Panel discussion 'Working for our rights' was held at the Museum Europäischer Kulturen in Berlin

In the occasion of the 20^th European Cultural Days, the MEK has dedicated its this year's program to Sápmi to address topics and challenges relevant to the region. On Saturday 14.9. a panel discussion at the MEK with the title "Working for our rights" was attended by Sámi representatives from the Barents Euro-Arctic Council's Working Group of Indigenous Peoples, Sámi scholars and Sámi youth.

The event was opened by a joik performance by artists Anna Näkkäläjärvi-Länsman and Biret Haarla Pieski which brought the spirit and support of the ancestors into the room. After the opening words by the panel host and Chair of the WGIP Janne Hirvasvuopio and some of the panelists, the panel started.

Sámi activist and film maker Mihkkal Hætta talked about his experiences in the so called Fosen case. In 2021 the Norwegian Supreme Court ruled that the Storheia and Roan wind power plants on the Fosen Peninsula violated the Sámi's human rights because they undermine the Sámi reindeer herders right to practice their culture. In 2023 the Fosen conflict resulted in civil disobedience, when Hætta along with other activists occupied several ministeries and public institutions to demand actions from the Norwegian government in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling.

Political scientist Anne-Maria Magga has studied legal systems regarding land use and reindeer herding in Sápmi. In the panel she pointed out that in addition to international and national legislations, there exists an indigenous law. The Sámi siida system functions to this day in parallel with differing national legislations in Sápmi. According to Magga, this system is not recognized for example in Finnish legislation, which causes problems to reindeer herders. In the panel she called for better legal status for Sámi's own institutions in decision making.

Eeva-Kristiina Nylander, working as a scientific associate in the MEK, brought attention to the topic of repatriation and rematriation of Sámi objects. Repatriation refers to the returning of objects and remains to where they were taken from. In contrast of simple returning of ownership, rematriation signifies a deeper restoration of right relationships and actions of decolonization. Working with the collections in the museums for example, while handling the objects and negotiating their future, the objects are re-socialized as part of Sápmi again in new ways. The difficulty of repatriation, however, is that the location of many ancestral remains is not even known yet.

Bringing Sámi youth perspective into the panel, Per-Henning Mathisen, a teacher of training and Sámi Pathfinder 2023-24, stressed the importance of hearing the voice of indigenous youth and their inclusion in decision making. Many young people are interested in keeping up the tradition and, for example, learning to sew their own gáktis. At the same time, many Sámi youth are concerned about and focused on the future.

In addition to the panel discussion, part of the MEK's program involved a project space called "Áimmuin" that houses the Sámi collection. Thanking the event hosts at the MEK and everyone who has been involved in organizing this year's European Cultural Days program, Hirvasvuopio commented on the importance of repatriation and rematriation.

"For us Sámi it is obvious that objects hold meaning beyond of being simple material - they hold family histories, stories, and contain the language of the duodji-craft for those who know how to interpret it."

The evolving security landscape in the Arctic that affects all of the Barents cooperation, is also making the Sámi people face new challenges. As a people, the Sámi are accustomed to cooperation across nation borders for centuries. The cooperation with Sámi on the Russian side of the border, in which WGIP has historically facilitated collaboration, has now ceded.

"This has left a deep void that we feel profoundly as a community. We shall continue to work for a better future where we will be united once again", said Hirvasvuopio.