Abstract
The present chapter analyses state education of the indigenous Saami population in early modern Sweden. Making some initial comparisons between the Saami boarding school system of 1723 and the twentieth-century priest seminaries in Belgian Congo, the chapter presents two examples of Saami students opposing the acculturation policy applied in the schools. The stories of Olof in the 1670s and Anders in the 1760s highlight the role of education as a tool in the colonial power’s cultural influence on the Saami. Isolated from their native culture and under constant supervision, Saami children were exposed to intensive acculturation during their years at boarding school. While education managed to break Anders’ resistance, education placed tools in the hands of Olof, who after his schooling became an articulate advocate of Saami rights, most palpably demonstrated in an appeal to the King. In this letter, which provoked conspicuous indignation among local and regional authorities, Olof asked for permission to become a schoolmaster and minister for his Saami community. He also argued for the right to use the Saami drum by referring to its alleged function of compass. Even though Olof’s appeal had no success, he stands at the head of a long line of Saami political activists who gained the opportunity of formulating their standpoints in writing thanks to the Swedish government’s educational programmes.
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Notes
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In this chapter, the Saami term Sápmi refers to the entire Saami area in northern Fennoscandia, some of which was administered by the state of Sweden. In the early modern period, the part of Sápmi under Swedish sovereignty was referred to as Lapland (Sw. Lappland) or the Laplands (Sw. lappmarkerna). When referring to Saami districts and communities in the early modern period, the article makes use of contemporary terminology, such as Umeå Lapland and Luleå Lapland (Sw. Ume lappmark, Lule lappmark), i.e. the part of Sápmi belonging under the medieval parishes of Umeå and Luleå, respectively, both of which included large areas ranging from the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia up to the mountains. When the Saami area belonging to Umeå parish in 1673 was separated to become the independent parish of Lycksele, the old term Umeå Lapland (Sw. Ume lappmark) continued to be used. Several Saami communities could be found in Umeå Lapland, including the Vapsten community. The parish of Jokkmokk in Luleå Lapland was separated from Luleå parish in 1694 (Fig. 8.1).
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Lindmark, D. (2013). Colonial Encounter in Early Modern Sápmi. In: Naum, M., Nordin, J. (eds) Scandinavian Colonialism and the Rise of Modernity. Contributions To Global Historical Archaeology, vol 37. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6202-6_8
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