Presentation
Victoria Gällman Harnesk was born in Porjus in the early 1970s. She grew up in a reindeer-herding Sami family in the Laponia region, just north of the Arctic Circle. Her family still has its summer encampment in Enonjalme at the foot of the Akka massif, just beside the rest area for the Padjelantaleden hillwalking trail, close to the landing stage. This site forms a natural stopping place for hill-walkers to re-organise their rucksacks or wait for the tourist boat over to Ritsem.
Geographically, the site forms a natural meeting point for people from all over the world. Many people have questions to ask about the Sami people and Sami culture. Lots of people would settle down to have a chat around the fire in grandmother’s kåta, some became friends for life. The family sold smoked fish, glödkaka bread, baked over embers and craftwork - when they had something to offer.
Nowadays, Victoria Harnesk provides information in a more organised way than during those spontaneous meetings up in the mountains. Companies and organisations engage her. Customers include government ministers and international organisations as well as companies and small associations. She has been a guest on most Swedish TV and radio channels and has contributed to a number of programmes for the German channel, ARD – there is a link to films and German text under the “Production” tab.
Victoria Harnesk fell in love with a Swedish man and now lives in Lidingö outside Stockholm, but the strong ties to her culture and her commitment to Sami issues still remain – the rest of her family still make a living from reindeer herding.
Victoria Harnesk uses the jojk to convey the emotions within Sami life. Jojk is the Sami people’s ancient way of remembering and passing on feelings by using expressive nuances in the voice, often without the use of words. The Sami people originally lived at a great distance from western music and so the jojk has many singular features that have been retained through the ages. In addition to her memories, skills and experiences, Victoria Harnesk uses old and new objects when she tells the story of her culture undergoing change and also what that involves in terms of joy and hardships.
The child in the picture is my
grandmother’s sister, Inger Maria Partapuoli, with her mother, Maximiliana
Partapuoli (maiden name Pillto). The oldest woman is Maximiliana’s aunt,
Kristina Hotti (maiden name Piltto). The location is Vaisaluokta at the foot
of Pållnotjåkkå, situated by the shore of Lake Akkajaure. The lake is now
part of Europe’s largest water catchment basins. The kåta site is now
submerged, ever since the second adjustment of the Suorva dam, a couple of
years after the picture was taken in 1934.
The photograph was taken by a German tourist
The picture shows them cleaning
fish in Vaisaluokta on the banks of Lake Akkajaure. From left to right:
Maximiliana Partapuoli with her daughters, Inger Maria, and (my grandmother)
Ella Karin. In the background, we can see Nikkosanjarga and Ritsem. This
place is also now submerged. The year is around 1947 and the photograph was
taken by Henrik Päiviö.