Give Us Our Skeletons

The story of the 3000 skeletons that proved that the Scandinavians are the superior race.
Locked up in the Anatomical Institute in Oslo, two skeletons are all that is left of Mons Somby and Aslak Hetta, two Sámi (Lapp) men who were hanged for murder in 1854. The researchers at the institute use the skeletons in their experiments. The descendants and relatives of Mons Somby and Aslak Hetta want them back so that they can give them a decent burial. The question is: are they simple criminals or national heroes?
In this documentary, the main character is the Niillas Somby, a descendant of Mons Somby, who leads the battle to have the skeletons returned. The relatives feel that, after more than 140 years, it is time the Sámi heroes were allowed to rest in peace in Sámi country. However, the Anatomical Institute is not likely to release what they consider their property - after all, the men were executed at the cost of the state and therefore belong to the state.
The film touches a controversial question in the history of the Nordic countries. Scandinavian scientist were playing a leading role in the development of the "science" that led to the holocaust during WW2. The main part of the film tells the story of a small people- the Lapps- who still today are battling against the legacy of this racist ideology

 

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