Sami hatred

Reader: Helene Sylvarnes
Translator: Michelle Grabarska

The world is a fascinating place, where you can express one thing, then suddenly mean something else. Where a simple action kan risk an expression that you never intended upon. Where a single gesture can have consequences far beyond what you thought or meant. And where it seems important to interpret everything in the worst way possible, and to fight on behalf of those who cannot speak up for themselves.

Let me take you back to the beginning. It was a dark and stormy night. The truth is, the night was neither dark or stormy, for it was in the summer that the first domino fell. Sangkoret Lærken had come across a piece of furniture of the rare sort on the well-used and wonderful platform, Finn.no. As if Finn.no being the green meadow of second-hand treasures wasn’t enough, the furniture that got picked up wasn’t just used, it had been planned, created and conceieved during the second episode of the TV program “Redesign”, which aired on TV2 in 2014. From the episode description we can read: “In this week’s challenge, the experts meet host and DJ Marianne Jemtegård. She wants a glamorous and classic style for her living room. […] (They) immediately get the idea to turn a grand piano into a sofa”. The furniture got named Flyfan, and it was douple, if not triple, no, possibly quadruple green! There was so much sustainability packed into it, that it required a lot of ability to carry it.

In Sangkoret Lærken, in a moment of mercy, we understood that this was a piece of furniture was far too special for us to keep, enjoy, and make use of on our own. After a brief discussion, we concluded that the most natural place to put it would be at Studentsamfunnet i Ås. A place that proudly calls itself green, and proves it through their miljøfyrtårn certificate.

The piece of furniture was allowed to stand for a while before someone decided it took up too much space. These “someones” were, more precisely, the Board of UKA. After a few quick mails, the decision was made that the furniture had to go, and if we didn’t want to save it ourselves, it would be sent off the plank into the container with someone else’s help. For those of us who understood the sustainable and cultural value of the furniture, we concluded that we had to take action. We weren’t going to give up without a proper fight. And just as battles have been fought before, we decided that chaining ourselves to it was the most natural tactic.

Just like in Harry Potter, we spent long time wondering who the chosen one should be, but after a quick round at home, the choice fell down on the eternally steady and resilient Hermann. Hermann is Bohemen’s house-Sámi, recognizable by his Gakti, good spirits and endless work ethic. Herman was chained to Flyfan, in the name of sustainability.

The evening after the chaining, more and more dominoes began to fall. Not only had Flyfan been thrown out, Hermann was still chained to it. You can have many opinions on this, but we, as the spokesmen (and women) for Hermann, have concluded that this must be a targeted act of anti-Sámi hatred. And as if that wasn’t enough, the photos that were taken and left at Samfunnet, have disappeared without a trace. One might wonder if this is wildly coicidental. We have decided that this TOO was a targeted attack on the Sámi.

How can Samfunnet claim to be sustainable, only to throw away a sustainable piece of furniture? And has the Board of UKA ever considered apologizing to Hermann and the whole Sámi population? And do you think we’re being overly offended?

PS: we accept no criticism or comments on this text.