This chapter presents case studies of three Sámi musicians, focusing on their aspirations for collective rights, cultural distinctiveness, and self-determination. Contrary to early twentieth-century fears that vocal genres like joik were disappearing, music has become one of the most important elements in stories of Sámi cultural survival in the twenty-first century. The chapter examines the role that music plays in valuing nature and imagining alternatives to dominant power regimes in the context of climate change. The author argues that in the face of threats to global survival, historians could give more priority to questions about how the past speaks to us and what it teaches us about survival.
Cultural survival and revival in the twenty-first century
