ABSTRACT
This chapter explores early 20th-century Sámi criticism toward educational policies targeting the Sámi minority in Norway, Finland, and Sweden. The leading theme is the question of the general and the specific in Sámi education: What were the most important points when calling for Sámi cultural specificity in education? What were the assumed advantages of widening the general model of elementary education to incorporate the Sámi areas? Discussing the important work of such Sámi teachers and educators as Isak Saba, Per Fokstad, Gustav Park, Karin Stenberg, and Josef Guttorm, the article produces a broad narrative of early 20th-century Sámi education, including voices from Norway, Finland, and Sweden, as well as from the Sámi and the majority populations alike. The chapter also situates the ideas of the early 20th-century Sámi educators in the context of current discussions within Sámi education. The results of the chapter point toward a persistent methodological nationalism within Nordic Sámi research as well as a lack of co-operation between the Nordic governments regarding Sámi educational issues and research.
