photography by Erika Larsen
I enjoyed this interview by True/Slant blogger Scott Bowen with photographer Erika Larsen, who was granted a Fulbright Scholarship last year to live with and document the Sámi people of Scandinavia. You probably know the Sámi better by the name “Lapplanders” (or “Laplanders”), but the term “Lapp” was coined by the Norwegians and is considered racially derogatory by the Sámi people themselves. The Sámis live in a transnational territory that extends across the northern portions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, and are mostly nomadic, following their herds of reindeer across the territory. For many decades, the governments of Norway and Sweden actively suppressed the culture and language of the Sámi, but in more recent years have allowed the native language to be taught again in schools.
Larsen, who is half-Norwegian, explains the arduous process of herding reindeer, which is complicated by having most of the herds merged without regard to ownership for part of the year. She also explains a bit about the cultural history. Part Two of the interview should be posted on Bowen’s blog soon, but you can see quite a bit of her lovely photography here
UPDATED: Part Two is now up at True/Slant
There is a very good movie called “The Cuckoo” about a Sámi woman and her “guests”. I liked it very much and I think I’ll head over to Netflix and rent it again.