SWY16 - A Native Perspective.

To be chosen as a delegate from Norway was for me a great honour. I knew right away that it would be my responsibility to “spread the word” about the Sámi people and other indigenous peoples to the others on the boat. I expected that the New Zealand delegation would consist of some Maoris as well as none-native Kiwis. I also expected that the Japanese delegation would be Ainu-free, and I was right in both cases.

Shortly about my earlier indigenous youth meeting in Japan: I was fortunate enough to get a chance to participate in an indigenous youth gathering in Hokkaido, Japan, August 2003. There the Sámi delegation met Ainu (Japan), Maori (Aotearoa/New Zealand), the Hoopa tribe (North California, USA) and Japanese volunteers. I got some sort of an understanding of the present situation of the Ainu people in Japan, and became friends with both them and the other participants.

Prior to our SWY16 departure, I asked my National Leader to contact the Kiwi delegation in order to figure out if there were any Maori participants in their delegation. As we arrived and got settled in Tokyo I found out who they were and we started talking. Having experienced these meetings between indigenous people before, I was not surprised, but clearly relieved when we seemed to have a common way of seeing the world.

Stig Arne Somby with some of the delegates from New Zealand.

I had a lot of contact not only with the Maoris but also the rest of the Kiwis throughout the trip, and for some reason we got along very well. It may have been this group in particular but my picture of Kiwis are now that most people accept the Maoris and their rights, and compared to Norwegian youth they seemed to know more about their natives.

And a funny thing: Abigail from New Zealand happened to know two of my fellow participants from the indigenous youth gathering: Zack and Sonja. They had given her a ride to the airport, and “warned” her about the ones from Norway .

Anyway, two of my best friends from SWY16 are Te Oranga Witehira and Jay Rerekura, both Maori.

And the interesting thing, well at least for me, is that on February 6, the Sámi National Day, there is a special celebration in Aotearoa: The Waitangi Day. This is a celebration of the Treaty of Waitangi, and is now a very important day for the Maori people. The treaty was signed both in Maori and English, but the Maoris were not given what the treaty promised. The English version was altered, and the British claimed for a long time not to have given those promises that were written in the Maori version.

Stig Arne Somby talking about Sápmi culture and tradition in the Dolphin Hall.

So on February 6 we celebrated both the Sámi National Day and the Waitangi Day and we finished the evening celebrating Bob Marley`s birthday. Bob Marley's music has had, and still has, a great influence on the Maori people and their fight for the rights that were taken from them. It was a great evening and for me it was highly meaningful to get to celebrate with my brothers.

From the Sápmi celebration.

I think that most of the people on the ship would know how to identify a “Yoik”, and I believe that many got to hear about the Sámis for the first time. I even believe that the other Norwegian participants benefited from my participation, in sense of understanding the Sámi people and our way of thinking.

Finally I would like to thank the Japanese government for giving me this unique opportunity, my host family in Yamanashi, the organizers, the various professors (that includes prof. John), the volunteers, the Nippon Maru crew (especially Al) and of course all the other participants that made these 8 weeks the best of my life. And a special thanks to all those who supported me with presents back home. Ollu giitu buohkaide!

Best wishes from a humble and thankful King of the 6 th floor.

Stig Arne Somby