We Are the Cavalry: Reclaiming Our Stories and Our Future
By Johan Ailo Kalstad, Director of NRK Sápmi

We Are the Cavalry: Reclaiming Our Stories and Our Future

By Johan Ailo Kalstad, Director of NRK Sápmi

In late November, under the lights of New York City, history was made. The drama series Oro Jaska was competing for an International Emmy—the most prestigious television award in the world.

It was the first Sámi drama produced in over a decade. Just a few years ago, the idea that a story from our communities would stand shoulder to shoulder with global television giants would have been dismissed as absurd. Yet, there we were.

Days later, the scene shifted dramatically to the NRK Sápmi premises in Kárášjohka. During a staff gathering, the series’ producer, Silje Burgin-Borch, took the stage. She spoke from the heart of the community where the series was filmed—a village of 2,500 inhabitants on the Arctic tundra.

Her message went to the core of our mission as Indigenous broadcasters.

Redefining the "Cavalry"

Making Oro Jaska was by any measure an impossible task. It is a high-end drama filmed in Sámi, an endangered language spoken by fewer than 30,000 people. It tackles deep-seated taboos like sexual abuse and homophobia. The team fought for every krone of the budget and the right to tell the story in an authentically Sámi way.

On stage, Burgin-Borch referenced the industry expression: "The cavalry is coming". This usually refers to the moment a production is "discovered"—when big studios arrive with massive resources and open doors.

For many in the Indigenous world, the "cavalry" carries a darker resonance. History tells us that outside forces rarely arrive to save us; they arrive to define us. One might think an Emmy nomination implies we have finally been accepted by the mainstream establishment—that the cavalry has arrived.

However, Silje was clear: That is not how it works. Instead, she shared a realization that struck a chord in me: "We realized that we are the cavalry".

From Survival to Sovereignty

As Indigenous leaders, this shift in mindset is profound. Historically, we have been adept at articulating our challenges—the resources we lack and the decisions made about us, without us.

These are valid realities. But Oro Jaska demonstrates that we cannot wait for the mainstream to validate our existence. We possess our own cavalry. We have the talent, resilience, and stories to define success on our own terms. However, to us, success is not only measured in global accolades; reaching a few hundred speakers of a threatened language is often as important as reaching an international audience.

In recent years, Sámi media and art have taken giant leaps forward. We are breaking boundaries we once thought were impossible to overcome.

For me, independence is about more than editorial freedom; it is a mindset of taking responsibility for our own future. It is about balancing the weight of our history with creating new opportunities.

Navigating a Fragmented Landscape

We cannot speak of hope without acknowledging the brutal backdrop against which we operate. In 2023, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Norway documented the extensive, state-sponsored abuse the Sámi people have endured.

The consequences are still with us. A large portion of our people have been robbed of their language and identity. Traditional livelihoods face immense pressure from climate change and loss of land, while many coastal communities fight depopulation.

Internally, we battle a culture of silence that makes it difficult to address painful topics like mental health and abuse.

In this landscape, the role of an Indigenous broadcaster is critical. Our mandate goes beyond reporting. We must build bridges within a people torn apart by history. Simultaneously, we must bridge the gap to a majority population that, due to structural ignorance, often lacks basic knowledge about us.

We must create spaces for difficult conversations. We must dare to confront internal taboos, as Oro Jaska does, ensuring that diverse voices are heard.

Lighting the Path

The challenges are enormous. The needs always outstrip the resources. But if we wait for perfect conditions to fulfill our mandate, we will be waiting forever.

This is why reclaiming the metaphor of the cavalry is so vital. It reminds us that the rescue team is not coming from the outside. We are already here.

From time to time, we need to remember that we possess untapped potential. We have far more resources than we give ourselves credit for—cultural capital, traditional knowledge, and our own perspectives.

As leaders, our job is not only to show the way. In the dark winters of the Arctic, our job is to light the path. We must demonstrate that while we acknowledge the trauma of the past, we are not defined by it.

We are defined by what we create. We are defined by our ability to tell our stories.

We are our own cavalry.