In relation with the largest reburial of Sami remains in Sweden’s history, the music has emerged. 2019, the largest repatriation of Sami remains in Sweden’s history was carried out. Remains from 25 individuals of ancestors that have been excavated at Gammplatsen in Lycksele in the late 40s were returned to their original resting places. I was one of the 25 people who carried the remains back to their resting place at Gammplatsen in Lycksele. On 9/8 2019.
It was a shocking event that created many questions about the past. I wanted to know more about what happened and why? It led me into the darkest Swedish history, I began to put the puzzle between the past and the present. At the same time, I began to dream of a different kind of future.
Through my research, it became clear to me that I had to go to Uppsala where the material from the Institute of Racial Biology is preserved. The institute compiled materials and lists of Samis that were examined by the institute. My parents and I found relatives in the lists that had been examined by the institute. I wanted to find pictures of them in the archives.
In January 2020 me and my mother did a reversed expedition, we went from home in the north travelled to the south and Uppsala and the archive of Karolina Rediviva in search of answers for the questions I had. First of all, I wanted to find the pictures of my relatives that I found in the “list of measured Lapps” But flipping through the archive material made me uncomfortable it consisted of pictures, dehumanized, bodies of my people, my relatives. All images were decoded into objects rather than images of people with a story and narrative. My mother and I could not find any pictures of our relatives. After a while she asked me, Sara what do you want to achieve with this trip? I replied, I want to find emotions, I need the connection to work with the music.
The purpose if the Institute was to create a scientific reason to establish racial hygiene measures. Many of the political reforms that were subsequently introduced regarding the Samis in the 1900 th century were made against the background of a racist idea that the Samis were an inferior people unable to possess their own future. It has created a structural discrimination of the Sami in Sweden that still exists.
My goal with the music is to raise the issue of structural racism against the Sami and indigenous peoples. I see that my music and the message I have is not a question for the Sami people but a question for the majority society where the marginalization of Sami culture must end. Our history is part of Swedish history and our culture is part of Swedish culture. What I do belongs not only in Sápmi but everywhere where you want to stand up for everyone’s equal rights and opportunities.
In light of the research I have done where I have gone back to Karl Von Linné and his division into species to the Swedish interest in introducing rase hygienic measures, the BLM movement became a strong experience for me. I stood with indigenous peoples around the world in solidarity with the BLM movement. In a common global struggle for equal rights it is obvious to me that the struggle for the indigenous peoples has not even begun.
The next wave of awakening and global movement is us indigenous peoples who will be guiding in the next shift where the knowledge of nature and sustainability will be crucial for the development and future on earth.