The Kautokeino Rebellion

9/5/2018

In 1852, Sami reindeer herders in the Arctic region of Norway were fed up with the Norwegian liquor industry exploiting their tendency to alcoholism, local government officials seizing parts of their herds, and a corrupt state church ignoring it all. They rioted, beating the local priest and killing a merchant and government official. The two men considered ringleaders, Aslak Haetta and Mons Somby, were tried and executed. This incidence is little-known in most of Europe, but in the history of the Sami people it is one of the few tales of resistence to pressure from their southern neighbors and has gained a sort of epic status. Nils Gaups' 2008 film <i>The Kautokeino Rebellion</i> depicts this event. The main character of the film is Ellen Aslaksdatter Skum, who with her husband Mathis Hae