Field trip to Trøndelag (NO), Västerbotten and Jämtland (SE)

In spring of 2015, Focal Point North funded a second excursion for first-year Indigenous Studies Master’s students to Norway’s Trøndaleg region, as well as Västerbottten and Jämtland regions of Sweden. Activities and seminars were focused on the subject area of “Indigenous peoples, resources and rights”. The students visited Samien Sijte (South Sami Museum & Sámi Parliament) in Snåsa, Hattfjeldal Sámi school, Sitji Jarnge South Sámi Culture and Development Centre, Tärnaby, Vilhelmina and Gaaltjie sydsamiskt kulturcentrum (South Sámi cultural centre) as well as Jamtli, the regional museum of Jämtland in Östersund.

Activities and content reflected South Sámi cultural, social, and political institutions of where they were located, but students were encouraged to participate in discussions by bringing their own perspectives and insights from their cultures.

The project’s objective is to develop the knowledge of indigenous peoples in the North in past and present, as well as the cooperation between relevant institutions. The project focuses on the encounters between various peoples, on resource exploitation and rights, and on climate change policy and institutions. The project is aimed at regional and international cooperation by means of seminars, field trips and publications.

After the trip the students at the master's in indigenous studies made a presentation and photo exhibition. You can see it online here: Excursion Exhibition - South Sápmi 2015

Pictrures from the trip

(Click to enlarge)