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From the middle of the
1800s to the end of
the Second World War,
it was possible to see
living Sami people on
exhibit.
Today, this is often seen as a blast from a
past, and as something that feels foreign
to us now - as one of many abuses that
the majority society imposed on “others”
and those who were different.
“It is quite wrong to see this as a history
of unilateral exploitation,” says archaeo-
logist Cathrine Baglo.
Baglo recently defended her PhD dis-
sertation, "Gone astray? Live exhibi-
tions of the Sami people in Europe and
America". Hers is the first doctoral thesis
on the topic, and she is quite critical of
the image of the Sami as victims, which
is the image that is commonly associa-
ted with this practice. She believes this
simplistic view over time has hindered
research on the topic.
"It means that we have basically written
the phenomenon itself off in advance,
which has made any research or inter-
pretation of the matter seem unneces-
sary. The fact that the exhibitions were
often held in zoos or animal parks
has been explanation enough for our
interpretation for posterity. No one has
examined the practice in depth to see
what the conditions were. The fact that
the Sami stayed in zoos, for example, was
actually just by chance, and was due to
the fact that this was the exhibition space
owned by one of the largest concessio-
naires in the region, the German Carl
Hagenbeck. The zoo, with its distinctive
combination of gardens, exotic architec-
ture and live animals imparted some of
the overall exotic experience Hagenbeck
and many other exhibitors wanted to
convey. There was never anyone who
tried to portray Sami as if they were
animals,” says Baglo.
“In addition, many Sami preferred to
stay in zoos, because there were veteri-
narians there, and their reindeer were
given proper care,” she noted. In Paris in
1933, for example, the Danielsen family
from Røros was offered a place in a hotel,
but they preferred to stay in the Bois de
Boulogne, where the zoo was located,
along with their reindeer.
The Sami never sold their souls
«Mr. Bullock’s Exhibition of Laplenders». London 1822-23. Family Jens and Karen Thomassen Holm from Røros. Source: The National Library of Norway.
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Labyrint E/11
– University of Tromsø