Friluftsliv and olggonastin–multiple and complex nature cultures

Abstract

The Scandinavian concept of friluftsliv has become established in the international literature on outdoor life. However, when emphasising friluftsliv as a recreational way of outdoor life, other understandings and nuances are disguised. With a post-colonial and Indigenous methodological perspective, the authors argue that the Sámi words olggonastin, meahcástallan and olggustállan are often more useful and purposive than friluftsliv. We show how friluftsliv both assimilates and suppresses Sámi nature culture while also integrating and including Sámi and Norwegians into shared rural cultures—especially in northern Norway.