Cultural sustainability – Sami kindergarten practices

Abstract

In Norway, approximately 1000 children attend Sami kindergartens (Statistics Norway, 2016). In this article we explore how the underlying values in Sami kindergartens can be linked to the concept of cultural sustainability by examining qualitative data material from interviews with kindergarten staff and observations in six Sami kindergartens in Norway. Cultural sustainability refers to the right to self-determination over one’s own culture, cf. Article 3 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The economic, ecological and cultural sustainability goals are intertwined: Ecological sustainability provides the grounds for economic sustainability, and together, ecological and economic sustainability make it possible to protect and develop cultural sustainability (Regjeringen.no, 2018). Our study points out how the practices in Sami kindergartens can be understood as cultural capital (Bourdieu, 2006) and as sustainability indicators. This is based on an understanding that culture is a necessary anchor for creating a sustainable society that develops an eco-cultural civilization (Soini & Birkeland, 2014). Our study also points out how Sami kindergartens’ emphasis on Sami culture through practical actions and mythical narratives provides a foundation for sustainability in practice. We conclude by outlining how kindergarten pedagogy in general can draw on this.