The Sami remains in the Biological Anthropology Collection, nearly 1100 in number, were incorporated into the collection between 1853 and 1977, the majority between 1913 to 1938. The Sami section of the collection is managed according to a specific agreement between the Sami Parliament and UiO.
Read more about the Sami section of the collection
A frequently asked question is whether the collection includes named individuals. Is it possible to carry out DNA analyses to establish kinship, some wonder? Others ask whether the Sami remains cannot just be reburied? In June 2024, public meetings are scheduled to take place in two locations in Finnmark, where several issues will be discussed.
Questions of this kind are many-faceted. Below, we have put together some background information:
The collection does not contain named individuals
The collection does not contain information about named individuals and is not suitable for use in genealogical research to establish possible kinship. There is no guarantee that DNA has been sufficiently preserved and based on methods currently available, it is very difficult to link information to present-day individuals.
When conducting DNA examinations, part of the skeletal material is used up and this limits the possibilities for research using new methods that might be developed in the future. Any decision to intervene in the material is therefore subject to thorough professional and ethical evaluation.
Any gene testing of remains in the collection must be part of a research project which must be approved by both the institute responsible for the collection and by the National Committee for Research Ethics on Human Remains before it is submitted to the Sami Parliament for a final decision.
What do we know about the individual remains?
The location and date of the finds is registered in the collection’s catalogue. In the majority of cases, the shape and characteristics of the skeletal parts are also described. The available information varies according to where the skeletal parts were found and the type of remains.
Some of the skeletons are complete, while most of the remains consist only of a smaller number of skeletal parts.
How did the Sami remains come to be in the collection?
The reasons for collecting Sami remains have varied over time. After 1945, additions to the collection have largely occurred as a result of archaeological investigations, for example during urban development projects.
The initial collection dating from the 19th and early 20th century came about as part of the racial research of these times and many remains were exhumed from Christian Sami burial grounds for this purpose.
These collections were carried out in spite of the local resistance and despair that this caused in many places. The Biological Anthropology Collection and the Sami Parliament are firmly opposed to this collection practice.
Why can’t the Sami remains just be reburied?
Any decision to rebury the remains demands complex ethical deliberations. The various Sami communities can themselves have different views on whether it is better to rebury the remains or preserve them in order to carry out research and find out more about Sami living conditions, health and settlements.
The final decision on whether to reinter Sami remains or not rests with the Sami Parliament.
Some Sami remains have been reburied. The largest reburial of remains from the collection took place in Neiden in Finnmark in 2011 and consisted of 94 individuals.
Some people ask about the potential for research. Physical examination of the skeletal parts can provide information about physique, injuries and illnesses, while different molecular analyses can throw light on environmental conditions and genetic kinship that can provide valuable information about historical human migrations, settlements, living conditions and state of health.
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