The silent language of ethnicity

Abstract

The article argues that in everyday life, in ethnically mixed communities in the Arctic region, the concept of Saaminess is dynamic and situated. Social practices that sustain impure identity categories are in existence. People insist on ambiguity as a matter of resistance against Norwegian society as well as against the logic of nationalism, after a century of institutionalized assimilation. In the practice of everyday life, gift exchange becomes a way of visualizing basic recognition and appreciation of the humanity of the other. Objects, values and symbols become the material employed in the creation of a local, collective self-perception that transcends ethnic boundaries. In such a context ethno-political identity categories and any notion of ethnicity that sees ethnic categories as mutually exclusive are poor tools for the analysis of what takes place in this region. There is a need for an opening up of concepts such as ethnicity and identity to encompass differences and antagonisms, both analytically and politically.

Ethnic boundaries and boundary-making in handicrafts: examples from northern Norway, Sweden and Finland

“…For them and their handicrafts, Sáminess is normalized as a closed category, because Sáminess is implicitly understood as being based on blood relations and as not being attainable through cultural practice alone. Accordingly, our findings seem to confirm the notion that Sáminess is interpreted as relatively corporal and situated in people's bodies (Amft 2007;Kramvig 2005;Moore 2008;Nagel 1994;Olofsson 2004;Valkonen 2014). Here, it is spoken about as a matter of "having it".…”

“…Ethnicity may hence be partly seen as a creative choice and discursive construction -as malleable depending on the situation or the audience (Barth 1969;see also: Eidheim 1971;Waters 1990;Eriksen 1991;Nagel 1994;Barker 2001;Kramvig 2005). Typically, people put forward arguments that revolve around ancestry, language, culture, appearance, locality or religion to talk about and "prove" their ethnicity (Nagel 1994).…”

“…(our translation) Furthermore, the existence of categories such as half-Sámi illustrates once again the corporeality of Sáminess and even makes it a matter of purity (Olofsson 2004;Kramvig 2005). Moreover, among the different nation-states in the area, there is also a difference in how far back in time relations are considered Sámi.…”

“…In the interviews, Sáminess is talked about as a quality situated in one's body (Olofsson 2004;Kramvig 2005;Moore 2008); even the categories "Sámi" and "non-Sámi" allude to the idea that "Sámi" is an attribute and "non-Sámi" the lack of that attribute. This makes Sáminess relative to what it is not (Barker 2001).…”

Legal pluralism in norwegian inshore fisheries: differing perceptions of fishing rights in Sami Finnmark

“…This is most probably because people from or living in the region tend to see themselves as natives of Finnmark. They are 'Finnmarkers' , an identity Kramvig (2005) describes as open and unifying, filled with bits of Norwegian, Sami and Finnish history. This could explain why participants were uncomfortable with being placed and/or placing themselves in ethnically pure categories.…”