Uno yoik è più potente della polvere da sparo. Riflessioni sul caso Alta-Kautokeino in memoria di Mattis Hætta (1959-2022)

«The man who taught Europe to yoik, Mattis Hætta, is dead». This is the concise title which opened the first page of the Norwegian national newspaper on the morning of November 10, 2022. Sápmi mourns the passing of its superstar who, through a memorable yoik, made the dramatic events behind the so-called “Alta-Kautokeino Affair” known throughout Europe. This argument is primarily intended to be a commemorative act to the voice of Mattis Hætta – who in his small way, with a simple tune and two small words, has significantly changed this world. At the same time, using Sámiid Ædnan song and Hætta’s yoik as a narrative paradigm, the text recounts the resistance of the Sámi of Norway against the construction of a gigantic hydroelectric powerplant on the Álttáeatnu. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, non-violent demonstrations by Sámi and small groups of environmental activists took place across Norway to denounce the violent hunger of their country towards resources and indigenous rights. But none of these actions gained as much resonance as the luohti which Mattis Hætta yoiked in the song Sámiid Ædnan, winner of the 1980 Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix. This yoik actually proved to be «stronger than gunpowder» – to quote the metaphor that made the refrain of the song famous. Getting to the ears of Europe through participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, the “Alta-Kautokeino Affair” and the claims of the Sámi gained a prominence never known before. In its own small way, the luohti yoiked by Mattis Hætta sparked an ever more considerable physical mobilization, accompanied by an unprecedented attention in international media, jointly prompting the Norwegian government to modify the powerplant plans and leading to the establishment of the first Sámi Parliament.