Stereotypes

Stereotypes are fixed, one-sided, generalised and simplified, often negative and exaggerated beliefs of the assumed qualities of a group of people or an individual as a representative of that group. In tourism exploiting Sámi culture, the main stereotypes used include imitations of the Sámi dress and the traditional Sámi dwellings. Because imitations of the Sámi dress have been used in tourism exploiting Sámi culture for a long time, the Sámi dress has come to be seen as a synonym for Sámi tourism. In other words, Sámi dress imitations have become a default prop used in tourism so that without a person appearing in the Sámi dress, the travel experience is not necessarily regarded as a Sámi experience. Also, in traditions invented for purpose of tourism, such as the ‘Lapland baptism’, outsiders present a belittling and derogatory image of Sámi people as dirty, soot-stained and simple knife-waving primitives. This representation is both offensive and inaccurate as it portrays “Sámi culture” in a manner that is completely foreign to Sámi.