Abstract
The article introduces Muittalus samid birra (1910, An account of the Sami) by Johan Turi, the first book with a secular content written in the sami language by a sami person. The author, a wolf hunter and reindeer-breeder, describes a broad spectrum of his people’s daily life. Pictures of everyday activities are supplemented with stories about the sami people’s knowledge of the world (traditions, myths, legends). Turi’s book is a candid protest against the depreciation of the sami culture perpetrated by the Nordic countries (Sweden and Norway); a protest written by someone who ”has witnessed the struggle of his people, or rather, his people giving in to dominating oppressors”. The article concentrates on how Turi creates a specific ”nomadic space” in his narrative. Writing – which till now has served as the effective tool of the authorities – is used in a subversive fashion by the author. Through his narrative he creates the limitless landscape of the nomad, a space where sami people feel at home and can assert their rights.
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