ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some issues relating to the contested colonial history and heritage in Sapmi, focusing mainly on what is today the Swedish part of Sapmi. It explores some contested issues relating to Sapmi history, indigeneity and local communities in the fields of archaeology and heritage management. The chapter points to some of the challenges, but also opportunities, that archaeologists and local communities are facing in this situation. Archaeology in northern Sweden has also, in many ways, been much more controversial than mainstream archaeology in the southern parts of the country because of the connections with issues of Sapmi history. In general, the colonial history of northern Sweden is little recognized, and knowledge about this history is very limited among the public in Sweden. In recent years, there has been a renewed boom in mining activities in the Sapmi areas in northern Sweden, with many new explorations for mineral resources and plans for new mines.
