Sami revolt in Guovdageaidnu
Encyclopedia
The Sami revolt in Guovdageaidnu, also known as the Kautokeino uprising, was a revolt in the town of Kautokeino
in northern Norway in 1852 by a group of Sami
who attacked representatives of the Norwegian authorities. The rebels killed the local merchant and the local government official, whipped their servants and the village priest, and burned down the merchant's house. The rebels were later seized by other Sami, who killed two of the rebels in the process. Two of the leaders, Mons Somby
and Aslak Hætta
, were later executed by the Norwegian government.
. His teaching, which had great influence on the Sami in Norway at the time, demanded a more spiritually pure lifestyle and abstaining from alcohol
. The movement turned more militant as their followers, called Læstadians
, saw the Norwegian State Church as too close to the state-run alcohol industry. They formed their own congregations separate from the state church. Their meetings were, according to contemporary sources, highly charismatic
and emotional and appealed to feelings. In a short period of time, a minority of these followers became more militant. They believed their moral authority was greater than that of the state church, and they were later accused of interrupting its services.
During this time, the Sami were economically far poorer
than the Norwegian settlers in the north, counting wealth
in reindeer
or other livestock
(rather than currency), and they were considered socially inferior to the Norwegians. The local merchant, who sold the local Sami liquor, was a target for the rebellion due to his repeated cheating and exploitation of Sami customers, many of whom were vulnerable alcoholics. Alcoholism
was widespread and had been highly destructive to the Sami and their culture during this time. The Laestadians were against the sale and use of liquor. But preaching outside of the state church - both physically and spiritually - was also illegal at the time. Thus, the Sami were at odds not only with the local priest and merchant but also Norwegian law.
and Mons Somby
(who were beheaded in Alta
) - ended up in Akershus Fortress
at Oslo. The women, including Ellen Jacobsdatter Hætta, were imprisoned in Trondheim
.
Many of the rebels died after a few years in captivity.
Among the survivors was Lars Hætta, who had been 18 years at the time of imprisonment. He was given the time and means in jail to make the first translation of the Bible
into North Sámi.
The Kautokeino rebellion was one of the few violent reactions by the Sami against the exploitation policies of the Norwegian government and was the only known confrontation between Samis and Norwegians with loss of human lives. The rebellion was not a direct response to the forced assimilation
policy of Norwegianization
that later became an official government policy, but the 1852 rebellion had an impact on the choices made by the new Norwegian state as this policy was implemented. Norway had yet to develop enough cultural self-esteem to assimilate the Sami into ethnic Norwegians, as Norwegians at the time were still struggling to find their own identity separate from Danes and Swedes.
However, Norwegianization greatly intensified after the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905. It continued until the Alta controversy
in the early 1980s and was not fully eliminated until the summer of 2001.
Kautokeino
or Guovdageaidnu , is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino...
in northern Norway in 1852 by a group of Sami
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
who attacked representatives of the Norwegian authorities. The rebels killed the local merchant and the local government official, whipped their servants and the village priest, and burned down the merchant's house. The rebels were later seized by other Sami, who killed two of the rebels in the process. Two of the leaders, Mons Somby
Mons Somby
Mons Aslaksen Somby Somby was one of the leaders of the Sami rioters that attacked several Norwegian shops during the Kautokeino rebellion of 1852. During the uprising a merchant and the town sheriff were killed and others were whipped...
and Aslak Hætta
Aslak Hætta
Aslak Jacobsen Hætta was one of the leaders of the Sami revolt in Guovdageaidnu in November 1852. During the riots, the merchant Carl Johan Ruth and the local government official Lars Johan Bucht were killed and the pastor Fredrik Waldemar Hvoslef was whipped...
, were later executed by the Norwegian government.
Background
The incident was connected to a religious revival movement that was inspired by the preacher Lars Levi LæstadiusLars Levi Læstadius
Lars Levi Læstadius was a Swedish Lutheran pastor of partly Sami ancestry. From the mid 1840s and onward he became the leader of the Laestadian movement...
. His teaching, which had great influence on the Sami in Norway at the time, demanded a more spiritually pure lifestyle and abstaining from alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
. The movement turned more militant as their followers, called Læstadians
Laestadianism
Laestadianism is a conservative Lutheran revival movement started in the middle of the 19th century. It is strongly marked by both pietistic and Moravian influences. It is the biggest revivalist movement in the Nordic countries. It has members mainly in Finland, North America, Norway, Russia and...
, saw the Norwegian State Church as too close to the state-run alcohol industry. They formed their own congregations separate from the state church. Their meetings were, according to contemporary sources, highly charismatic
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
and emotional and appealed to feelings. In a short period of time, a minority of these followers became more militant. They believed their moral authority was greater than that of the state church, and they were later accused of interrupting its services.
During this time, the Sami were economically far poorer
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
than the Norwegian settlers in the north, counting wealth
Wealth
Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions. The word wealth is derived from the old English wela, which is from an Indo-European word stem...
in reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
or other livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
(rather than currency), and they were considered socially inferior to the Norwegians. The local merchant, who sold the local Sami liquor, was a target for the rebellion due to his repeated cheating and exploitation of Sami customers, many of whom were vulnerable alcoholics. Alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
was widespread and had been highly destructive to the Sami and their culture during this time. The Laestadians were against the sale and use of liquor. But preaching outside of the state church - both physically and spiritually - was also illegal at the time. Thus, the Sami were at odds not only with the local priest and merchant but also Norwegian law.
Aftermath
All the men arrested for participating in the revolt - except the two leaders Aslak HættaAslak Hætta
Aslak Jacobsen Hætta was one of the leaders of the Sami revolt in Guovdageaidnu in November 1852. During the riots, the merchant Carl Johan Ruth and the local government official Lars Johan Bucht were killed and the pastor Fredrik Waldemar Hvoslef was whipped...
and Mons Somby
Mons Somby
Mons Aslaksen Somby Somby was one of the leaders of the Sami rioters that attacked several Norwegian shops during the Kautokeino rebellion of 1852. During the uprising a merchant and the town sheriff were killed and others were whipped...
(who were beheaded in Alta
Alta, Norway
-Birdlife:For those interested in bird watching, the river outlet, known locally as Altaosen is well worth a visit. This tidal area is used as a stopover for many wetland species.-Transportation:...
) - ended up in Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle that was built to protect Oslo, the capital of Norway. It has also been used as a prison.- Construction :...
at Oslo. The women, including Ellen Jacobsdatter Hætta, were imprisoned in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
.
Many of the rebels died after a few years in captivity.
Among the survivors was Lars Hætta, who had been 18 years at the time of imprisonment. He was given the time and means in jail to make the first translation of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
into North Sámi.
The Kautokeino rebellion was one of the few violent reactions by the Sami against the exploitation policies of the Norwegian government and was the only known confrontation between Samis and Norwegians with loss of human lives. The rebellion was not a direct response to the forced assimilation
Forced assimilation
Forced assimilation is a process of forced cultural assimilation of religious or ethnic minority groups, into an established and generally larger community...
policy of Norwegianization
Norwegianization
Norwegianization is a term used to described the official government policy carried out by the Norwegian government against the Sami and later the Kven people of northern Norway to assimilate non-Norwegian-speaking native populations into an ethnically and culturally uniform Norwegian population...
that later became an official government policy, but the 1852 rebellion had an impact on the choices made by the new Norwegian state as this policy was implemented. Norway had yet to develop enough cultural self-esteem to assimilate the Sami into ethnic Norwegians, as Norwegians at the time were still struggling to find their own identity separate from Danes and Swedes.
However, Norwegianization greatly intensified after the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905. It continued until the Alta controversy
Alta controversy
The Alta controversy refers to a political controversy in Norway in the late 1970s and early 1980s concerning the construction of a hydroelectric power plant in the Alta river in Finnmark, Northern Norway.-Key events:...
in the early 1980s and was not fully eliminated until the summer of 2001.
See also
- Aslak HættaAslak HættaAslak Jacobsen Hætta was one of the leaders of the Sami revolt in Guovdageaidnu in November 1852. During the riots, the merchant Carl Johan Ruth and the local government official Lars Johan Bucht were killed and the pastor Fredrik Waldemar Hvoslef was whipped...
- Kautokeino-opprøretKautokeino-opprøretThe Kautokeino Rebellion ) is a 2008 film based on the true story of the Kautokeino riots in Kautokeino, Norway in 1852 in response to the Norwegian exploitation of the Sami community at that time. It is directed by Nils Gaup and was released in January, 2008...
Sami movie about the 1852 riots. - Mons SombyMons SombyMons Aslaksen Somby Somby was one of the leaders of the Sami rioters that attacked several Norwegian shops during the Kautokeino rebellion of 1852. During the uprising a merchant and the town sheriff were killed and others were whipped...