High Interest in Sámi art and culture, but weak economy hinders collaboration
Photo: Saami Council / Piera Heaika Muotka
A new report shows that cultural organizations across Norway are working with Sámi art and culture. However, Sámi actors who could help more organizations to invest in Sámi art and culture are hindered by weak economies and limited capacity.
Kristin Danielsen. Photo: Trym Schade Warloe
264 cultural organizations responded to a survey from the Cultural Directorate, the Sami Parliament, and the Saami Council on how they work with Sámi art and culture. Just over half of the organizations that are not Sámi say that they have programmed or communicated Sámi art and culture over the past year.
– The Truth and Reconciliation Commission emphasizes the role of arts and cultural organizations in the reconciliation process and encourages organizations to contribute to making visible, preserving, and communicating Sámi art and culture. I am pleased that our survey shows that many cultural organizations in Norway are working with Sámi art and culture, and that they do so because they find it artistically interesting, says Kristin Danielsen, director of the Cultural Directorate.
The report was launched on April 19 with panel discussions with commissioners and cultural organizations.
A Collective Responsibility
The survey suggests that a Sámi breeze is blowing across the Norwegian cultural landscape. Both international currents, Sámi political issues in Norway, and not least the report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission are mentioned as reasons for the engagement to work with Sámi art and culture. At the same time, 40 percent of the organizations that are not Sámi say they do not consider it relevant to work with Sámi art and culture.
– Cultural organizations are knowledge sites and meeting places that help define our history, present, and future. Alongside the Sámi Parliament, cultural policy, public administration, and cultural organizations have a responsibility to preserve, develop, and communicate Sámi art and culture. That exhibitions, productions, programs, and publications include many and diverse voices is a prerequisite for a society rich in art and culture, says Danielsen.
Weak Economy Hinders More Sámi Collaboration
Maja Kristine Jåma. Photo: Árvu / Sámi Parliament
Many cultural organizations point out that collaboration with Sámi actors can provide them with the necessary knowledge and competence to invest more in Sámi art and culture. The survey also shows that Sámi organizations increasingly act as advisors to other organizations, but they are consistently small, with weak economies and limited capacity to drive collaboration.
– Sámi cultural institutions and actors are good contributors to such collaborations, but it is absolutely necessary to strengthen their frameworks and resources so that they are capacitated to meet the increased interest and desires for collaboration, in addition to maintaining their core tasks, says Maja Kristine Jåma, Sámi Parliament Councillor of Culture.
Christina Hætta. Photo: Saami Council
The head of the cultural department at the Saami Council, Christina Hætta, is eager about the review of support schemes for Sámi arts and cultural organizations that the government announced in the cultural report «Kunstneryrket» (2023).
– Such a review is the right starting point to map and strengthen the conditions for equitable collaboration between Sámi cultural organizations and other sectors, says Hætta.
Considering Recommendations
The report proposes several measures that can increase knowledge and build networks about Sámi art and culture, including a knowledge bank and a competence program, and more venues for communication and networking. There is also a need for more knowledge and data.
– The Cultural Directorate continues the collaboration with the Sami Parliament and the Saami Council on the recommendations that emerge from the report. We are also considering the recommendations in light of the parliamentary treatment of the report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission later this year, says Kristin Danielsen.
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• Proba samfunnsanalyse has conducted a survey on how Sámi and other cultural organizations across the country work with Sámi art and culture. The Cultural Directorate is the commissioner in collaboration with the Sámi Parliament and the Saami Council.
• 599 cultural organizations, including 39 Sámi organizations, were sent the survey. 264 responded to it. Organizations receive grants of a certain size within the fields of music, literature, performing arts, visual arts, museums, and cultural heritage. In addition, interviews were conducted with representatives from 13 organizations, including Sámi organizations.
• The survey provides insight into how cultural organizations work with Sámi art and culture, what they emphasize in their work, and the extent to which various organizations collaborate on Sámi art and culture. It also clarifies the competence of the organizations concerning Sámi art and culture, and relevant competence-enhancing measures.
• The report is available in Norwegian and Northern Sámi.