Table 2.
Sami ethnic identity negotiations: adolescents’ narratives of ethnic identity denial (three participants).
| Informant/gender | 2, F | 4, F | 9, M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnic parentage | Multi-ethnic | Multi-ethnic | Multi-ethnic |
| Language skills in terms of mother tongue and first language | Non-Sami mother tongue, limited Sami language skills | Non-Sami mother tongue, limited Sami language skills | Non-Sami mother tongue, limited Sami language skills |
| Place attachment | Newcomer. Lived for a period in the community in her early childhood. Moved back recently | Newcomer in the community | Lived in the community permanently (parents were newcomers) |
| Narrative | “Anne” and her family had lived in the community earlier and the reason for returning to the community was bullying at the school she attended in the city. She states that she was bullied because of her Sami background (in a Norwegian-dominant area). After she moved to the community, she tried to learn the Sami language. It is difficult for her to understand what the other students are talking about in the class, since they speak Sami. She often feels that she does not fit into the community because she does not speak the language. In her opinion, people have to be able to speak the Sami language in the community in order to fit in. Her main stressor is that she does not feel that she fits into the community and she plans to leave the community in the future | “Nina” was raised in a coastal Sami area where Sami was in the minority and many families have hidden their Sami identity. She was not aware of her Sami ancestors before she moved to the community. Nina has tried to learn to speak Sami and, in her opinion, it was a pity that her family had lost their Sami language during the assimilation period. Based on her own experience, Nina feels that non-Sami have a negative opinion about Sami. Nevertheless, she is proud of her background, but is stressed about not being recognised as Sami by her peers and other community members. She gets annoyed because people tell her that she is not Sami. She argues that she has Sami ancestors, wears a “gákti”1 and feels Sami, and she thinks that you do not need to speak Sami to be a Sami2 | “John” is stressed about not being accepted as Sami by his peers. He is struggling to learn Sami and feels it is a pity not to be able to talk Sami as he is Sami himself. He feels that, in order to live in the community in the future, knowledge of Sami culture would be essential. When talking about what things he has learned that he could use later in life, he said: “Everything, but not Sami. I don’t plan on living in a Sami community, so actually Sami doesn’t mean anything. I don’t want to be Sami. I can be Sami if I want, but I’m not going to use the language later when I finish secondary school. I’m going to go to high school where the language of instruction is Norwegian. When I finish there I’m going to try to get a house in Asia.” |
| Strategy | Resigning to non-acceptance | Negotiating her own Sami identity | Escaping from his Sami background |