Talk

Midterm Evaluation: PhD fellow Sara Inga Utsi Bongo

Suotna savkkuha – Sinew Whispers

of forgotten pewterthread ornaments
of their shapes and relations to land, animals, plants, cosmology, mythology, maker and community, aesthetics, powerrelations
of a reapproach with reindeerhide, itself and accessible metals

This reapproach is about becoming familiar with pewterthread ornamented duodjiitems collected from the Northern Sámi area during the 19th century, to Scandinavian museums. We may call the process a rematriation of spinning the spindle, again make a thread with reindeersinew and metals. Again ornament, on hide, what once was, on the brink of tomorrow.

The research aims to unlock what the gathering and preparing of materials and the making reveal of relations; of ethics; of stories; of valuable knowledge. It explores the ability of reindeersinew, copperfilaments from damaged electronic devices and botanical printed reindeerhide as materials and perception of these as sources for thinking, to raise awareness.

Theoretical framing of the project is built upon indigenous methodology situated in a Sámi context, phrazing the terms of árbediehtu and birgejupmi, knowledge systems within duodji and the ideas of relationality from an indigenous perspective. This presentation will focus on these, and ethical questions and methods on making, documenting and archival research. It will summarize the project outcomes so far and share what the path towards the finalization of the project might reveal.

Program

12.00-12.10 Introduction by moderator
12.10-12.55 Presentation of project
12.55-13.15 Break
13.15-14.00 Discussion with opponent
14.00-14.45 Open discussion

Moderator: Main supervisor Jorge Navarrete Manilla
Opponent: Hilde Hauan
Second supervisor Gunvor Guttorm also attends

Zoom link: 

https://samas.zoom.us/j/62552272941?pwd=WWeIhaEAWTzT9aWMY4cJNA1mtBMaPA.1

Meeting ID: 625 5227 2941
Passcode: 850243