A Reindeer Herding People? Political Visions of Sami Futures

Abstract

The trajectory of the Sami movement in Sweden during the period 1900–1970 was strongly influenced by a few dominant leaders. In this chapter, I follow Elsa Laula, Torkel Tomasson, Gustav Park and Israel Ruong, and analyse how their respective choices have affected the development of the Sami movement. I also examine how they contended with a well-established view within the Swedish state concerning the Sami, as nomadic reindeer herders, and their place in society. Even though the Arctic as a term is not used, both the Swedish state and the Sami present clear images of the North and of the place of the Sami in these contesting images.