Paper short abstract:

Since the 1960s Indigenous Sámi yoikers and storytellers has performed their traditional songs and stories in the annual Jokkmokk market. We have a continuum for more than 50 years. One of the strongest theme are their own life stories, embedded in humor and their meeting with the majority society.

Paper long abstract:

The Sámi peoples of the north are Indigenous to northern Fennoscandia and Kola peninsula, Russia. One way expressing oneself are through singing (yoik) and storytelling. Being a Sámi or yoiking were for a long time during 20th century both a social stigma and to the Church of Sweden a sinful act, but this starting to change during 1960s. Three Sámi men born in the 1920s and early 1930s started a performance during the well known annual Jokkmokk market in February. The market has a long tradition since 1605 and the national and international interest has been very high. These performers created new insights and became cultural brokers among the Sámi peoples. They went from local storytellers to role models for a new generation. They filled in a gap for searching the intangible cultural heritage. Analysing their stories, we find different levels of their narratives. One for the general audience and one for the insiders in the same story. With funny episodes of their first meetings with the modern society and also political implicit statements. One of the original performers 90 years old are still alive, but he is not performing anymore. Todays performers are siblings to the original three. How do the content change and how much of earlier stories continue in this new setting? I want to discuss entextualisation to decontextualisation. Is it possible to see results of recontextualisation? Will this create new kind of stories? This paper is a dedication to the Sámi elders.