Indigenous Religion on Film: From Demonisation to Decolonisation in SÃ¡pmi

Cato Christensen; Torjer A. Olsen

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Chapter 11 Indigenous Religion on Film: From Demonisation to Decolonisation in SÃ¡pmi

In: Handbook of Contemporary Religion, Film, and Television

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Cato Christensen

Cato Christensen
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Torjer A. Olsen

Torjer A. Olsen
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 255â279

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004727595_015

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Abstract

The growing number of productions by Indigenous filmmakers worldwide speaks to the significance of visual media in Indigenous peoplesâ self-representation. Oftentimes positioned as a form of âvisual sovereigntyâ against the backdrop of colonial encounters, many indigenous films aim to talk back to a legacy of neglect or misrepresentation in dominant media. The role of religion in this process is ambivalent: while it frequently serves as a marker of cultural heritage in indigenous filmmaking, such portrayals may also, paradoxically, tap into romantic media myths that indigenous films often seek to oppose. Religion thus emerges as a resource that both affirms and complicates representation. Against the backdrop of indigenous filmmaking as a global phenomenon, this chapter explores the role of religion in filmic portrayals of the Indigenous SÃ¡mi in Norway, from the silent era of the early 1900s to the present, tracing a trajectory from national romantic and cultural preservationist depictions, through post-colonial critiques, to todayâs sovereign SÃ¡mi filmmaking marked by self-representation and diversity of expression.

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Handbook of Contemporary Religion, Film, and Television

Series:Â Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion, Volume: 24

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004727595

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 16 Jan 2026

Subjects
- Religious Studies
  - Religion and the Arts

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Part 1 Drama, Romance, and Comedy

Part 2 Historical and Political Portrayals

Part 3 Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction

Part 4 Documentary, Reality Television, and the Media

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Chapter 11 Indigenous Religion on Film: From Demonisation to Decolonisation in SÃ¡pmi

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Handbook of Contemporary Religion, Film, and Television

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