Research and Activism in Sami Politics: The Ideas and Achievements of Karl Nickul towards Securing Governance for the Sami
Titel:
Research and Activism in Sami Politics: The Ideas and Achievements of Karl Nickul towards Securing Governance for the Sami
Auteur:
Lehtola, Veli-Pekka
Verschenen in:
Acta borealia
Paginering:
Jaargang 22 (2005) nr. 2 pagina's 153-169
Jaar:
2005-08-01
Inhoud:
Pacifist, land surveyor, friend of the Sami people, scholar studying Sami culture, Karl Nickul's (1900-1980) life work proves that the work of a public servant and researcher can be merged into a strong ethical stand to influence society. Nickul, an early initiator of Finland's peace movement, was by training and profession a land surveyor, who worked for the Finnish government making maps of Lapland and Petsamo in northern Finland in the 1920s and 1930s. Becoming acquainted with the Skolt Sami, he began to study them and to take part in the official discussions about their status. With a project to preserve Skolt culture Nickul's paramount idea of Sami governance began to grow. He actively pursued this idea after World War II through his activities in Sami politics in Finland and in Sami cooperative efforts in the Nordic countries. The dominant idea was that the Sami culture was to be protected from outside pressures of settlement, and that the Sami themselves should be allowed to determine their own identity and their own needs. The paper discusses and analyses Karl Nickul's personal development and involvement in various projects and activities to secure Sami rights.
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