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Mission

Mission

The iCross-Cultural Citizen Project is a cultural anthropology course-based project meant to raise critical consciousness about the rich cultural diversity in our indigenous world. Being totally aware of the limitations of being outsiders, we are a group of multidisciplinary undergraduate students who believe in cross-cultural sensitivity and participatory agency aimed at disseminating information about indigenous realities as accurately as possible.

Vision

Vision

The iCross-Cultural Citizen Project’s vision is to create an online cross-cultural space for students, professionals, and youth to learn and exchange cross-culturally sensitive information about contemporary indigenous experiences. From that outsider student’s perspective, we will try to theoretically explore possible collaborative solutions to problems that affect the indigenous populations of our planet. Finally, we hope for the future creation of a space where indigenous youth can share their experiences and their realities with us for real mutual collaboration to take place.

Values

Values

· We value the maximization of benefits to indigenous peoples and other vulnerable populations in the world.

· We value the respect for persons all over the world.

· We value the equal treatment of people, and we are against the exploitation of vulnerable groups around the world.

· We value collaborative cross-cultural learning and critical thinking.

History

History

According to historians, the Sami, also known as the “Lapps” in parts of Scandinavia and Northwest Russia were a primitive hunting tribe that derives a majority of its economy from herding animals resembling reindeer. The Sami call the land in which they live on Sapmi meaning same. In combination with fishing and crafting, the Sami are one of the most unique native Scandinavian groups to date.

Location

The Sami live in the tundra (arctic/treeless plain) and in the taiga (arctic/subarctic forest) which spreads across 4 major northern Europe consisting of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia’s Kola Peninsula, the area is know as Sapmi. Traditionally the Sami lived in communities called “siida”, who cooperated together in order to fish, hunt, and trap certain animals in the Northern European landscape. There is an estimated 44,000-50,000 Sami people left on the planet, with a majority of the people residing in Sweden.

Background information

Background information
Background Information

Background Information

The indigenous Sami people are sometimes called "the people with four countries" because their ethnic group spans the borders of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. Their language is divided into several distinct dialects belonging to the Finno-Urgic family of languages. The Sami culture can be traced back at least 2,000 years. Reindeer herding has been central to Sami culture and crucial to the subsistence of the Sami, providing meat, fur, and transportation. The genetic origin of the Sami people is complex, and it is difficult to trace. This group’s beginnings are closely linked to the origin of the Finns. There is no direct historical evidence of the Sami prior to the first century C.E. For a long time the Sami were an oppressed people and their culture was in danger of dying out. Today the Sami stand stronger than most other aboriginal people in the world. They have their independence day, and their own flag and parliament.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Folklore (Ethnographic Post)

    Traditionally, the Sami shared beliefs that certain spirits were associated with certain places and with the deceased. The majority of their myths and legends are concerned with the underworld. Other tales include the Stallos. These were troll-like giants who were said to eat humans and/or suck out their strength through the use of an iron pipe. Another figure in Sami folklore is the stallu. This was known as a wicked person who had the ability to appear in various forms.

    The Sami creation myth is another tale that tells the story of Biegolmai. He was a monstrous giant known as the Wind Man. He was said to have created the Sapmi region in the beginning of time. He did this by taking two big shovels. One of the shovels were used to whip up the wind and the other shovel was used to drop enough snow to keep anyone from living there. Unfortunately for Biegolmai, one of his shovels broke one day which caused the wind to die down. This enabled the Sami to enter Sapmi. 

    One of the most well-known Sami folktales is the story of "The Pathfinder." The tale tells of a Sami village being attacked by another tribe known as the Tjudes. The Sami fought back, but they were outnumbered. The Tjudes killed every last Sami in the village except for one -- a young boy. The Tjudes force the young boy to lead them to the next village so that they can overtake them as well and the boy agrees. He leads them through the mountains, and when they reach the top, the Tjudes decide that they want to wait til morning to continue the journey so that they do not lose their way. The Sami boy ensures them that he knows the mountain well and he will lead them the rest of the way by torch. He also suggested that they all tie themselves together with a rope so that no one gets lost along the way in the dark. The Tjudes agree, thinking that the Sami boy is loyal to them. However, as they head down the mountain, the Sami boy leads them to a cliff. He stops at the edge of the cliff, tosses his torch over the side, and yells at the others to follow him. They all end up falling over the edge. This tale was turned into a film called The Pathfinder.
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