ABSTRACT
The notion of an inevitable decline for small native populations and their culture has had a long currency (Oosten et al. 2006). For Western observers, the acceptance of Western culture has implied the loss of native culture. However, recent research has noted the resilience of traditional medicine.1
Traditional does not mean unchangeable, for traditions change continually and the ongoing interplay with the surrounding society is one main reason why traditional medicines survive modernization. The current practice of traditional Coastal Sami healing exemplifies this resilience, even though the picture is not clear-cut. The picture includes the important feature that Coastal Sami healers occupy a marginal position within their community. The resilience of the Coastal Sami healing tradition means that there is some resilience in the Coastal Sami world-view. This is indeed notable in the ongoing expectation of the local people that the healer (the pre-Christian Sami healer as well as the present-day Sami healer) can immobilize a person, can predict or diagnose, and possesses an inheritance that can be passed on.
