The North American Sámi movement problematizes traditional settler colonial narratives by broadening the understanding of Indigenous identity within 21st century discourse. The reclamation of Indigeneity among North American Sámi brings up questions of how reclaiming Indigeneity in a diasporic context impacts one’s sense of belonging, identity, culture, and spirituality. To explore these questions can sometimes prove difficult as many Sámi who settled in America left behind their identities, language, culture, customs, and spiritualties in order to start anew. Many Sámi-Americans have begun the process of regaining their ancestral identity in a plethora of ways. By conducting research, piecing together family narratives, and recreating spiritual and cultural practices through contemporary perspectives, I believe Sámi-Americans can begin the process of reclaiming their Indigeneity in diaspora.
I propose that Western Goddess Spirituality provides a blueprint for Sámi-Americans who wish to reclaim and rebuild pre-colonial spiritual practices. The blending of multiple traditions – comparable to how Western Goddess Spiritual traditions operate - presents a path forward for Sámi-Americans who don’t know where or how to start. This is not without its potential difficulties, however, as the blending and co-opting of multiple traditions runs the risk of appropriation and exploitation leading to the commodification and decontextualization of sacred practices. The benefit in this method, however, is the ability to create a Sámi-American specific approach that respects both cultural continuity and acknowledges the difficulties in recreating a distinctive Sámi spirituality in North America.
This paper is both an investigation into the Sámi-American movement as a pathway towards Indigenous reclamation, and a self-reflective, autoethnographic exploration of a Sámi-American woman on her own journey of discovery. This paper reveals the challenges faced by individuals who identify with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous heritages as they navigate cultural appropriation and underscores the need for reconciling spiritual practices by honoring both ancestral and adopted identities, fostering a respectful synthesis that avoids harm and respects the autonomy of Indigenous cultures.
I propose that Western Goddess Spirituality provides a blueprint for Sámi-Americans who wish to reclaim and rebuild pre-colonial spiritual practices. The blending of multiple traditions – comparable to how Western Goddess Spiritual traditions operate - presents a path forward for Sámi-Americans who don’t know where or how to start. This is not without its potential difficulties, however, as the blending and co-opting of multiple traditions runs the risk of appropriation and exploitation leading to the commodification and decontextualization of sacred practices. The benefit in this method, however, is the ability to create a Sámi-American specific approach that respects both cultural continuity and acknowledges the difficulties in recreating a distinctive Sámi spirituality in North America.