Buorit olbmot, dear colleagues,

History is made in steps - some times they are small like a grouse step, some times they are great leaps.

Early in 2022, when it became clear that Poala-Ándde goavddis – the drum belonging to Poala-Ándde – could remain with us in Sápmi as part of RidduDuottarMuseat–Sámiid Vourká-Dávvirat, it marked a vital step forward. Poala-Ándde goavddis was confiscated during a trial in Vadsø in 1692 and sent to Copenhagen, while its owner, Poala-Ándde, died in custody. More than three centuries later, it came home.

In 2023, another milestone followed: Freavnantjahken gievrie – the Freavna drum – was returned to Sápmi from Meiningen, Germany, after 300 years abroad. I was very lucky to get to get to take part of receiving the ownership of the drum in Meiningen together with the Sámi Parliament and Saemien Sïjte. To meet this drum and get to tell it that now you are returning home to your own people. It was a beautiful and joyus day.

This seminar marks the closing of the exhibition RUOKTOT – Sámi rumbbuid Máhcaheami 2022–2026. Much has changed since its opening – and yet many essential questions remain open before us.

Most of the central ceremonial objects of our culture and history – gievvrie, goabddá, goavddis, the sacred Sámi drums – are still located outside Sápmi. Fifteen of them remain in Germany alone. This is part of our history. And it is also our history in the making. I am honoured to address today's seminar as we take up questions that go to the very heart of who we are.

Our cultural heritage carries vital knowledge of our past and our present. It is essential to the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next. Knowing our history is central to our formation, as individuals and as a society. Cultural heritage is a cornerstone of identity and belonging for all peoples. But for Indigenous peoples around the world, colonial structures have made this question particularly acute. The dispossession of cultural heritage has been part of a broader pattern of dispossession – of land, language, and self-determination.

We Sámi are no exception.

For the Sámi Parliament, it is of vital importance that Sámi cultural heritage is owned and managed by Sámi museums, on behalf of the Sámi people. This is a matter of rights. The Sámi people's ownership of our cultural heritage flows directly from the right to self-determination, as recognised in Article 3 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Article 1 of the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Ceremonial objects such as our drums must receive particular attention within this framework.

Since 2022, there has been significant development – not only on the question of how to bring our drums back to Sápmi, but equally on the question of how we receive them when they return.

Return – Restitution – Repatriation

Terminology is one of the central questions before us. The terms "return" and "restitution" are often used alongside "repatriation," and each carries different weight and implications – legally, politically, and culturally. Different languages, too, offer different meanings and nuances. And since this is an international matter, anchored in UN conventions, the language we choose matters. I believe it is important that we discuss which terms best reflect our experience and our aspirations.

Ceremonies

A second question concerns ceremonies. Should there be a specific ceremony when our drums come home – and if so, what form should it take? Does the same ceremonial practice apply across all of Sápmi, from south to north? And who holds the authority to determine what is appropriate? These are not simple questions, and they deserve careful, collective deliberation.

I don’t have the answers to this, but it is clear to me that when meeting these ceremonial objects of great power, that we need to communicate with them. And it is also clear that we Sámis ourselves manage cultural heritage, that our managment need to have an Indigenous starting point. Our managment needs to be something different than non-Indigneous managment.

Us politicians need guidance from our museums on how to move forward. This seminar brings together institutions – Árran, Ájtte, Saemien Sïjte, Sámiid Vuorká Dávvirat and the Arctic University – whose knowledge and cooperation are indispensable. These questions must be discussed in good faith, and across the borders that divide Sápmi.

The drums have waited long enough. We Sámis have waited long enough. Let us do this work well.

Thank you for your attention.