Suchergebnisse

A sieidi is an offering site of the Sámi that usually consisted of a wooden object or a stone unmodified by human hand. Because of their natural form they are hard to recognize in the landscape. Usually just one indicator might not be enough to distinguish a sieidi from just another stone. Written sources and oral tradition have preserved memories of the use of sieidi, but not all sieidi sites are still remembered. Sometimes just a place-name has survived. Bones or meat were a common form of offering at a sieidi, and there were rules re- stricting the handling of the bones. Some sources mention that offered bones were not to be broken. Nevertheless, there have been differences in these prac- tices. Also, other finds, including coins, metal objects, and glass, can be recov- ered at various sites. Phosphate analysis is one way to recognize a sieidi when no visual signs of the offerings are left. One or more indicators may survive, telling us about the use of a sieidi.

This Special Issue of Religions approaches "Sámi religion" from a long-term perspective seeing both the past religious practices and contemporary religious expressions as aspects of the same phenomena. This does not refer, however, to a focus on continuity or to a static or uniform understanding of Sámi religion. Sámi religion is an ambiguous concept that has to be understood as a pluralistic phenomenon consisting of multiple applications and associations and widely differing interpretations, and that highlights the complexities of processes of religion-making. In a historical perspective and in many contemporary contexts (such as museum displays, media stories, as well as educational programs) the term Sámi religion is mostly used as a reference to Sámi pre-Christian religious practices, to Laestadianism, a Lutheran revival movement that spread among the Sámi during the 19th Century, and last but not least to shamanism. In this issue, we particularly aim to look into contemporary contexts where Sámi religion is expressed, consumed, and promoted. We ask what role it plays in identity politics and heritagization processes, and how different actors connect with distant local religious pasts—in other words, in which contexts is Sámi religion activated, by whom, and for what?

The Sound of Silence -- Contents -- Illustrations -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. The Sounds of Colonization -- Chapter 2. Colonization, Sámi Sacred Sites, and Religious Syncretism, ca. AD 500-1800 -- Chapter 3. Seeking the Indigenous Perspective -- Chapter 4. A Clockwork Porridge -- Chapter 5. "Not on Bread but on Fish and by Hunting" -- Chapter 6. Landscapes of Resilience at the Cut Bank Boarding School, Montana -- Chapter 7. Conflicts in Memory and Heritage -- Chapter 8. Discussion: Colonialism Past andPresent -- Afterword -- Index.