115 years ago, in 1908 to be precise, LKAB's and Kiruna's strongman Hjalmar Lundbohm is said to have brought a seite with him on a visit to a sacred Sami site.
Now Talma Sami village wants back the object used by the Talma Sami in connection with annual relocations.
Has been stored at Hjalmar Lundbohm-gården
A week or so ago, a representative from the Sami community wrote a letter to the government and LKAB requesting its return, reports the Siren news agency, something that LKAB views positively.
"Seiten has been stored at the Hjalmar Lundbohm farm, which LKAB took over in 2015 from Kiruna municipality. We then packed everything in 2016 and for several years the farm has been renovated and it was only last year that we opened it again and decided not to exhibit the seit. Instead, we started an investigation and we did not have time to complete that process before Talma Sami village contacted us, which we viewed positively," says Anders Lindberg, press officer at LKAB.
Had first meeting
At Hjalmar Lundbohm-gården, they intend to have a memory of the seit instead.
"We think that you might have a picture and a sign where you tell the story of Seiten, how it came to LKAB and what significance it has and how Sami culture was viewed at that time.
When can it be returned to it?
– It's hard to say right now, we have had a first meeting with the Sami community and if we are in dialogue with them, we will decide how and when it should be done, says Lindberg.