Part 1: International Indigenous Salmon Peoples Gathering Week, Sept 30 - Oct 4, 2024, Sápmi

Authors: Randy Bruin (UiT) and Camilla Brattland (UiT - Project Co-PI)

The International Indigenous Salmon Peoples Gathering (IISPG) week lasted from September 30th till October 4th, and consisted of 3 events:

• 2nd International Indigenous Salmon Peoples Gathering (link to live recording of the event here: 2nd International Gathering of Indigenous Salmon Peoples - Sametinget)

• Daytrip to Deanušaldi 

• Indigenous Salmon Research Symposium

The two salmon on the programs symbolize the joining of the first Indigenous Salmon Peoples Gathering in Vancouver in 2022 to the 2nd Gathering in Sápmi. The blue salmon was made by coast Salish artist Diamond Point, and the white salmon was made for the Ellos Deatnu movement by Johan Sandberg McGuinne. The Ellos Deatnu is a grassroots movement for recognition of Sámi water and land rights in the Deatnu / Tana region. The organization contributed to the Salmon Gathering Week with their salmon logo and a lávvu erected outside Hotel Utsjoki as a space for discussions and socializing during the Research Symposium. 

The Gathering Week was the venue for the first in a series of in-person meetings between Sámi and Mi’kmaw planned as part of the Sharing our knowledge project, where the Sami Parliament of Norway and DeanuInstituhtta are members of the project regional steering committee for the Deatnu area.  

It was a week full of events all directed towards understanding and discussing the status and future needs of Indigenous Salmon Peoples. The Gathering took the participants along the banks of the Deatnu/ Tana River (“big river” in the Sámi language), which is in a state of crises as salmon fisheries have been closed over the last three years due to low Atlantic salmon returns while experiencing an invasion of pink salmon. The participants familiarized themselves with these and other issues while visiting three communities in Norway and Finland, based on the salmon fishing culture from the mouth of the river (Deanušaldi/Tana bridge) to its tributaries Kárášjohka/Karasjok and Ohcejohka/Utsjoki in Finland (johka meaning river in Sámi language).

The first part of the Gathering Week was hosted by the Sámi Parliament of Norway and the Saami Council at the Sámi Parliament building in Kárášjohka, Norway. Indigenous representatives from Indigenous Salmon Peoples regions in the Arctic, Northwest Pacific, and the Atlantic coasts presented updates and discussed the content of a Declaration from the Indigenous Salmon Peoples Gathering. A river boat tour and lávvu experience introduced participants to river Sámi culture and the Kárášjohka tributary.  

The second part, in Deanušaldi, was a public meeting open to everyone organized by the Sami Parliament of Norway, the Sharing our knowledge project and Joddu - the local branch of the Norwegian national wild salmon centre. It started with presentations of the experiences of the Sámi and the Mi’kmaq around salmon, and continued with a discussion panel consisting of local community participants and politicians around cultural survival and management responsibilities in the face of salmon decline. Participants enjoyed a river walk and cultural program across the Deatnu river bridge, and ended with a workshop on future visions for Arctic salmon peoples at the Elvekanten local café. 

The third part of the week was the Indigenous Salmon Research Symposium, where Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars and knowledge holders gathered to discuss important key topics in the region as well as in the research field in general. The two- day Indigenous Salmon Research Symposium took place in Ohcejohka/Utsjoki at the hotel Utsjoki. The atmosphere was an Indigenous-style symposium with a combination of floor seating on reindeer skins, tables and chairs. The first day focused on local Sámi and regional issues with translation between English, Sámi, Norwegian and Finnish languages provided. The last day focused on the Arctic and circumpolar region and ended with a discussion of how to build Indigenous capacity in salmon governance and carry the Salmon Declaration forward. Centred on discussion and exchange of experiences across diverse geographies and disciplines, and based on the principle of Two-Eyed Seeing, the goal was to empower participants with knowledge and perspectives to take back to civil society, communities, academic, Indigenous and public institutions after the Gathering. See program and presentations for the Symposium here. 

Lávvu dialogue where the Canadian Ambassador to Finland participated in a discussion with participants as a part of the session on Two-Eyed Seeing and Justice in Salmon Management. Photo credit: Andrea Reid

During the gathering 73 participants were present, 41 joined the Daytrip, and 58 were present at the Symposium. With some participation from experts, the participants of the events were mostly Indigenous. 24 different nations were represented (also see the iispg.com for agendas and upcoming report from the event). Read the opening speech for the Gathering Week by President of the Sami Parliament of Norway, Silje Karine Muotka, here: Åpningstale til 2nd International Gathering of Indigenous Salmon Peoples - Sámediggi. The Sharing Our Knowledge project was the main organizer and co-hosted the Research Symposium together with the Saami Council. 

Acknowledgements

The local organizers were: UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Sámediggi, Saami Council, DeanuInstituhtta, Joddu National Wild Salmon Centre, and the International Indigenous Salmon Peoples Network.