56 pages • 1 hour read
Hanna PylväinenThe End of Drum-Time
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Cultural Identity and Survival
Content Warning: This section of the guide describes and discusses the novel’s treatment of cultural erasure and religious coercion. This section also contains references to abuse.
Pylväinen's The End of Drum-Time explores the themes of cultural identity and survival within the context of the Sámi people's experiences in Northern Scandinavia. Pylväinen delves into the tensions between cultural preservation and adaptation, highlighting the resilience of Indigenous identity in the face of encroaching colonialism and Christian missionaries. The novel’s exploration of these topics aligns with postcolonial themes of resistance, resilience, and the struggle for self-determination.
The novel elucidates how cultural identity is not a static set of traditions but a dynamic and resilient force that adapts and endures through adversity. Storytelling within the narrative, such as the sharing of legends and personal histories, is central to preserving cultural knowledge. This technique emphasizes the communal aspect of cultural survival, illustrating how identity is adapted through shared stories and collective memory. This process of storytelling embodies what Indigenous author Gerald Vizenor terms "survivance," a combination of survival and endurance with an active sense of resistance and presence. This concept is exemplified in the novel’s dialogue about the "Older Testament," where characters acknowledge the deep, ancient roots of their narratives: “‘Well, this story is much, much older than the Old Testament.’ ‘The Older Testament.’ ‘Yes,’ he said, seeming pleased with this, ‘the much Older Testament’” (92). This exchange underscores the resilience of the Sámi culture, which predates even the most ancient Western religious texts. The reverence for their own "Older Testament" signifies a connection to their ancestral heritage, highlighting how storytelling is a process of cultural survivance. Through storytelling such as this, the Indigenous characters in the novel not only survive but also actively adapt and assert their cultural identity, transforming their cultural practices and stories into acts of resistance and continuity.
One of the novel's central themes is the struggle to maintain cultural identity amid changing political and social landscapes, which is further complicated by the geographical and political divisions that affect the Sámi people. This is highlighted in the dialogue about national identity: “‘You’re a Finn,’ she said. ‘Well, I live in Finland,’ he said, ‘in winter. That doesn’t make me a Finn, any more than it makes the Finns Russians because their land is called Russia. No?’” (91). This conversation reveals the complexities of identity in a region where borders and national affiliations are fluid and often imposed by external forces. The characters’ refusal to be labeled simply by where they reside emphasizes the distinction between cultural identity and nationality. It reflects the Sámi struggle to retain their unique cultural identity despite being spread across multiple national borders, each with its own set of rules and influences. To maintain and adapt their identity to these changing realities, the characters must continually tell the story of who they are, maintaining their culture through iteration.
Pylväinen also addresses physical and cultural survival against the harsh realities of the natural environment and the encroachment of modernity. The Sámi people's way of life, intertwined with the reindeer herding tradition, reflects their connection to the land and their resilience. However, this way of life is threatened by various external pressures, including economic challenges and changing social norms. This struggle for survival is clearly illustrated in the novel’s climax, where Henrik is killed while Ivvár attempts to free his father. Henrik's violent death and its aftermath symbolize the devastating impact of these external pressures on individuals and their communities. As Henrik represents the economic challenges and moral compromises imposed by modernity, his demise underscores the cost of trying to navigate these forces while staying true to one’s cultural roots. Simultaneously, Ivvár’s desperate act to free his father signifies a reclamation of cultural agency and resistance against the forces threatening his way of life. This ending highlights the precariousness of cultural survival, emphasizing that the Sámi struggle to maintain their identity and traditions is fraught.
Resistance Against Religious and Cultural Assimilation
The End of Drum-Time explores the theme of resistance against religious and cultural assimilation, portraying the complexity of hybridized identities, syncretism, and the nuanced forms of resistance exhibited by the characters. Lars Levi Laestadius, a historical figure and character in the novel, is a notable example of this complexity. A Swedish Lutheran pastor and botanist of Sámi and Swedish descent, Lars Levi's dual heritage influences his interactions with the Sámi and his empathy toward their struggles. His mother, Anna Magdalena, was Sámi, which gives him a personal understanding and connection to the Sámi culture and people. This background is a significant aspect of his character, shaping his efforts to preach to the Sámi and bridge cultural divides.
Lars Levi's role as a religious leader who navigates the tensions between his Christian duties and his Sámi heritage adds depth to the novel's exploration of Cultural Identity and Survival. His sermons, which draw large crowds despite the arduous journeys required to attend, reflect a merging of Christian and Indigenous beliefs. This syncretism indicates a complex form of resistance where cultural and religious elements blend to create a new, hybridized identity that can withstand external pressures to assimilate into settler culture.
This dynamic is mirrored in the relationship between Lars Levi’s daughter, Willa, and Ivvár Rasti. Willa, coming from a religious settler family, finds herself drawn to the traditional ways of life and the people who embody those ways, particularly Ivvár. This attraction reflects her yearning for something more authentic and free from the constraints of her father's rigid religious beliefs. Conversely, Biettar Rasti, a Sámi herder and Ivvár's father, seeks solace and redemption in Christianity, representing his desire to escape personal failings and his family’s decline. This puts him at odds with Ivvár, who remains skeptical of the new faith and more connected to their traditional Sámi practices. The juxtaposition of these relationships highlights the complexities of cultural and religious identity. Willa’s struggle against her father’s religious rigidity parallels Ivvár’s struggle to accept his father’s conversion. Both characters are caught between two worlds, dealing with the external pressures of settler society and internal conflicts of their familial and cultural identities. This tension underscores the personal costs associated with navigating these conflicts.
The novel also underscores the harsh realities of religious assimilation faced by the Sámi, emphasizing the intertwined nature of church and state in exerting control over Indigenous communities. Lars Levi Laestadius, through his dual heritage and role as a religious leader, embodies this tension. His efforts to convert the Sámi reflect both his empathy for their struggles and the broader agenda of religious assimilation. The systemic imposition of Christianity is highlighted by the way the Church operates as an extension of the Crown:
[I]ts pastors not only the arm of God but the arm of the law. The two were even more intertwined in that tax-collecting happened on holy days, times of year when everyone was required to come to church or be fined for absenteeism (38).
This arrangement forces the Sámi into compliance with state and religious mandates, making participation in church activities a legal obligation rather than a spiritual choice. Such policies aim to erode Indigenous beliefs and practices, replacing them with Christian norms. The enforced convergence of religious and civil duties underlines the coercive nature of assimilation, where attending church becomes a means of survival rather than a display of genuine faith. Through this lens, Pylväinen highlights the systemic pressures on the Sámi to conform.
Ultimately, these points deepen the narrative’s exploration of how cultural and religious impositions create divisions within families and communities. The story’s conclusion, marked by violence and chaos, reflects the historical reality of the Sámi people, where efforts at cultural reconciliation often resulted in deep-seated divisions and conflict. The narrative underscores the harsh truth that colonization frequently led to enduring challenges for Indigenous communities. Through these complex portrayals, Pylväinen highlights the resilience of the Sámi people and their ongoing struggle to maintain their cultural identity amid relentless pressure to assimilate.
The Role of Nature in Indigenous Spirituality
The role of nature in Indigenous spirituality is woven into the narrative, reflecting the connection between the Sámi people and their environment. The novel's setting in the Arctic region with its harsh yet stunning landscapes is a constant reminder of the Sámi's bond with their land. The natural environment is portrayed not just as a backdrop but as an integral element of their cultural identity, providing both physical sustenance and spiritual grounding.
The Sámi's relationship with nature is encapsulated in their reliance on and reverence for the reindeer, as highlighted by the epigraph that frames the novel, “Let the reindeer decide” (xiii). This proverb underscores the Sámi understanding that nature, symbolized by the reindeer, dictates the rhythms of their lives. Their dependence on reindeer herding is not merely economic but also spiritual as the reindeer are central to their cultural practices and beliefs. The acknowledgment of being part of nature rather than attempting to dominate it is a core aspect of Sámi spirituality. The quote, "No one controls nature, he’d said bitterly, and I am part of that nature” (17), reflects the Sámi recognition of humanity's place within the natural world rather than above it. This perspective is woven throughout the characters’ interactions with their environment, highlighting respect and a relationship with the natural world.
The novel's descriptions of the Arctic landscape emphasize the Sámi connection to their environment. There are a multitude of descriptions of the environment in the novel, and the author keeps the natural world at the forefront, always accompanying the humans in the story. For instance, the narrative details how Ivvár, one of the Sámi characters, engages with nature:
With his eyes closed he could still watch the reindeer, hear where they went, how they moved, where the wind was sending them, what the birds said, and while he listened the snow became its own weight, took its own shape against his back (19).
This passage is just one example of how the natural world is always a part of the story and in a continuous relationship with the characters. Whether it is the reindeer’s movement, the whispering wind, or the shifting snow, the environment is a constant presence that shapes and is shaped by the characters. This symbiotic relationship highlights the integral role of nature in Sámi spirituality and daily life, underscoring how the landscape is not merely a backdrop but an active participant in the narrative, influencing the characters' actions, beliefs, and survival.
Nature and spirituality are inextricably linked to the survival of the Sámi people, as their connection to the land has enabled them to endure centuries of pressure and encroachment:
The Sámi, by and large, had survived the centuries of being pushed north by seeming to go along with the rotating powers outwardly while inwardly they did whatever they wanted, even while they relied on the land itself to protect them: this far north, it tended to be too inconvenient if not impossible for others to bother very much with them (39).
By outwardly conforming to the demands of dominant powers while maintaining their traditional practices internally, the Sámi utilize the harsh, remote Arctic environment as a protective barrier. Their spiritual practices, rooted in the natural world, provide both a means of cultural preservation and a strategy for physical survival. The land offers them not only sustenance but also a sanctuary from external interference, enabling them to sustain their way of life. This symbiotic relationship between nature and spirituality underscores the essential role of the environment in Sámi identity, illustrating how their survival strategies are embedded in their reverence for and reliance on the natural world.
The harsh yet life-sustaining Arctic environment serves as both a challenge and a source of spiritual strength for the Sámi. Their cultural practices are rooted in their surroundings, illustrating a sense of relationship with the natural world. Through these connections, Pylväinen highlights the integral role of nature in Sámi spirituality, where the environment is revered as a living entity that shapes and sustains their cultural identity. The natural world is not portrayed as inert and exploitable but has agency and power, shaping the lives and beliefs of the Sámi people in The End of Drum-Time.
