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The Natives Issue

Welcome To Native Land

This entire issue of VICE was made on native territory, in different, equally remote parts of the world. The first was made in Sápmi, the ancient Saami territory. The second half was made in Browning, the Blackfeet Indian reservation in northwestern...

This entire issue of Vice was made on native territory, in different, equally remote parts of the world. The first was made in Sápmi, the ancient Saami territory. The second half was made in Browning, the Blackfeet Indian reservation in northwestern Montana, USA. Throughout history these specks of civilization have had to put up with Christian missionaries, people trying to wipe out their language and culture, really dubious ethnic laws (still functioning today), shitty teachers and boarding schools, all the way up until today’s land feuds. Everyone we met, however, were super friendly, funny, and proud. Some of the coolest indigenous people we know are… Tobias Poggats, singer of Death Metal band Carneous, who, even though he finds the Saami lifestyle utterly stupid, still prefers the old religion to any other. More of his opinions here. Tomas Kärrstedt, a skate kid right out of high school, who is leaving life as he knows it by the age of 20 to go into reindeer husbandry fulltime. He tells us about what a bitch and what a joy reindeer herding can be seen here and also here. Nila Jannok, who’s got his mind set on turning the completely powerless Saami Council into a decision making authority. More on his plans for the future here. Joar Pittsa, who showed us a skin he’d painted as a part of the recently initiated Saami arts project at his junior high. He talks about that here. Bob Burns, a Blackfeet spiritual leader who has a lot to say on issues of race relations and more. He can be found here. Charlie Fisher is a very nice local Indian man who was really plastered one night when we met him. He gives the entire world a verbal shitwhipping here. Kelsy Rae Running Wolf was attacked by a grizzly bear and is 100% fine now. She talks about it here. There’s tons more in here too—like Ann from Greenland (click here) who we met in a bar in Christiania where she spends most of her time with fellow Inuit immigrants, and many others.