Posts published in “Culture”

The arctic landscapes of Sápmi bear a surprising resemblance to my native New Mexico. The sky opens up; the vegetation retreats, as though satisfied to play a supporting role in the visual drama; in both places, the uninterrupted vista is the star. But here, I think, the similarities probably end. Sápmi is a land of fjords, lakes, rivers and marshes. New Mexico is a desert with but one big(ish) river and a small ensemble of other streamlets.

Now—I have never been to Sápmi, the Sámi homeland that stretches through the northern reaches of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia’s Kola peninsula. I made my strange comparison through the magical (and distorting) lens of cinema. Scandinavia House, the New York home of the American-Scandinavian Foundation, is screening new films from Scandinavia all spring, and Friday’s selection was 7 Sámi Stories, a project of the International Sámi Film Institute.