It was only through the job that Johanna Westeson realized that grandfather Hjalmar Westeson was active in Sápmi during a turbulent time for the Sami population, to say the least. Her book takes its roots in the past, with contemporary conclusions.
– When I started working with Sami issues, I realized that a lot happened during a certain period at the beginning of the 20th century. The nomadic school reform, the forced relocations, the biology of race, and the politics should be patched. During this time, my grandfather was active as a priest in northern Sápmi, says Johanna Westeson.
Hjalmar Westeson was from Skåne, but worked almost his entire professional life in Karesuando and Gällivare.
– I never met him, he died 15 years before I was born. I think he was a good-hearted person who wanted well, but extremely clueless about the context he was in. There are no signs that he doubted his role as the good shepherd, as a peacemaker and savior, she says.
“Shaked my faith in my profession”
In the book, Westeson describes how the time when the government’s decision to allow mining establishment in Gállok came. Then she worked at Amnesty with Sami issues.
– It was shocking but also disillusioned. I am a human rights lawyer and thought it meant something that human rights bodies say no. That the UN reacts and in this case it was completely unimportant to the Swedish government. It shook me in my faith in my profession, if I’m being completely honest, she says and continues:
– It wasn’t that I was ignorant of what had gone wrong, on the contrary, I have understood to a greater degree how deep these structures are. How it is possible to see a direct connection to the exploitation of natural resources today to how the colonial project was legitimized at the beginning of the 20th century.
“Strong emotional process”
How has your view of your grandfather changed during the writing process?
– There has been a lot of back and forth. I have irritated him, I have wrestled with him, I have liked him, felt tenderness for him. It has been a strong emotional process. But we also need to understand who the colonialists were, I see that my grandfather was part of this system, while that does not make him an evil person. It’s not such a black and white picture. I think it’s important to talk about that, says Johanna Westeson.