Exploring Sámi identity and Sámi cultural heritage through art – a study of the art project 'My Sámi Self'

The study focuses on the art project "My Sámi Self," in which 12 members of the Noerhtenaestie Västernorrland Sámi Association explored their Sámi identity and Sámi cultural heritage outside of reindeer herding through art. The project, which lasted for 1½ years from 2021 to 2022, resulted in an exhibition featuring art installations, objects, photographs, poetry, and personal stories, also highlighting Sámi history and Sámi places. Since 2022, the exhibition has been shown at Sundsvall Museum, Gaaltje in Östersund, and Lycksele Forest and Sámi Museum, and is now on display at Härjedalen Mountain Museum in Funäsdalen.

This research study examines both the creative process that the participants went through during the art project and the exhibition that resulted from the project. Indigenous methodology is used throughout the research process. The study is conducted in collaboration with Noerhtenaestie, and the participants and leaders of the art project have contributed to the design of the project and will participate in it through, among other things, interviews.

The following research questions are central to the study:

• How was Sámi identity and Sámi cultural heritage explored in the creative process?
• How has the project influenced the participants' understanding of Sámi cultural heritage and themselves as Sámi?
• How are Sámi identity and Sámi cultural heritage constructed in the exhibition?
• What opportunities and challenges are associated with projects like this?

The research questions are examined through interviews with the project leader and participants, analysis of visual material and documents collected during the course of the project, as well as an analysis of the exhibition.

Identity and cultural heritage are two central concepts in the study, where Stuart Hall's theory of cultural identity (1993) and Rodney Harrison's critical heritage theory (2013) are used as a theoretical framework. Together, the theories illuminate the relationship between identity, art, and power.