Representasjoner av kulturell forskjell

Sammendrag

The article analyzes representations of Sámi culture in exhibitions and museums, as they have developed through history. Changing narratives and politics concerning the Sami can be identified, from the "Völkerschau" with live Sami and reindeer at zoos and World Fairs, to the development of ethnographic collections and museums, and ending in present postcolonial reflections on the political consequences of the representing the "Other". The colonial history of this field requires an ongoing reflection on how these exhibited narratives of the Sámi have been presented and told in specific contexts, and how they relate to other more generalized meta-narratives about indigenous people. The discussion tries to identify these narratives as they are told with the help of cultural objects in glass showcases, wax models in natural habitats, artificial dioramas in museums, and elaborated commentaries and texts. Exhibitors and museum professionals have not merely been descriptive in their work, but also interpretative. Current museum exhibitions about the Sámi must be understood in the light of the authority of earlier narratives, ethnographies, and politics of representation.