Description
Book SynopsisHunters in Transition provides a new outline of the early history of the Sámi, the indigenous population of northernmost Europe. Discussing crucial issues such as the formation of Sámi ethnicity, interaction with chieftain and state societies, and the transition from hunting to reindeer herding, the book departs from the common trope whereby native encounters with other cultures, state societies, and “modernity”, are depicted mainly in negative terms. Far from always victimizing “the other”, the interaction with outside societies played a crucial role in generating and maintaining a number of features considered integral to Sámi culture. At the same time the authors also emphasize internal processes and dynamics and show how these have greatly contributed to the diverse historical trajectories with which this book is concerned. Listed by Choice magazine as one of the Outstanding Academic Titles of 2014
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ... vii List of Figures ... ix 1 Introduction ... 1 2 Changing Views on the Origins of the Sami ... 9 3 Economic Specialization and Ethnic Consolidation: Northern Hunting Societies in the Iron Age and Early Middle Ages ... 39 4 Colonization, Contacts and Change, 1200–1550 ... 141 5 State Integration and Sami Rights ca. 1550–1750 ... 229 6 Missionaries and Shamans: Sami Religion and the Campaign Against it ... 313 Epilogue ... 351 Chronology ... 355 Table of Relations ... 357 Bibliography ... 361 General Index ... 383 Index of Personal Names ... 395 Index of Place Names ... 398
