When indigenous becomes ingenuine: the effects of tourism on Sami culture

Have you ever traveled further than 50 miles from your home? Well, then you are most likely a cultural tourist. Do arts and culture influence how you choose your travel destination? Then you are taking part in a tourism industry that has seen significant growth in recent years. Richard Prentice defines this new form of tourism as “constructed, proffered and consumed explicitly or implicitly as cultural appreciation, either as experiences or schematic knowledge gaining” (Prentice 2001). In this post we will explore the experiential side of cultural tourism, investigating the case of the Sami in Scandinavia, whose culture has been featured in various (open air) museums. Open air museums have a long tradition in Scandinavia, providing the visitor with a rather unique experience. The museum becomes a place of ‘attaining the real’ (Prentice 2001). But how authentic is this what is sold to us as ‘real’?  Is authenticity possible in a museum setting, or does the very act of abstraction and interpretation make authentic representation of a minority culture impossible? And what socioeconomic impact does the commodification and (mis)representation of an ethnolinguistic minority such as the Sami have not only on their identity and cultural self-esteem? We will explore these questions in the following paragraphs.

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The indigenous Sami culture is seen as an asset for developing a tourism industry as it diversified the Sami economy and generated new sources of income. The SSA (Swedish Sami Association) has promoted and supported Sami tourism, through the aims to develop and aid the Sami to profit from it. Due to the Samis’ economic boom, the communities are fronting development and globalization, meaning the traditions and modern livelihood are coexistent. For instance herding, fishing, and hunting are not the main source of income for the Samis, however, they play an important role in Sami communities. As Prentice (2001) notes, a modern aspect of tourism is the inclusion of cultural empathy; to provide the visitor with a truly authentic and spiritual experience. Experiential tourism, as Prentice calls it, is becoming a significant way of tourism; culture is to be explored and found instead of readily presented in order to offer the most authentic cultural experience to the visitor (Prentice 2001). But how to represent an indigenous minority culture, such as the one of the Sami, as truthfully as possible? Can a culture be explored and not exploited?

Sami culture has over time been commodified and marketed as a tourist destination; as a souvenir industry, for decoration, costumes and tourist products. Indigenous tourism has been seen as an opportunity for the Sami communities and their economy, however, it was also seen as a threat to their culture and traditions. As a result of the booming tourist industry, non-Sami tourist entrepreneurs have been innovative in using Sami culture in marketing and tourism business. In this setting, Sami culture is not always truthfully represented, but shaped as a product that is more aligned with tourists’ imagination and expectations, and is in danger of losing authenticity.

Museums often display Sami culture as well, for instance; the open-air Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo has received financial support from UNESCO in order to set up a site where immaterial Sami cultural heritage is displayed. There will be staff manning the site, who will give a  verbal presentation as well as demonstrate various activities such as preparing food and traditional clothing (norskfolkemuseum.no) However, this exposition does not have to be specifically manned by people from Sami heritage. With a non-Sami person representing Sami culture, the danger of misrepresentation is imminent. Cultural representation in museums does not necessarily have to be inauthentic. Museums can display cultures in a correct and appreciative manner, but in order to do so, people from the represented culture should be present and in charge of the exposition in order to prevent misinterpretation, and as a result, misrepresentation.

Nowadays, Sami tourism is considered as ‘Culture Disposed’ of tourism meaning, Sami culture has been taken advantage of by the non-Sami entrepreneurs leaving the Samis without profit. The demand and interest for the authenticity of cultural tourism with indigenous presence is slowly growing, making it likely to re-evaluate the commodification of the tourism industry. Maybe this re-evaluation and desire for authentic representation of Sami culture could spark an interest in Sami people to partake in representing their traditional ways authentically. This resurgence could reinstate and solidify a genuine Sami culture and boost their cultural self-esteem. There are many opportunities to shift the tourism industry towards a direction that supports living possibilities in the Sami provinces and promotes the Sami culture to flourish (Aikio, 2014).

Food for thought: Is it possible to provide experiential tourism without commodifying the culture in question? Can you think of a successful attempt?

Written by Jesse, Marie, Saru and Sandra

References

Aikio, E. (2014). Chapter 4.4 Tourism development in Saami communities in Finland. Septentrio Conference Series, (1). http://dx.doi.org/10.7557/5.3211

Interpretation of Sami Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2018, from https://norskfolkemuseum.no/en/unesco-supports-project-in-the-openair-museum

Prentice, Richard. “Experiential Cultural Tourism: Museums & the Marketing of the New Romanticism of Evoked Authenticity.” Museum Management and Curatorship 19, no. 1 (2001): 5-26