Etik utifrån ett samiskt perspektiv i mötet med film och fotograf

Abstract

Based on older films and photographs, this article discusses archival material with a Sámi presence. The aim is to highlight thoughts and experiences of research and documentation in various forms from a Sámi perspective and to link it with thoughts about ethics. The approach to older Sámi archival material is not static but changing, and during the 21st century a more conscious approach to ethical issues concerning indigenous peoples has emerged. In all forms of work with the collection of research material, we have two dimensions of ethics to deal with; what the national legislation regulates as well as a personal and practical ethics that arise in the meeting between man and material or between people. In this article, personal stories and experiences from the knowledge holders form an empirical basis for the discussion. Their counterstories contribute alternative stories to the stories presented through the eyes and voice of the majority population in the form of film and photography. Today, the older generations are important mediators of Sámi culture and history to a younger generation. Through their personal stories, they contribute knowledge that is otherwise impossible to reach. Although it is their stories that constitute the empirical material in the article, I bring in my own reflections and thoughts. Here, my own Sámi affiliation and background have been a central part in the mutual exchange of knowledge.