indigenous

Before starting “nomad school” – a segregated church-run school system for Indigenous children that existed in Sweden until the 1960s – aged seven, Lars Stenberg had only ever known the safe environment of his family.

But after three years of bullying at the institution – which the Swedish church has since admitted to being racist – he was left with emotional scars so deep they still haunt him today.

It is only now, at the age of 76, that he has been able to share his experiences with Swedish authorities as part of a long-awaited Sami truth commission. “I lost my self-esteem and everything that entails. I was unsure and, most of all, afraid. I was afraid to do wrong,” said Stenberg. “That has followed me my whole life.”

The reindeer herder, who lives in Arvidsjaur, a small town in Norrbotten county in Swedish Lapland, with his family, is one of hundreds of Indigenous people who have testified over the last year to the commission, which is in its final weeks of collecting interviews.

The Sami, recognised as one of Sweden’s official national minorities, are the only recognised Indigenous people in the EU, with roots going back between 3,000 and 10,000 years.

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