Paper short abstract:

Presentation of an ongoing research and documentary project where focus is on Indigenous Forest Sámi reindeer herders - culture, tradition, human-nature-culture-animal relationships in the past and present - including the challenges/visions for the future, on the Swedish side of Sábme/Sápmi.

Paper long abstract:

This is a presentation of a research and documentary project where focus is on Indigenous Forest Sámi reindeer herders and culture bearers - culture, tradition, human-nature-culture-animal relationships in the past and present - including the challenges/visions for the future, on the Swedish side of the territory of the Indigenous Sámi in FennoScandinavia - Sábme.

Overall aim of the project, based in history of technology and science/ feminist technoscience/indigenous methodologies/environmental humanities in collaboration with filmmakers Petri Storlöpare and Tor L. Tuorda, as well as with Forest Sámi Reindeer herders /culture bearers Henrik Andersson, Anna-Karin Svensson and Eivor Auna, - is to analyze aspects of human security, safety and sustainability with a particular focus on livelihood of Indigenous peoples, while developing methodologies of how to make space for Sámi perspectives.

While one important issue is about making visible how the Swedish state - and its representatives - are through a continued violent industrial colonization pushing for the final destruction of Forest Sámi culture - another important part is to show how the reindeer herders and culture bearers make their way to not give in, how they continue their practices, maintain cultural traditions, and most of all, how they relate to nature, animals, humans. Such research work has so far never been made from Sámi perspectives, when studying Sámi, it is by outsiders, non-Sámi. This project is led by a Sámi scholar, Dr. Öhman and funded by SEEDBOX, an environmental collaboratory and FORMAS - future research leaders.