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Collecting, Connecting, Constructing : Early Modern Commodification and Globalization of Sámi Material Culture

Monié Nordin, Jonas LU orcid and Ojala, Carl-Gösta (2017) In Journal of Material Culture 23(1). p.58-82
Abstract
This article analyses the role of material culture in the enforcing of a colonial order in early modern Sápmi (Land of the Sámi, the indigenous people in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula in Russia). In addition, the article focuses on the unequal power relations created through the collecting and cultural appropriation of Sámi objects. The 17th century saw a rapid growth of interest in the Sámi and their material culture. Clothing, sledges, ceremonial drums and other objects were collected for royal and noble courts of Europe, as well as for scholars and other collectors. This Eurocentric process of constructing Sáminess was concurrent with colonial attitudes towards non-European peoples. Empirically, the article... (More)
This article analyses the role of material culture in the enforcing of a colonial order in early modern Sápmi (Land of the Sámi, the indigenous people in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula in Russia). In addition, the article focuses on the unequal power relations created through the collecting and cultural appropriation of Sámi objects. The 17th century saw a rapid growth of interest in the Sámi and their material culture. Clothing, sledges, ceremonial drums and other objects were collected for royal and noble courts of Europe, as well as for scholars and other collectors. This Eurocentric process of constructing Sáminess was concurrent with colonial attitudes towards non-European peoples. Empirically, the article explores the collecting of Sámi objects, clothes and religious/sacred material culture such as ceremonial drums and sieidis, as well as models and mannequins, and their role in the colonial rule and imperial representations of Sápmi. (Less)
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author
and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
17th century, ceremonial drums, collecting, colonialism, Sámi
in
Journal of Material Culture
volume
23
issue
1
pages
25 pages
publisher
SAGE Publications
ISSN
1359-1835
DOI
10.1177/1359183517741663
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
2f028783-ea44-4434-80ab-713a82fd18dd
date added to LUP
2026-01-20 19:23:55
date last changed
2026-01-26 11:46:07
@article{2f028783-ea44-4434-80ab-713a82fd18dd,
  abstract     = {{This article analyses the role of material culture in the enforcing of a colonial order in early modern Sápmi (Land of the Sámi, the indigenous people in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula in Russia). In addition, the article focuses on the unequal power relations created through the collecting and cultural appropriation of Sámi objects. The 17th century saw a rapid growth of interest in the Sámi and their material culture. Clothing, sledges, ceremonial drums and other objects were collected for royal and noble courts of Europe, as well as for scholars and other collectors. This Eurocentric process of constructing Sáminess was concurrent with colonial attitudes towards non-European peoples. Empirically, the article explores the collecting of Sámi objects, clothes and religious/sacred material culture such as ceremonial drums and sieidis, as well as models and mannequins, and their role in the colonial rule and imperial representations of Sápmi.}},
  author       = {{Monié Nordin, Jonas and Ojala, Carl-Gösta}},
  issn         = {{1359-1835}},
  keywords     = {{17th century; ceremonial drums; collecting; colonialism; Sámi}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{58--82}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Journal of Material Culture}},
  title        = {{Collecting, Connecting, Constructing : Early Modern Commodification and Globalization of Sámi Material Culture}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1359183517741663}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/1359183517741663}},
  volume       = {{23}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}