MELLANFÖRSKAPSSAMER – Om identitet, återtagande och (s)vårt kulturarv

Abstract

This paper examines difficulties that heirs to swedified sami persons experience when learning about how colonialism forced a lot of people to hide or dim their sami identity. The purpose is to examine what genealogy can mean for these people and how it differs from the “regular” genealogy; what makes these heirs willing or not willing to call themselves sami and how the cultural traumas and family wounds can be understood as dark cultural heritage and how these can be resolved. With cultural heritage and history usage theories, Hall’s theories of hybrid identities, and Aarelaid-Tart’s trauma model, I have analysed material from six interviewees and some of my autoetnography to conclude that sami genealogy is an important factor in shaping a more complete and decolonized view of history and one’s identity, that descendants of samis won’t call themselves sami because of a lack of sami “capital” but want to as a way of not letting colonialism win, and that cultural traumas and family wounds heal through talking about them – not hiding from them. The dark heritage is a necessary part of the sami identity build. I have also concluded that sami identity have always been nuanced, there isn’t one correct way to be sami.