Siv Ellen Kraft’s latest publication, Indigenous Religion(s) in Sápmi: Reclaiming Sacred Grounds, provides an overview of recent developments in the indigenous Sámi religion, with the author seeking to connect Sámi “religion, identity, and nation-building” (12). Although the Sápmi is a large region spread across an area that includes Norway, Sweden, Finland, and parts of Russia, Kraft’s predominant focus is on the Sámi population in Norway. The term “Sámi” refers to the indigenous population in the region, whereas “Sápmi” refers to the region itself. The volume highlights the ways in which Sámi religious practitioners and religious traditions do not exist in isolation, but instead need to be studied alongside the ongoing process of Norwegianization and the growing relationship between indigenous people globally. Kraft’s volume seeks to explore the questions surrounding the articulations of indigeneity and/or religion, and the impact of globalization on indigenous religion(s).
The volume is based upon two years of interviews and conversations Kraft conducted with a variety of individuals, both Sámi and non-Sámi; a range of textual sources from regional media outlets; and digital sources such as Facebook messages and groups. Kraft also uses the volume’s introduction as a space to reflect on her own position as a non-indigenous scholar researching indigenous religions, acknowledging her own limited Sámi language fluency as well as explaining her background as a non-Sámi scholar in Sámi cultural and religious affairs.
Kraft’s book focuses on articulations of indigenous religion(s) in Sápmi, specifically in Norway, with chapters organized around “art and culture and/or protests and activism” (18). Importantly, the method of “scales” and “scaling” is crucial to Kraft’s analyses of these themes, wherein she frames the different scenarios in terms of a local (Sámi) scale and a global (indigenous) one. Kraft views “scales” as involving “kinds, scope, and degrees as in relative size (small-large), spatial reach (private-public, local-global), relative value (bad-good, primitive-civilized)” (19), and inclusive of “magnification”, which involves individuals making the shift from the local level to the global level. The concept of “scales” is used throughout the book to underscore the ways in which scenarios can be shifted from one scale to another, such as from Sámi religion being categorized as “primitive” to it being understood as “cultural heritage”.
Chapter 3 provides an example of a shift from one scale to another, when Kraft discusses the plans to build a power plant near the sacred mountain Kjerringtind (Aahkansnjurhtjie in Sámi). A meeting was organized in which the Sámi population expressed concerns about building on the sacred site as the mayor explained the governmental reasons behind the construction plans. A Māori shaman at the meeting rejected the mayor’s explanations by “contrasting the destructive ways of western capitalism” with the “strength and wisdom of Mother Earth” (100). Kraft uses this to demonstrate the ways in which a local cause can be upscaled to a global one—it is important to protect the sacred mountain (a local cause), and doing so is also a step towards protecting Mother Earth (a global cause).
The case of Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline, discussed in chapter 2, is another important example that is frequently referred to throughout the volume. Kraft explains that this case demonstrates an example of upscaling from the local indigenous scale to the global one, with many indigenous communities uniting globally to fight for a cause that they saw as their own. The relationship between the Sámi indigenous community and the global indigenous community has also caused an evolution in Sámi actions, from a “culture of silence” (20) to a culture in which many embrace activism.
In addition to the relationship between the Sámi and other global indigenous populations, the volume also discusses the relationship between contextual theology and Sámi spirituality, and the fact that many contemporary Sámi individuals identify as Christian. For instance, in chapter 1, Kraft explores the ways in which Sámi spirituality and Christianity intertwine at a gathering of Christian indigenous representatives in 1998 in Kárášjohka. The gathering described the earth as “a gift from the Creator” even as they referenced the “fight for Mother Earth’s survival” (44), blending registers from both Christianity and indigenous religion. This raises questions that Kraft also acknowledges, such as what it means to describe one form of spirituality as “Sámi” over another, and in what way does Sámi shamanism co-exist alongside Christianity.
Kraft references religious “registers” throughout the volume. However, although the beginning of the volume delves into an exploration of the definition of “indigenous” and “religion,” it would have been beneficial for Kraft to have also examined what precisely a “religious” register entails, considering her regular references to examples of religious registers and, upon occasion, the notable lack of a religious register. Although it can be assumed that “religious” often means “Christian,” as Christianity is the main religion that is contrasted with Sámi spirituality throughout the work, there is room here for broader discussion and elaboration on where to definitively distinguish between “indigenous religious” and “religious” registers.
Indigenous Religion(s) in Sápmi is a book that situates itself in an ever-evolving debate concerning what it means to be “indigenous” and to practice “indigenous religion” in contemporary society. Moreover, in an increasingly globalized society, Kraft’s method of scales highlights the need to explore articulations of “indigeneity” that are both local and global, and the ways in which indigenous populations relate to one another today. Although the book undoubtedly makes for a good introduction to Sámi religion, it also engages with broader discourses in indigenous studies, ranging from the very definition of “indigeneity” and “religion” to the relationship between indigeneity and Christianity.
Jing-Yi Magraw is a religious studies research master’s student at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
Jing-Yi Magraw
Date Of Review:
November 26, 2022
