Laponia

Storyline

Episode 1: Alliances in Sápmi A number of archaeological remains from the centuries around the birth of Christ point to the arrival of new ideas among the hunting peoples inhabiting the northernmost parts of Europe. The Sami culture emerges, with its characteristic ornamentation, Sami hut dwelling and a new way of burying the dead. Because of their hunting expertise, the Sami become key players in the trading networks of the Viking Age. Sami furs and pelts are the very engine of the European economy. New research now points to Sami influence and presence far to the south in Scandinavia. Traces of Sami boats dating back to the Viking Age have been found as far south as Lake Mälaren. Episode 2: Borders Through Sápmi The golden age of the Sami comes to an end during the Late Middle Ages, when the surrounding nation states turn their attention to Sápmi. Territorial claims on Sami lands, made by the kingdoms of Russia, Sweden and Denmark, result in borders being drawn up through Sápmi, dividing the Sami peoples. The onset of colonization in the 17th and 18th centuries results in the Sami becoming a minority in their own lands. The Forest Sami culture is especially hard hit, and all but wiped out by the encroachment of settlers. At the same time, a harsh process of Christianization is taking place. The Church employs coercion and violence in an effort to destroy and replace the Sami religion. Episode 3: The Theft of Sápmi The 20th century is a time of turmoil in Sápmi. The Soviet Union pursues a strict policy of assimilation towards the Eastern Sami, and Stalin's terror results in the loss of many Sami lives. In western Sápmi, large-scale extraction of natural resources begins. Lumber, ore and hydro power help make Sweden one of the richest countries in the world. Prospectors rely on the ugly theories of scientific racism and skull measurements in order to justify the ruthless exploitation of Sami lands. And far into the modern era, Sami children are placed in boarding schools where they lose their Sami identity and language. But in the final decades before the new millennium, the Sami begin to mobilize politically and push for the creation of the first Sami parliaments. The Sami eventually gain a political voice.