This paper examines how Sami identity is related and affected by the nomadic school's textbooks during the 1920's. This is followed by a comparison with the textbooks for the Swedish elementary school during the same time period to examine the differences in mediated norms in the textbooks of the two schools. Previous research shows that the school system is a way of controlling and creating desirable citizens that fit into the majority of society's norms. Previous research also shows that there is a hierarchy in the Sami community where Sami occupied with reindeer herding stand above other Sami, and this affects the extent of how a Sami chooses and dares to identify as Sami. This study examines how Sami people are portrayed and by which norms the children are met in textbooks. The results indicate that the norm for a Sami created and portrayed by white men is a nomadic reindeer herder and this norm was enforced upon Sami children through the nomadic school but also shown in the textbook for the Swedish elementary school. The opportunities for creating their own identity were greater for Swedish children than Sami children. The result is analysed on theories of postcolonial theory regarding the exercise of power through language, and norm-critical theory focusing on norms regarding ethnicity and masculinity.

The aim with this work is to investigate whether and to what extent the three first inspectors of the nomadic schools in Sweden revealed any signs of socialdarwinistic thought in their yearly reports from 1917 to 1945. For this reason I read through not only the named reports but also other official writings belonging to the inspectors as well as articles in Samefolkets Egen Tidning from that time. Darwin’s theory about the evolution of species and the human race was soon applied to explain the development of the human races and their various cultures. Furthermore it was combined with earlier notions concerning the effect of environmental influences on man’s development and a resulting cultural hierarchy. Thus leading scientists of that time placed the farming and industrial societies above gathering-hunting and nomadic societies. Societies placed on a lower level on the development scale, it was believed, would die out if they came into contact with higher societies. This was also true to the treatment of the mountain Saami population in Sweden. The nomadic school system which was introduced by law in 1913 aimed at keeping the mountain Saami segregated, not only from the Swedish population but also from the forest Saami who where regarded an even lower society. With the first two inspectors it becomes obvious that their ideology was based on socialdarwinistic thought. Vitalis Karnell even refers to racial premisis and Erik Bergström uses words that are almost directly taken from socialdarwinistic argumentation. With Axel Calleberg it is unclear whether he regarded the Saami as an inferior society. He reveals a less paternalistic attitude towards the mountain Saami than did his predecessors. The underlying ideas concerning the nomadic school system were not seen by some, or were strongly refuted by other leading Saami personalities.