#samiland

I’m a Chumash Indian (white mother, Chumash father) and I’ve become really interested in the history of the Sami people, who I first encountered when I visited Vilhelmina, Sweden in 2008. I was amazed, not just by the similarities between our cultures, but by the similarity between the Samiland territory and my own homeland of Colorado (I was born and raised there, despite my tribe’s territory being in California).

I almost felt like I’d found a new would-be ancestral past for myself among the Sami, which ironic since so many Euro-Americans feel that way about Indian tribes. I feel that as indigenous people we have a shared experience, and I’d really like to explore that more. There are a couple of good online resources on Sami history but the internet seems a bit sparce when it comes to current, real-world media by Sami people. Obviously I’m limited to English language sites, and I don’t go on any big forums like Reddit, so I figure I’d ask around here.