer says that calls to run over reindeer on the road are sometimes spread online, which he believes also leads to an increase in traffic accidents involving reindeer:

We saw it there when the Girjas lawsuit was decided. Then there were calls on social media to "Run over reindeer when you see them and leave them on the road". Then there was an increase (of this type of crime). Then there were the reindeer accidents. That's all. First of all in Malmfälten. There was a huge pile (of dead reindeers)...

It also happens that reindeer are hunted with snowmobiles or deliberately run over with them. Interviews and police reports give vivid descriptions of dead or dying reindeer with broken bones and wounds after being run over by snowmobiles. A number of circumstances suggest that this is not an accident, such as the fact that there is good visibility at the scene or the tracks left by the snowmobiles show that they have run over the reindeer several times.

It also happens that reindeer herds are deliberately driven through by snowmobiles, which can cause the reindeer to become stressed and run out onto the roads where they can be run over, and pregnant females give birth to premature fawns. Similar problems can arise when stray dogs (often hunting dogs) hunt reindeer, which is said to be a major problem in some Sámi villages. Attacks by dogs on reindeer often result in injuries that can cause the death of the animal. This occurs despite the fact that the Reindeer Handling Act (1971:437) requires that dogs be kept on a leash or locked up while reindeer are out grazing (see § 93).

Damage to vehicles, buildings and equipment

The reindeer herding industry is also sometimes subject to various forms of sabotage. An interviewee describes his experience:

In our fenced deer enclosures, there are sugar in the tanks of our snowmobiles and punctured tires on cars. Is it a hate crime if you take down all the road markings on a road that goes to a Sámi residence? Or if you sabotage ancient remains?

It is clear from the interview that reindeer warning signs are often shot at with firearms, which creates a general impression of vulnerability among those working in reindeer herding. The collected material mentions cases of vandalism of herders' huts, for example by breaking windows and doors. An interviewee describes a particularly threatening event:

My relative is a reindeer herder. He told us about how one day they got to their hut. It is a fairly simple dwelling: two bunks and a stove. And then there was someone who had shot from outside, so that the mattresses were like a sieve and the bed was overturned.

The atmosphere of hatred and threats in which the Sámi reindeer herders work and live is illustrated by the following statement by a police officer:

When they leave home in the morning and are going to go round the herd of reindeer, they never know what awaits them. There might be three or four cars with punctured tires. Or vandalism of their snowmobiles. Sometimes the feeders are stolen from the feeding grounds. They are stressed, that's the thing. It's an unpleasant situation. If you go to work and never know what awaits you there. It's not fun.

Verbal abuse and threats

An example from a police report: a reindeer herder is accompanying his reindeer along the road, and a motorist who stops and shouts at him: "fucking Lapp bastard". The driver continued to threaten to shoot the reindeer and any reindeer herders he encountered in the forest. However, this incident is not typical, according to Brå's interlocutors. Those who participated in the collection of tortured and killed reindeer consider the cases of verbal abuse and threats to be unimportant in comparison. In some Sámi villages, threats to kill reindeer are described as a routine event, and their residents receive several emails or phone calls a week with similar content. Police reports also suggest that there is a suspicion that the threats are sometimes carried out, because the killed reindeer are found after such threats. However, more often the phone calls and Internet messages are of a stalking nature: unknown people call and write several times a day at any time of the day, with negative statements about the Sámi.

Hate crimes as a reaction to Sámi rights

As mentioned earlier, some hate crimes arise from conflicts between landowners, forest owners and farmers who do not want reindeer to graze on their land. This problem is historical and is, in particular, a consequence of the forced displacement of the Sámi from their traditional territories, especially in the southern part of the country, where competition for land was particularly violent.

A new problem has emerged in the relationship between the Sámi as an indigenous people and a national minority on the one hand, and the majority population on the other, in the drive by the government and local authorities to develop hydropower, wind power and mining in Sámi lands with the aim of a green transition, which creates new jobs and contributes to the development of infrastructure. This creates risks for reindeer herding, which affects the level of conflict in the Sámi territory. The interviewee describes the situation as follows:

After all, it's all about values ​​that otherwise in the majority society do not have such a high status. So, nature, environment, future generations, sustainability, circular thinking of the use of natural resources. Not to charge more than we need. Our entire economic system is based on consuming and exploiting. Growth lies in that, and then we have a different view of the world.

Restrictions on hunting, driving snowmobiles, tourism or holding sporting events can cause hatred towards the Sámi. From the interview:

I got a hate letter where they wrote that we are so fucking useless. We are idiots and stupid and should be roughly banished from the face of the earth. And it was connected to a major sporting event in Sweden that our Sámi village was critical of. We have had motor vehicles sabotaged. Snowmobiles were set on fire or destroyed... Or they stole something or wrote unpleasant notes on (our) vehicles.

The tendency to report hate crimes is also affected by negative experiences with the police. Some interviewees say they have written statements to the police that were lost and left unanswered. In small communities, everyone in the community may know everyone else, including the police. The interviewee describes how these circumstances can affect trust and the willingness to report crimes to the police:

That's the thing with the police here in the north. Obviously there are police officers here who have a connection with the people who do this kind of thing. It could be a relative (of the police officer) or his best friend's cousin or something like that. So even you lose trust in the police. Because sometimes you know who they are and what their connections are with other people.

The interviews simultaneously discuss that there are good police officers and that the problem is primarily structural. It is also suggested that the police lack the resources to investigate and prevent crimes, and that the police have little knowledge of the Reindeer Herding Act:

Northern Norrbotten. It's a huge district they have to work within. So it's a lack of resources, that's right. And we see that everywhere, not only linked to these crimes but also others. And it doesn't get any better if they order all the police down to Stockholm. Then there are also many who do not have the skills. What does the Reindeer Act say? And few (police officers) have this cultural competence as well. Because you cannot just boot into a Sámi context and think that you will be heard or that you will hear what has happened.

But it can also be about a concern that others will act on the messages, or that it should appear that there is support for committing criminal acts against the Sámi. The insecurity is also affected by the knowledge that other Sámi have been victimized. It can either be via high-profile media events, or that someone close to you has been subjected to a hate crime. From the interview:

It affects the entire Sámi society, i.e. the reindeer herding society. All of us in the Sámi village, the neighboring village and so on. The mayor of my neighboring village, he was threatened with death. He called me in the evening and was completely confused, scared and in a shock. And that's understandable... It affects me.

Choosing to hide one's Sámi identity

During the interviews, many examples emerge where people choose to hide their Sámi identity to avoid negative attention. An interviewee tells, for example, about an acquaintance who stopped wearing Sámi hats on his children after they received insulting comments in the grocery store. Others hesitated to send their children to a Sámi school for fear that it would become obvious that they were Sámi and that the children would be teased or harassed because of their Sámi identity. There are also Sámi organizations and associations that choose not to publish the addresses of their premises to avoid vandalism.

The interviews also reveal that some choose to hide or downplay their background at work or at school. At the same time, several describe that it can lead to a split identity where the whole self is never accepted. Even people who are not Sámi themselves but who work with issues concerning the Sámi describe that they avoid talking about it in certain contexts. But there are also those who use the opposite strategy:

My mother was incredibly careful to say how proud we were to be of our origins and absolutely not try to hide it. Several of her friends removed their Sámi names when they got married. I chose to keep my maiden name… To avoid this talk that can happen behind the backs of Sámi people. I am also proud of the name. But the name also means that people know that I'm Sámi and that I get slobber thrown at me.

An interviewee who was bullied at school says that other students chose to hide their Sámi identity to reduce the risk of negative impact:

I went to primary school in [city]. I have siblings of the same age, and we spoke Sámi to each other. And even though there are a lot of Sámi in [city] of our age, they hid that they were Sámi. And this is still modern times, the 1990s and 20,000s. Because of bullying and this stuff, they try to hide that they are Sámi. And I think that leaves traces on a lot of people.

At the same time, the interviewees describe it as difficult to act when their children have been victimized. Several describe a concern that it will make the situation worse for the child. An interviewee who was bullied during school says, for example, that it was not handled well when his parents contacted the school after he was bullied by other students:

According to the teacher, it was me who was at fault. I was not adaptable. Mother spoke to both the class teacher and the principal, but nothing came of it. It only got worse afterwards instead.

The North Observer

16.08.2024