Archaeology in Sápmi – the traditional core area of the Indigenous Sámi people in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula in the Russian Federation – is a contested field of study, closely intertwined with issues of identity, ethnicity, and indigeneity, as well as conflicts over land and cultural rights. In recent decades, Sámi archaeology has emerged as a multidimensional and dynamic movement, engaged with the diversity of Sámi pasts and the complex interrelations between past and present. This chapter reviews current issues in Sámi archaeology and heritage management, and explores some of the political dimensions of archaeology in Sápmi and challenges that archaeologists and other researchers are facing in this field of tension.

The term revitalization presupposes that something is in danger or threatened – as a consequence, language revitalization is often seen as a response to language endangerment and as a way of undoing past injustices. While revitalization processes take place in the present, such processes follow long timescales and are deeply embedded in local historical contexts. Language revitalization may be experienced as positive and emancipatory, but the process can also be difficult because those attempting to reclaim their language may have to face hurts of the past, which have been passed down through generations and have consequences today. An analysis of current efforts to revitalize Kven and Sámi languages in Northern Norway sheds light on such inherent tensions in revitalization processes, concluding that it is essential to recognize tensions and contradictory forces exerted on the individuals who attempt to reclaim their language and to support them on their language journey.

Extractivism has been predominant in the Arctic since whaling and sealing campaigns began in the sixteenth century, followed by mining and drilling for oil and gas. In this chapter we present some of the main features of this ‘extractivist history’ of the circumpolar region. We organize this development along a set of themes. First, we explore the extractive frame of mind in Western thought and how it has continued to shape visions of the region. Second, we explore the material and social impacts of historical extractivism. Third, we use the theoretical lens of colonialism and decolonialism to understand the social and political relations, especially with aboriginal populations. Fourth, we examine the, often fraught, recent and contemporary debates around contemporary and future extractivism and its implications for the Arctic. The historical overview serves the purpose of providing a legible pattern from what is also a range of diverse and rich variations. A key finding is that extractivism is a lasting legacy and a path dependency of the region. At the same time resource extraction has many problematic sides that the seeking of new Arctic futures will have to deal with.

This chapter provides an overview of teaching methods and second language acquisition theories, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of particular methods in revitalization contexts. Revitalizers must consider community desires and resources, as well as traditional worldviews and lifeways in choosing appropriate approaches. 8 case studies present practical applications of specific teaching methods: grammar-translation and a radically input-based approach in Potawatomi; reclaiming domains and ‘language nesting’ in Lushootseed; Accelerated Second Language Acquisition (ASLA), reclaiming domains and the master-apprentice method in Tolowa Deeni’; how Sámi language and culture can meaningfully shape education in the classroom; homeschooling activities and strategies for elementary age learners in Tolowa Dee-ni’; and how teachers with limited fluency teach language-rich lessons within their own level of proficiency in Chinuk Wawa, where immersion models are unrealistic. The capsules exemplify immersion programmes, culture place-based learning and other approaches in 8 languages: Hawai’ian, Kristang, Wym, Lemko, Chinuk Wawa, Sámi, Cherokee and Anishinaabemowin.

Marketing language revitalization involves developing ideas aimed at increasing the economic value of an endangered language. This can be achieved by promoting the role of traditional knowledge and local languages in shaping sustainable relationships with the natural environment, as traditional Indigenous models of managing natural resources are known to indirectly support biological diversity and balanced economic activities. The linguistic-cultural revitalization programs run by the Sámi people in Norway and Finland are an example. The economic potential of linguistic-cultural heritage can also be oriented toward tourism, emphasizing uniqueness and authenticity, the history, culture and natural environment of less explored places and their inhabitants. This can generate income to support revitalization activities and improve economic wellbeing; the challenge, however, is to link tourist experiences to genuine language revitalization and marketing efforts, without reducing them to symbolic or folkloric dimensions. Revitalization initiatives in Wymysiöeryś are expected to create permanent jobs and lasting forms of social and community engagement.