Give Us Our Skeletons
Encyclopedia
Give Us Our Skeletons! is a 1999 documentary film
directed by Paul-Anders Simma about Niillas Somby
, a Sami
man who retraces his family ancestry
as he searches for the head of his ancestor, Mons Somby
.
Mons Aslaksen Somby and Aslak Jakobsen Hætta were executed by decapitation
on 14 October 1854 for murder, following a rebellion against the Norwegian government in which two people were murdered. Their heads were claimed by the government for scientific research, and were held as part of a collection of 900 skull
s at the Anatomical Institute, in Oslo
.
The movie describes three parallel plots; the first is Niillas Somby's story on how he became one of the most celebrated protesters during the Alta Dam Protests
between 1979-1981 near Kautokeino
, Norway
. In the years that followed, he traveled in exile to Canada where he was given sanctuary by the Iroquois
First Nation, and later returned to Norway.
The second plot was the disturbing examination of the scientific racism
and racial classification movement that was considered an accepted fact by Scandinavian scientists from the early 19th century until the 1950s. This included the plundering of Sami graves for their skeletons and the forced sterilization of the Sami and other peoples in Scandinavia who were viewed as competing with the "noble races", as part of a larger eugenics
program.
The third and final plot was Niillas Somby's emotional struggle with bringing Mons Somby's skull home for a proper burial.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Paul-Anders Simma about Niillas Somby
Niillas Somby
Niillas Somby is a Sami political rights activist and film director. He was one of the seven hunger strikers during the Alta controversy...
, a Sami
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
man who retraces his family ancestry
Ancestor
An ancestor is a parent or the parent of an ancestor ....
as he searches for the head of his ancestor, Mons Somby
Mons Somby
Mons Aslaksen Somby Somby was one of the leaders of the Sami rioters that attacked several Norwegian shops during the Kautokeino rebellion of 1852. During the uprising a merchant and the town sheriff were killed and others were whipped...
.
Mons Aslaksen Somby and Aslak Jakobsen Hætta were executed by decapitation
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
on 14 October 1854 for murder, following a rebellion against the Norwegian government in which two people were murdered. Their heads were claimed by the government for scientific research, and were held as part of a collection of 900 skull
Human skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...
s at the Anatomical Institute, in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.
The movie describes three parallel plots; the first is Niillas Somby's story on how he became one of the most celebrated protesters during the Alta Dam Protests
Alta controversy
The Alta controversy refers to a political controversy in Norway in the late 1970s and early 1980s concerning the construction of a hydroelectric power plant in the Alta river in Finnmark, Northern Norway.-Key events:...
between 1979-1981 near Kautokeino
Kautokeino
or Guovdageaidnu , is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. In the years that followed, he traveled in exile to Canada where he was given sanctuary by the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
First Nation, and later returned to Norway.
The second plot was the disturbing examination of the scientific racism
Scientific racism
Scientific racism is the use of scientific techniques and hypotheses to sanction the belief in racial superiority or racism.This is not the same as using scientific findings and the scientific method to investigate differences among the humans and argue that there are races...
and racial classification movement that was considered an accepted fact by Scandinavian scientists from the early 19th century until the 1950s. This included the plundering of Sami graves for their skeletons and the forced sterilization of the Sami and other peoples in Scandinavia who were viewed as competing with the "noble races", as part of a larger eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
program.
The third and final plot was Niillas Somby's emotional struggle with bringing Mons Somby's skull home for a proper burial.
External links
- Tromso International Film Festival - January 15–20, 2008.
- First Run Icarus Films - Film description
- Graves Kåfjord, Alta, Norway