Second world war as a trigger for transcultural changes among Sámi people in Finland

Lehtola, Veli-Pekka

doi:10.1080/08003831.2015.1089673

Cited by 18 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The schedule for withdrawing the troops and their equipment -in all more than 200,000 soldiers, tens of thousands of prisoners of war, numerous vehicles as well as huge amounts of military and civil equipment -was unrealistic, and warfare was soon expected. Before the outbreak of the 'Lapland War', the civilian residents of Lapland were evacuated to southern Finland and Sweden (Tuominen 2015;Lehtola 2015). Most Laplanders were eventually able to return to their home villages, but in most cases, there were no houses left.…”

Section: A Brief Historical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remembering and Forgetting, Discovering and Cherishing

Koskinen-Koivisto

Thomas

2018

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The events of the Second World War left considerable material remains in Finnish Lapland, ranging from the remnants of structures that were destroyed in the 1944–45 Lapland War, through to small, portable objects connected to soldiers, prisoners of war and civilians. These material remains have variously been saved and cherished by survivors and their families, disregarded as ‘war junk’, ‘discovered’ by hobbyists exploring the landscape, amassed and exchanged by private collectors, and accessioned into official museum collections. These various processes represent transformations of material culture to take on various meanings and embodiments, depending on the different individuals and organizations involved. In this article we present and analyse data collected through ethnographic fieldwork in and around the Lapland village of Vuotso: primarily interviews and observations. We have conducted interviews with history hobbyists and museum professionals who engage with the WWII history of Lapland, and observed the treatment of ‘war material culture’, for example through exhibitions (both public and hidden) and through personal meaning-making practices. These encounters have centred around the material remains of the Second World War, and the ways in which different actors perceive, value and otherwise understand those remains. While some objects are transformed through musealisation, others remain ‘officially’ unknown and unrecognized (although known – even traded and exchanged – through private channels). Furthermore it may be as important for some actors to leave material culture in situ – for example as testimony to the past conflict or trauma – as it is for others to exercise personal ownership. Within this context, we deconstruct the notion of ‘expert’ as it relates to the local and historical knowledge. Being regarded by peers and others as an expert is not necessarily the same thing as having professional authority and status, for example as a museum curator or university-affiliated scholar. We draw upon theories of relational materiality, and suggest different typologies of engagement with the material culture. Different networks of interest and expertise emerge, dependent on the actors involved (including their status – e.g. museum professional, survivor, ‘incomer’, local activist – and how their knowledge is thus accepted, challenged or rejected by others), the context of ownership, situationality and perceived levels of authenticity.

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Section: A Brief Historical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remembering and Forgetting, Discovering and Cherishing

Koskinen-Koivisto

Thomas

2018

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“…The atrocities of the Second World War and consequent Finnish-Soviet wars in Lapland 'left the Sámi without education in any language for several years, which negatively affected their literacy rates and ability to transfer their language to future generations' (Keskitalo, Uusiautti, and Määttä 2012, 54-55). Furthermore, many Sámi communities (the Skolt Sámi in particular) were displaced from their homelands, had their reindeer livestocks taken from them (either as a consequence of them being seized on the Soviet side of the border, war taxes, or theft) and were unable to pursue traditional livelihoods (Lehtola 2015a). Following this accelerated and widespread decimation of culture and language, education policies aiming to provide better education services to children living in remote areas of Finland (regardless of ethnicity) saw many Sámi children educated in boarding schools, separated from their families, friends and their communities (Keskitalo et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A toothless tiger? Capabilities for indigenous self-determination in and through Finland’s extracurricular music education system

Kallio

Heimonen

2018

Music Education Research

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In this article, we report an instrumental case study of extracurricular music education as an arena and means for securing the capability for selfdetermination among Finland's Indigenous Sámi population. Finland's egalitarian approach to education is rooted in complex, and at times contradictory, colonial legacies, raising questions as to whether or not mainstream education systems afford the Sámi the capability to enact their human and constitutional rights to sustain and develop their own languages, cultures, and worldviews. Through a critical analysis of international and national policy documents, and interview data from four Sámi music educators in Finland, we consider the capability for Indigenous self-determination as essential criteria for enacting social justice in, and through, music education.

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“…Million described the process of forced mobility as an existentially experienced involuntary journey typified by eight stages: (1) becoming uneasy; (2) struggling to stay; (3) having to accept; (4) securing a settlement; (5) searching for the new; (6) starting over; (7) unsettling reminders; and (8) wanting to resettle (also Seamon and Sowers 2008). In the case of the people of Vuotso, the swift evacuation left no time for going through the emotions in stages 1-3, and people were abruptly and violently torn away from their roots, without knowing whether they could ever return to Sápmi (also Lehtola 2015). The lack of time allowed to acknowledge the start of their involuntary journey, and the persistent insecurity of the final destination made their already stressful voyage mentally even more incomplete.…”

Section: 'Southern People Hate the Germans -': Ruptured Memories And mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are also other recent and ongoing research projects studying the evacuation and reconstruction in Lapland, which will eventually all complement each other (e.g. Tuomaala 2008;Lehtola 2015).…”

Section: Wwii Narratives Of the Vuotso Eldersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Elderly informants remember this as a 'terribly humiliating welcome' (F3) and ' A tit exhibition for Sweden's soldiers' (Rautio, Korteniemi, and Vuopio 2004, 81). Semi-nomadic people were also ill-prepared for relocation in large barrack villages, and the food, although plentiful, was strange and alienating (Rautio, Korteniemi, and Vuopio 2004, 121;Lehtola 2015).…”

Section: Evacuees In the Southmentioning

confidence: 99%

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