Jim Evans introduced our speakers.
Jonathan Crossen, PhD, MA, BA, hailing from Norway. Jonathan is a senior lecturer and Academic Coordinator (GENI Joint Master’s Program), Centre for Sami Studies, UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Jonathan is a Canadian who has settled in Norway.
Emmy Stavostrand Neuls is at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at University of Saskatchewan. Emmy Neuls’ role is the Manager, Graduate Programs (Distance Delivery), GENI and Online MPA at USask. She came to Canada as an international student and stayed.
Sami, are the indigenous peoples of Scandinavia. The Sami land runs over four countries: Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia. The Sami do not carry status cards or anything like it to identify themselves; its difficult to survey accurate numbers. There is a Sami population estimated at 80-100K, about 30-60K are in Norway.
The history of government and Sami relations is somewhat similar to Canada’s. There was notoriously bad treatment of the indigenous Scandinavian people. Norwegianization policy forbid and discouraged any education in Sami culture. An official apology came for this in 1987. Currently there is a truth commission, similar to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
They are considered as reindeer herders though only about 10% of the Sami have direct connection to reindeer now. As a fall out from historical government policies, there are only 8 municipalities in Norway where the native Sami language is the official language. However the future looks brighter with more children in Sami kindergarten now than in upper grades, so the numbers are increasing. This is a good sign for the future of the preservation of the culture and language.
There are less and less people doing traditional reindeer herding. They have modernized along with the rest of the world. They use snowmobiles and drones. Drones to prevent avalanches that can kill or hurt the reindeer. They are used to keep animals out of most scary areas. Slaughtering is being done in bigger and bigger plants. The Sami increase the purchasing of the meat at the local grocery stores. An export market exists but is not a large one.
Are Sami same as Laplanders – yes. Do they have free movement across country borders? Varies a little. Russian border not always porous.
In terms of politics, Norway has its own Sami parliament. In 2005 Norway government transferred all crown land in Finmark from the national government to the residents of Finmark. It is managed jointly by municipalities and Sami parliament.
In order to vote for Sami parliament, anyone who considers themselves Sami, who has parents or grandparents Sami, has Sami as native language. 17000 on the electoral role.
Decisions are made in the south, sometimes without appropriate knowledge, impacting the north. Both regions are heavily reliant on natural resources, creating tensions. Even outside the Canadian Arctic, there are economies that are highly impacted by industry, e.g., LNG. They see the same issues in Norway.
The joint masters program, with possibly the longest name in the world, Governance and Entrepreneurship in Northern and Indigenous Areas (GENI). The students get joint degrees from both universities, USask & UiT. It is a multi-disciplinarian program.
The GENI program aims to build the necessary human capacity for relationships between:
- Academia
- Industry
- Governments
- Indigenous peoples
- And norther communities
In order to:
- Create thriving local economies
- Ensure respect indigenous rights
- And protect sensitive northern environments.
Why are the two universities, in northern Norway and northern Saskatchewan, cooperating? The two regions face similar challenges:
- Transportation (more extreme in Canada) and communication
- Cold temperatures
- Local & indigenous governance
- Industry vs indigenous rights
- Industry vs the environment
- Hunting and fishing rights
- Tourism
- Indigenous culture
- Brain drain
- Climate change issues, including Arctic ocean shipping
- Arctic specific environmental issues
- Polar night/midnight sun
The aim of the program is to facilitate overcoming challenges in a variety of ways.The program provides full or part-time study opportunities, on-line or in-person, in a mixed academic and practical curriculum. It is geared mostly to mid-career students, however, new undergrads are welcome. The program is flexible enough to allow students to work from home, and to attract students from around the globe, thereby pooling a variety of experiences, knowledge, and perspectives for all to benefit from.
The program includes international field schools, 2 required, 1 to northern Canada, 1 to northern Norway. COVID has put some dampers on the students getting together. Currently doing virtual field schools. This is an opportunity for students to build appreciation for northern peoples and issues. The north is large. They visit communities that you wouldn’t have an opportunity to visit if not in the program.
The program launched in 2015 and has had 11 grads so far. Majority are working professionals working in the north. All are passionate about making a difference in the north. The average age mid to late 30s.
Meet their students:
- Catherine Morarity, graduated in 2017. Currently working as the assistant negotiator at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Norther Affairs Canada.
- Chris Moser, graduated in 2020. Currently working as director, project execution for Simpcw Resource Group (Simpcw First Nations’ members).
- Dawawray Landrie-Parker, graduated in 2018. Currently working as a lecturer at the Yukon University and PhD candidate.
- Fredrik Juuso, graduated 2021. Currently working as a reindeer herding manager, for the regional government of Northern Sweden.
There is a great diversity amongst the students with a broad scope of research topics. Students are matched with some kind of community host. They work together to apply the academic research skills to benefit that host. Some examples of ongoing projects:
- First Nation Census Spurring Economic Investment and Development, by Justin Paterson (Director of Economic and Investment Sector at the Ktunaxa Nation Council)
- Indigenous Procurements Strategies, by John Desjarlais (GM, Great Plains Contracting)
- Scoping of Sami Reindeer Products, by Oddbjorg Sara (Reindeer herder and school teacher)
- Guidelines for a First Nation Educational Framework for the Yukon, by Lauren Wallingham (First Nation Education Advisor, Government of Yukon)
- Apinoche Tahkosin (The Child Has Arrived): A Community Engagement Story, by Valerie McLeod (Program Coordinator, Indigenous Practical Nursing Program for Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies).
GENI is an amazing program – connects students with employments related to their studies. They are always recruiting potential students. If you know of anyone suitable, please get in touch.
More info:
- Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, GENI program website, CLICK HERE
- Sami People, CLICK HERE
- Three Days with the Sami Reindeer People video, CLICK HERE
continues to reverberate through our personal and professional relationships.
@rotaryactsofkindness2021
