Theme: Indigenous Peoples

University of Lapland renews commitment to host the UArctic International Secretariat long term

25.10.2021 15:10

The University of Lapland and UArctic ry (UArctic Association registered in Finland) signed a new cooperation agreement on October 8, 2021. The new agreement creates a stable home for the UArctic International Secretariat, with the intent of continued, long-term hosting by the University of Lapland. The UArctic International Secretariat is the only permanent Arctic secretariat in Finland.

Sámi cultural heritage search service name selected by international competition

31.5.2021 11:45

The Sámi archive materials can soon be searched through a new digital search service. The name for the new search service, Nuohtti, was chosen through an international competition, where the public were invited to present suggestions.

New book on indigenous research methodologies

3.5.2021 10:29

"Indigenous Research Methodologies in Sámi and Global Contexts" addresses history, concepts and practice of indigenous research.

Online workshop "The achievements, advancement and recognition of Sámi education"

19.3.2021 14:00

The programme of online workshop on contemporary questions on Sámi education is now published, and the registration is now open. The online workshop "Árran (heart, fireplace) - The achievements, advancement and recognition of Sámi education" will be held on 15-16 April 2021. On 15 April the workshop will be at 9.00-14.30 (UTC +3), and on 16 April it will be at 9.00-11.45 (UTC +3).

Dissertation: Sámi game design is a cultural trait that evolves when given space

27.1.2021 14:00

Throughout history, Indigenous peoples have played, gamed and created their own games. Games and gaming are in fact an integral part of Sámi culture, but there are, nevertheless, only a handful of digital games around. In her dissertation Outi Laiti, BE, MEd, explores the possibilities offered by game development events for the cultural self-expression of Sámi people. What kind of a picture of Sámi culture, then, do digital games convey – who draws it, for whom and on whose terms?

Research Professor Rauna Kuokkanen selected for the Fullbright Arctic Initiative III

15.12.2020 13:00

Research Professor Rauna Kuokkanen was selected for the Fullbright Arctic Initiative III -program for 2021–2022. 18 outstanding scholars and practitioners from Arctic Council’s member countries were selected to participate in the program, of whom two are from Finland.

The online course Arctic Inclusive Education will be piloted in Spring Term 2021 - registration is now open!

7.12.2020 11:00

This 10-ECTS course has been developed in collaboration with the Arctic Five universities, and it will be held for the first time in Spring Term 2021.

Finland and India to develop indigenous and tribal peoples' studies

23.10.2020 14:10

The Northern Institute for Environment and Minority Law (NIEM) at the Arctic Centre has received 35,500 euro from the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI). The funding is granted to implement the project entitled "Interdisciplinary curricula on indigenous and tribal peoples' studies."

Doctoral Dissertation: The Experience of Displacement and Social Engineering in Kola Saami Oral Histories

5.10.2020 9:00

M.A. Lukas Allemann examines in his thesis people’s experiences of Soviet-time, state-initiated displacement and (re)emplacement on the Kola Peninsula as well as the consequences of these developments. Sources show that Saami communities bore the brunt of these processes. The work seeks to draw – for the first time – a holistic picture of the social transformation among the Kola Saami, while nevertheless respecting the reality of mixed and multiple ethnic belongings as well as other categories of identity in the region.

Doctoral Dissertation: Authenticity as a compromise – a critical realist perspective on Sámi tourism labels

18.8.2020 9:00

M.A. Cecilia de Bernardi’s doctoral dissertation investigates the concept of authenticity in the context of Sámi tourism to propose possible ways of using authenticity as a protective and promotional tool. Either focusing on what is authentic/not authentic or on how anything can be authentic as long as the tourist experiences it that way has contributed to the exploitation of Sámi culture for tourism purposes. Labels, guidelines, or certifications, meant here as a series of bottom-up agreed-upon principles, can support ethical treatment and the promotion of Sámi culture(s) in tourism.

Doctoral Dissertation: When we got reindeer, we moved to live to the tundra - The spoken and Silenced History of the Yamal Nenets

18.4.2020 14:39

Roza Laptander´s dissertation is based on the stories of the Nenets reindeer herders from the Yamal peninsula, Western Siberia. It shows that spoken stories and interviews concerning big changes on the tundra reflect a general mechanism of making Nenets official historical narratives. Through analysing silence in the example of the Yamal Nenets people stories, Laptander studied the role of silence and silencing offering a new approach to understanding how small indigenous societies keep memories and stories about their past.

Open seminar on Indigenous Education including Book Launch

28.2.2020 13:00

Open seminar on Indigenous Education will discuss educational contexts of indigenous people in Greenland, Canada and Australia. The seminar will take place at the University of Lapland, Department of Education, in room ss22, and it is hosted by ADVOST research project and UArctic Thematic Network Teacher Education for Social Justice and Diversity.

Doctoral Dissertation: Speaking my Language and Being Beautiful – Decolonizing Indigenous Language Education in the Ryukyus with a Special Reference to Sámi Language Revitalization

18.2.2020 10:16

"I was never ‘indigenous’ until I studied at university and read about my home islands and my own languages in English.” This is how Madoka Hammine starts her doctoral thesis, in which she explores the meaning of indigeneity based on her experiences of growing up in the Ryukyus in Japan and on her experiences outside the indigenous language community. Hammine’s doctoral research on indigenous language revitalization opened a door for her to tell other people about herself, to reconnect with her heritage, to learn about the international understanding of indigeneity, and to reevaluate the possibilities of her own community.

New special issue on the Politics of Resilience

18.12.2019 10:54

University of Lapland’s critical research on resilience is featured in a new special issue in the journal Resilience: International Policies, Practices and discourses (2019, issue 3). The special issue, titled “The Politics of Resilience”, is guest edited by Clemence Humbert and Jonathan Joseph (University of Sheffield).

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New book on Sámi Educational History

19.9.2019 8:48

"Sámi Educational History in a Comparative International Perspective" establishes an overview of Sámi education in an historical and internationally comparative perspective and examines indigenous educational history around the world, ranging from Asia to Oceania to Sápmi and the Americas.

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Staging Sámi in the City exhibition in Arktikum

14.6.2019 10:14

”Staging Sámi in the City” photography exhibition presents artistic interpretations of Sámihood in urban space. The exhibition of University Researcher Tanja Joona and Junior Researcher Joonas Vola of the University of Lapland is open in Arktikum Science Centre in Rovaniemi from 14 June to 1 September 2019.

New project studies structural inequality in reindeer herding Sámi communities

30.12.2018 12:46

The new project of the University of Lapland will promote dialogue on gender-specific structural inequality, and will develop concrete recommendations to support gender equality in the reindeer herding Sámi communities. The project is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ (NCM) Gender Equality Fund (NIKK).

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Researchers: Policy-making related to the Arctic needs a new mindset

12.12.2018 10:40

‘Solutions to common human security issues must be contextual at the local level, and address the unique concerns of diverse identities within communities,’ state researchers in the final report of the HuSArctic project. The main objective of the four-year project in 2015–2018 is to address human challenges of the Arctic population and to find tools to improve human security within Barents region. The project is funded by the Academy of Finland and hosted by the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law, which is part of the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland.

Panel discussion on "Indigenous Knowledge, Governance and Law" on 12 December at 9-12

22.11.2018 10:08

Welcome to the panel discussion on “Indigenous Knowledge, Governance and Law” on Wednesday 12 December at 9–12. The panel will be held at LS2, University of Lapland main building.

Public keynote by Dr. Hadley Friedland: “The Recovery and Resurgence of Indigenous Laws”

20.11.2018 12:56

Welcome to the public keynote by Dr. Hadley Friedland (University of Alberta) titled “The Recovery and Resurgence of Indigenous Laws” on Monday 10 December at 9 – 10.30 at Polarium Auditorium, Arktikum.