Guh lejmeh sámieh/När vi var samer

When Mats' grandfather dies, the family opens for the first time the sealed and forbidden shroud box that has always been in the grandfather's home. There are reindeer stamp certificates, letters from the Lapp bailiff in Västerbotten County and photos from reindeer separations. It turns out that Mats is descended from a family of forest Sámi in the Malå area. Why has it been a secret? Why did they stop being Sámi? And why do they know so little about their history? In the show, we get to follow Mats on a captivating journey back in time, through the history of Sweden, Sápmi and his own family in an attempt to open a gap to his background. The family's ignorance shows It turned out to be the result of a deliberate policy pursued by the Swedish state well into the 20th century. At the same time as the mountain Sámi were assigned the degrading role of exotic indigenous people, the forest Sámi were to be wiped out as a cultural group to make room for settlers and forest companies.They were supposed to be forgotten. When We Were Sami is a chronicle of a family's centuries-old struggle to preserve their way of life, and an empathetic portrait of the grandfather who finally had to give up. It is also an educational depiction of the Sami history in Sweden that the school has never been able to give us. Mats Jonsson was born in 1973 and grew up in Kramfors. He has depicted his life in six critically acclaimed graphic novels. Mats Jonsson lives in Sandslån in Ådalen and aims to depict his entire life in comic form. When We Were Sami has received rave reviews and was nominated for the August Prize 2021.

Screenplay: Tora von Platen Director: Johanna Sandström Lehto Participants: Anna Åsdell, Malin Vispe, Sonja Lindblom and Andreas Anterot