“gaaltije” MY IDENTITY AS A SPEAKER OF SAAMI My understanding of myself as a speaker of North Saami does not accurately reflect the reality. You see, if you ask me, I consider myself to be a speaker of North Saami. The language forms a natural part of me that I couldn’t possibly consider giving up. This is rather peculiar in a way, as I neither speak nor write North Saami. Or, I can read texts written in Saami, and I am a fairly confident speaker – if I have to speak. But I rarely do.
As a teenager I started to question myself. Could I really claim that I’m a speaker of Saami, even though I understand everything and I don’t even notice when people switch between North Saami and Swedish around me? During my 15 years at Samefolket, the question became even more important. You see, I understand everything a speaker of North Saami says, but my answer is always in Swedish. I wasn’t the only one questioning myself; is a language really yours if you don’t speak it? Why would you answer in Swedish, really? How odd isn’t that, when you think about it?
Ever since I learnt how to speak, North Saami has played an ever-present and natural role in my life. My mother has primarily spoken North Saami with me. I grew up in the tiny village of Myrheden, in Västerbotten, where I spent my two first years in school before completing the rest of my studies in Jörn. I wasn’t offered lessons in Saami, of course, and neither my mother nor I seemed to question this. If anything this was the norm in the 1980’s. It was only much later that I realised that some children got to attend the Saami school where they were given a chance to study their languages, an opportunity denied other Saami children. This was life back then, and sure, you might question it, but the harsh reality is that you can’t get anything that isn’t on offer in your own hometown. At the same time I’ve never made an effort to study Saami on my own as I got older.
I have no straight-forward answers. It’s just been like this for a long time and I don’t envision it changing anytime soon. Maybe other people find it much more strange than I do. Of course they do. To me, it’s always been the most natural thing. Lately, however, I’ve become more aware of the strangeness of it all. In Sápmi it’s not enough that others speak Saami and I reply in Swedish. As soon as they hear me speak Swedish they code-switch as well and then we’re both being actively colonised by the Swedish language. I realise that change has to start with me. No matter the current situation with regards to my language, my Saaminess forms a vital part of my identity and it fills me with an immense sense of pride. I’ve often thought about answering in Saami and not just think about myself as a speaker of Saami to myself. Not today. But maybe tomorrow.
Through the years, I have often been asked if I can speak Saami. ”Of course” has been the obvious answer every time, even though I’ve been answering my mother in Swedish since before I started school.
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BIELIE 14
— Katarina Hällgren
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