Ella Marie won Norway’s Stjernekamp talent show, she brought the Sami vocal tradition of joiking into thousands of homes. She has used her new-won star status to draw attention to climate issues and voice her opposition to mining operations in Reppar Fjord. According to her mother, she was born with a fist raised above her head.
This book is a young Sami woman’s identity project, in which she tells readers about her relationship with nature, joiking and Sami culture – but also about prejudices and the darker history of the Sami people, which must never be forgotten.
The combination of knowledge and experience makes "That´s why you need to know that I am Sami" a wide reaching and valuable book. Ellen Marie Hætta Isaksen´s book works as a good ABC of the Arctic Areas of Norway for outsiders. But it is also necessary as a recognizable story for the young Sami today.
MORGENBLADET
A powerful answer to a question you might not have thought to ask.
As a conveyer of a contemporary look at the Sami, she is a unique storyteller. The book has temper and engagement, facts and interpretations. This is a book like no other I have ever read before. Thank you for the book, Ella Marie!
NRK
This book has the power needed for change
Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen´s book is Sami, proud and totally necessary.
VÅRT LAND
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