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| Image by Sami Kein |
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A GREETING
As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
(Psalm 42:1)
A READING
Wisdom is radiant and unfading,
and she is easily discerned by those who love her,
and is found by those who seek her.
She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,
for she will be found sitting at the gate.
To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding,
and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,
because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
and she graciously appears to them in their paths,
and meets them in every thought.
(Wisdom 6:12-16)
MUSIC
In her youtube notes, Elin Teilus writes: "This is the story about my grandmother nicknamed Annu Mannu when she five years old left her native village Udtja with her mother who wanted to seek another life. It is told that Annu Mannus grandfather was in tears when his beloved granddaughter was taken away from him to travel beyond the woods and mountains."
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
At night God's song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
(Psalm 42:8b)
A POEM
These flowers, bushes
the wind
these animals, the birds
the stones, the waters
the landscape
my brothers, sisters of mine
these most beautiful, kin
my dear ones, beloved
the only
this proud, beautiful grazing land
a bond
to life
- "these flowers, bushes..." by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää - Áillohaš
translated by Lars Nordström and Harald Gaski,
found on lassagammi.no, a site dedicated to the poet's work
VERSE OF THE DAY
God, the Lord, is my strength; who makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and makes me tread upon the heights.
(Habbakuk 3:19)
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In today’s reading, we hear a celebration of how wisdom comes to those who seek knowledge and understanding. Indigenous Knowledge Keepers from all over the world are helping to combat climate change realities in their own communities, in part by holding to the stories and traditions they have always known for being in relation to the land.
For the Sámi people, the land and the animals, and particularly the reindeer, also hold that wisdom. Today’s Sámi people live in the northernmost regions of Norway, Sweden and Finland, in an area known as the Sapmi region. The Sámi also live in the northwesterly part of Russia in the Kola Peninsula. While united by history, custom and tradition, the people face unique challenges and relationships within each country that they have been colonized by. Most of the issues impacting North American Indigenous communities have also confronted the Sámi people: forced relocations, forced religious schooling, eradication of language and custom, and most challenging of all, loss of land and in some places herding rights.
For the Sámi people, the reindeer are the heart and soul of daily living. They have herded the reindeer for centuries, making use of every aspect of the animal. Now the Sámi people are threatened by climate change. As a nomadic community, they are used to moving with the herds through the eight seasons of their way of life. Changing Arctic landscapes, however, means that the herds themselves are dwindling and suffering, in part due to much less snowfall.
In addition, massive windfarms have grown up in the traditional herding or herd migration territories along the coastal regions of central western Norway. A series of protests by the Sami that gained international attention eventually led to the Norwegian government forming a settlement with the Sami, that both allowed the wind farms to continue, but offering compensation and, most importantly, alternate land allocations for the Sámi to develop as reindeer herding territory. The coastal regions contain grasses that hold essential proteins and minerals for the animals.
Today’s music derives from a tradition known as the ‘yoik’, a uniquely Sámi form of folk singing. The yoik conveys stories from generation to generation. Today’s poet engages some of the rhythms of the ‘yoik’ in his poetry and invites us to hear how the ‘beautiful grazing land’ is a ‘bond to life’.
What can we do to uphold the sacred practices of Indigenous peoples who depend on the coastal regions of Norway? How does God call us to seek wisdom from the stories of others?
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CREATION AT THE EDGE PLACES
Reindeer captured in Tromsø, Norway by Even Tryggstand,
found on Instagram at @eventyr.
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LC† On the Threshold is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!