This chapter focuses on the politics of belonging. In the case of the Sami, it shows how a sense of belonging is expressed in relation to particular practices, material objects, temporal rhythms, forms of language and places. The language became the first 'official' marker of Sami culture after the ruling of the Committee for Sami Affairs in 1952. The 'recognition' comes from being involved in more informal networks or social relations as individuals are defined by their 'ties to recognised Sami families'. At the national level, legislation was enacted to recognise the Sami's unique culture and ancestry and their status as an Indigenous people who have the right to special protection. In discussing Nils-Aslak Valkeapaa's connections with Indigenous groups in North America, it is argued that a shared sense of belonging comes not only through political activism but also through 'the feelings that the similarity of life across the Arctic arouses,' including the environment, material objects and cultural practices.
History
School
Social Sciences
Department
Communication, Media, Social and Policy Studies
Published in
Knowing from the Indigenous North
Citation
SKEY, M., 2018. The politics of belonging in the Indigenous North. IN: Eriksen, T.H., Valkonen, S. and Valkonen, J. (eds.) Knowing from the Indigenous North: Sami Approaches to History, Politics and Belonging, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, pp.163-172.
Publisher
Routledge
Version
AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publisher statement
This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in Knowing from the Indigenous North: Sami Approaches to History, Politics and Belonging on 2 October 2018, available online: http://www.routledge.com/9780415790734.