Writing Sami school history - some results and experiences Lecture UiT, 02.04.2014

The aim of the project Sami school history

To document the Government's school politics towards the Sami, the Sami's experiences in school and the work to establish a Sami school.

– On the local-, national- and all-Sami - level

– Through all times

– The politically established curriculum, the carried out curriculum, the experienced curriculum

"Research should be for the benefit of the people being researched" – Make the basis to improve the education for Sami pupils and the information about the Sami

Part of school research and development for indigenous populations and minorities

Who are behind this?The publishing house

Davvi GirjiThe editors (4)WritersNarrators TranslatorsProofreaders PhotographersOther helpersAlltogether several houndreds

of people

Sources of Sami school history Books, periodicals and

newspapers Public and private

archives Narrations of former

pupils, teachers and parents

Photo Film and sound

recordings

Sami school history 2 (2007) The reindeer husbandry

school and Sami secondary schools

Stories from primary school in Tana, Sør-Varanger, Karasjok, Nordkapp, Loppa, Nordreisa, Kåfjord and Tysfjord

From Sami education council, director of schools and the ministry

Sami school history 3 (2009) Kindergartens: Nesseby,

Tana, Karasjok, Tromsø, Skånland, Tysfjord, Snåsa and Oslo

Primary school: Máze, Lebesby, Kvalsund, Hasvik, Lavangen

About the language situation

Sami school history 4 (2010)

Documents pro and contra norwegianization, 1750-1935

Primary school: Tana, Nesseby, Hammerfest, Måsøy, Beiarn, Gildeskål, Engerdal

Special needs education (Blind, deaf, disabled and "difficult" pupils)

Sami school history 5 (2011)

Curriculums and struggles about curriculums

Secondary schools: Karasjok, Kautokeino, Kirkenes, Nordreisa, Hamarøy

Primary school: Gamvik, Porsanger, Kautokeino, Skånland, Narvik, Ballangen, Grane, Hattfjelldal and Snåsa

War and reconstruction

Sami school history 6 (2013)

College, university

Primary school (for instance Alta, Tromsø, Lule Sami, Oslo)

Language centres

Folk high school

Distance education

Teachers' organizations

http://skuvla.infoProject presentation in 7

languages (Sá, No, Se, Fi, En, Ru, Pl)

All the text and photos from the books

240 additional articles 36 newspaper articles in 3

languagesLitterature listList of teaching materials Lectures++

The first education in Sami The first schools for Sami were

established in Sweden in the 17th century

From 1716 mission – Thomas v. Westen – missionaries and teachers taught in Sami language

From then on there have been struggles concerning the language of teaching. In some periods the school was supposed to be in Sami and text books in Sami language were made

1826 – the first teacher's college – Sami language as a subject

The politics of norwegianization wins

In 1851 the Storting decided to gradually change the language of teaching from Sami to Norwegian.

“Finnefondet” (Lapp foundation)

“Transitional areas” Language instructions The teacher's college quit

offering education in Sami language

1902: Separate director of schools in Finnmark.

The boarding school eraAround 1900 the government

decided to build boarding schools around Finnmark

The first governmental boarding schools in Sør-Varanger and Guovdageaidnu

21 governmental boarding schools and 28 municipal boarding schools in Finnmark 1940

In Norwegian language and a Norwegian cultural environment

Resistance Most people in the Norwegian

society supported the politics of norwegianizing, but there were a few exceptions

Among the protesters were: A few priests, Norwegian

teachers, the Sami mission A few Norwegian politicians Sami teachers (Anders Larsen,

Isak Saba, Henrik Kvandahl) Sami parents Sami newspapers and

organizations

Times change 1948: The coordination

committee of the school system: The politics towards the Sami has been wrong

1951: Bilingual ABC (still only an auxillary language)

1959 education act: A principal change: Sami can be used as language of teaching

1967: Sami langauge initial training

1972: Sami as 2. language 1985: Sami as the language of

teaching throughout primary school

Sami school? 1976: Sami education council 1987, 1997, 2006: Sami

curriculums 1989: Sami university college 2000: Sami education

governed by the Sami parliament

More than 2000 pupils studied in Sami in Norway, the number is now decreasing

The missioning epoch The main purpose of the teaching:

SalvationThe most important subject in the

school: ChristianitySeparate schooling for Sami

people 1715-1808Teaching in Sami to a certain

extentMany Sami learned to read and

write in the Sami language Struggle between the mission and

the church leadership

The norwegianizing epochMain purpose of the teaching:

Linguistic and cultural assimilation

The most important subject in school: Norwegian

Sami language prohibited or auxillary language in special circumstances

Boarding school: Norwegian language environment, interrupted contact to Sami

culture

Resistance: Parents, teachers, people of the church

Ideological influence: Sami people lost the faith in their own

lanuage and culture

The acceptance epochMain purpose of the teaching:

Knowledge to everybody

Sami language a pedagoical tool

Gradually: Sami language and culture as intristic value

Sami language for the ones with Sami as mother tongue

Sami as second language for Norwegians in areas with Sami language

Resistance: Many wished to continue the norwegianizing

The revitalization epoch

Purpose: To reverse the norwegianizing

Sami second language for Sami pupils in areas of Norwegian

language

The pupils should be functionally bilingual and users of Sami language

Language centres, language nests etc.

Reality or dream?

Results of the norwegianizing Sami speakers more than 40-

50 years old are not able to write in their mother tongue

Almost all Sami parents in South- and Lule Sami areas, in Troms and coastal-Finnmark spoke Norwegian to their children

Now about 75% of the Sami are not able to speak Sami

About 50% of those who speak Sami speak another language better

Many do not want to be Sami anymore

Shortages – Within the scope of the book project:

Articles, memories and documents from school life in the Norwegian part of Sápmi

Insufficient are still some:

Districts Kinds of schools Course of studies and

subjects Perspectives (who

narrates) Epochs Special themes

Shortages – Outside the scope of the book project

Similar documentation from other countries

History of teaching aids ResearchChronological history Archives, libraries and

museumsOther mediaThe big world

Common-Sami Sweden Umeå university The Swedish church Editors: Some memories

from school Finland Editors: Gathered ca. 15

research articles + a few memories from school

Russia Sami teachers Murmansk hum. university

History of teaching aids

Teaching aids in connection to the aims of the school and the curriculums.

A. Teaching aids for Sami pupils– Sami (first-, second- or foreign

language)– in Sami or bilingual

(all subjects)– following the Sami curriculum

(independent of language)– official language for Sami pupilsB. Content about the Sami people

on the national level. (UiT)

Research2005 Davvi Girji invited

research institutions 2009 Sámi University

College: report on possible research.

2011 Announcement of preliminary project for doctorate

2012 Umeå university and UiT are planning research projects

A general research program does not exist.

There's a lack of cooperation

Other media

– Book for children and youth. – Webpages in other

languages. – Articles in newspapers and

periodicals– Fiction based on the school

history– Film. – Lectures in schools and

other forums. – ???

Chronological history

– The basis must be documentation and research. Need to see structure and general lines before one can begin writing.

– Should be common-Sami school history, which can compare the situation in 4 countries.

Long-term perspectives.

The big world – 1Sami school history a part of the

school history of indegenous peoples and minorities.

Contact: – 1950-/60's teachers from Sápmi

visiting American indigenous people and Frisland

– After 2000: Sami school- and language people visited Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Euskadi.

– Poland and Lithuania.– WINHEC – Minority students and school

people visited Sami schools– UiT: Indigenous Studies

The big world – 2What can be done:– Litterature list on minority

education– Internationalize our

webpage– Conference on indigenous

peoples Nesw York.– 2016 Donostia, Euskadi

European cultural capital – gather European minorities.

– ???

How to continue the work? Who will contribute? Institutions Researchers, students Writers Translators How to organize? National level Common-Sami level A separate institution or

part of other institution(s)? Who will pay?