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Healing in the Sámi North
Randall Sexton1, Ellen Anne Buljo Stabbursvik
1Psychiatric Research Group, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, P.O. Box 6124, 9291, Tromsø, Norway. randallno@yahoo.com
Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry
|September 24, 2010
Summary
Sámi healing traditions in Norway, despite centuries of suppression and change, demonstrate continuity with ancient shamanic practices. These evolving traditions offer insights into cultural resilience and adaptation in modern society.
Area of Science:
- Ethnomedicine
- Indigenous Studies
- Cultural Anthropology
Background:
- Modern health services increasingly emphasize integrating traditional healing practices.
- Colonization and societal pressures have historically suppressed many traditional healing systems.
- Understanding contemporary traditional healing requires examining its historical context and evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the continuity and transformation of Sámi healing traditions in Norway.
- To compare contemporary Sámi healing practices with historical shamanic traditions in the region.
- To explore how Sámi healing traditions adapt to contemporary global societal changes.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative research based on 27 interviews.
- Conducted in Sámi areas of Finnmark and Nord-Troms, Norway.
- Focused on healers and their patients.
Main Results:
- Sámi healing traditions have undergone significant transformations over centuries.
- Despite changes, contemporary practices are linked to a long-standing regional tradition.
- New forms of healing are emerging within the Sámi community.
Conclusions:
- Sámi healing traditions exhibit resilience and deep historical roots.
- Contemporary practices represent an extension of historical shamanic traditions.
- The study highlights the dynamic nature of traditional healing in a globalized world.
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