Reburial and Power Imbalance : An Archaeological Dilemma : Case studies concerning repatriation of Sámi human remains in Sweden

The purpose of this essay is to investigate two different cases of reburial of Sámi human remains in Sweden, these being the reburial of Soejvengeele “the shadow man” in Tärnaby 2002, whose grave was excavated in 1950 by ethnologist Ernst Manker. The second case consist of the reburial in Lycksele 2019 of human remains of about 25 individuals which were excavated in 1950-51 by Västerbottens museum under the guidance of Karl Cajmatz. The essay aims to recognize the differences and similarities in how the cases have been handled by the authorities, museums and organisations involved. Another aim of this paper is to navigate the discourse regarding questions of ethical research of indigenous human remains, and what role archaeology has played in the historical context of power imbalance between the Sámi indigenous society and the Swedish State