Listening to the Land: Joik, Sámi Identity, and the Impact of Mining in Swedish Sápmi

The Sámi, Indigenous peoples of northern Scandinavia, continue to face systematic marginalisation in Sweden, particularly in relation to land and cultural survival. Central to this is the question of what the Sámi identity is. These competing narratives, shaped within Sámi communities, by non-Sámi people and by the Swedish state, affect access to land and the preservation of traditions. This article examines how joik, a vocal Sámi cultural expression, becomes a way for individuals to assert belonging and embody their relationship with nature. Through 2.5 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Jokkmokk and Kiruna, combining participant observation, interviews, and filmmaking, I explore how joik reflects a relational worldview that shows the Sámi relationship to nature and cultural identity within the context of postcolonial Swedish society. This worldview is threatened by extractive activities, such as those of the Swedish state-owned company LKAB. Framed as sustainable development,...Show moreThe Sámi, Indigenous peoples of northern Scandinavia, continue to face systematic marginalisation in Sweden, particularly in relation to land and cultural survival. Central to this is the question of what the Sámi identity is. These competing narratives, shaped within Sámi communities, by non-Sámi people and by the Swedish state, affect access to land and the preservation of traditions. This article examines how joik, a vocal Sámi cultural expression, becomes a way for individuals to assert belonging and embody their relationship with nature. Through 2.5 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Jokkmokk and Kiruna, combining participant observation, interviews, and filmmaking, I explore how joik reflects a relational worldview that shows the Sámi relationship to nature and cultural identity within the context of postcolonial Swedish society. This worldview is threatened by extractive activities, such as those of the Swedish state-owned company LKAB. Framed as sustainable development, these projects fragment reindeer herding routes and challenge the future of Sámi lifeways. This study argues that listening to joik and to Sámi voices more broadly offers insight into Indigenous knowledge systems that challenge dominant worldviews with the example of the nature/culture divide. It calls for the inclusion of Sámi perspectives in active decision-making and identity recognition, and for listening as both method and ethical imperative.Show less

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Listening to the Land: Joik, Sámi Identity, and the Impact of Mining in Swedish Sápmi