The Spiralling Life of Sámi Children: Whirls of Organism, Otherness, and the Relationality of Educational Philosophies
Viktor Johansson (University of Stockholm, Sweden) and Ylva Jannok Nutti (Sámi University of Applied Sciences, Norway)

This paper delves into Stanley Cavell’s interpretation of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s “form of life” as a “whirl of organism” and Tim Ingold’s application of this concept, particularly the role of the spiral, in an ethnographic narrative involving Sámi children visiting a mountain gathering place. It highlights the relationality underscored by Indigenous scholars like Jo-Ann Archibald, Margaret Kovach, Rauna Kuokkanen, Shawn Wilson, and Sámi poet Inga Ravna Eira. Emphasizing the concrete significance of the spiral and whirl in Sámi activities and Indigenous philosophies, the paper reinterprets Cavell and Wittgenstein’s concepts within this context, suggesting a philosophy of education aligned with life itself. It extends Cavell’s ideas on otherness, exploring the implications of relationships between “we,” “I,” and “you” when Land is considered a primary form of relation.

Ylva Jannok Nutti is Associate Professor of Pedagogy at Sami Teacher Education at Sámi University of Applied Sciences / Sámi allaskuvla, Kautokeino, Norway. She works on Sámi pedagogy, decolonization of Indigenous education, transformation of Sámi schooling, and Sámi traditional knowledge and Landbased Education.

Viktor Magne Johansson is Professor of Education Nord University, Norway and Associate Professor of Pedagogy at Södertörn University, Stockholm, Sweden. He works on philosophy of education, children’s philosophies and existential questions, children’s literature, and intercultural and Indigenous early childhood education.