This two-part episode is dedicated to the Alta Conflict, where Sámi activists led a series of protests in the 1970s and 1980s against the construction of a hydroelectric power plant on the Alta River in Northern Norway. The Sámi activists declared a hunger strike on the 8th of October, 1979, in front of the Norwegian Parliament in Oslo. The Alta Conflict is reported to be the largest Sámi protest, which was followed by fundamental changes in the relationship between the Sámi people and the Norwegian State.
Sámi anthropologist and activist, Jorunn Eikjok, a key figure in the Alta movement who took part in the hunger strike for Sámi rights, joins us today.
In Part One, Jorunn shares what life life was like for her before the Alta Conflict and her motivations for becoming an activist.