56 pages 1 hour read

The End of Drum-Time

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023

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Part 3, Chapters 24-28Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 3, Chapter 24 Summary

Henrik finds himself on a sled journey with a string of sleds tied to reindeer. The ride is uncomfortable, and Henrik feels out of place and anxious. The wind is strong, making the reindeer skittish and the journey arduous. Henrik, feeling like a giant in a coffin, struggles with the cold and the constant bouncing of the sled. The sight of the first reindeer in the distance brings him relief, but the closer they get, the more reindeer there are, and the more overwhelming the scene becomes.

Upon arrival, Henrik, Simmon, and Frans approach the Sámi tents, where the Sámi people watch them warily. Henrik feels out of place and realizes he is there to collect debts in the form of reindeer. Frans asserts his authority, announcing that they are there to settle debts owed by Ivvár and Biettar, amounting to 13 reindeer. This news shocks Risten and the others, especially when Ivvár's debts are enumerated—they mostly come from purchasing brännvin (liquor).

Frans also reveals that Biettar has been taken into custody and will face trial along with others accused of disrupting the church service. Frans reads out the formal charges and insists on taking Mikkol and Nils Tomma into custody immediately. The Sámi, including Risten, Anna, and Nilsa, plead for their men to be left with them to manage the herd, but Frans is unyielding. Henrik is pressured to select and take the reindeer that are owed. As tensions rise, Henrik takes out a gun. The situation escalates when Henrik fires the gun, causing chaos among the reindeer. The herd begins to scatter, and despite the efforts of the Sámi to control them, they run wild.

Willa, who had been hiding in the lávvu, hears the gunshot and rushes out to help. She attempts to assist Anna and Nilsa in corralling the herd with a wall of cloth, but the reindeer continue to scatter. Amid the turmoil, Ivvár manages to catch and kill Borga, one of the reindeer, but the overall situation remains dire with the herd dispersed.

Part 3, Chapter 25 Summary

The reindeer scatter in multiple directions, most fleeing west toward the river and into Sweden, disrupting a farm and enraging the settlers. The siida is in chaos as Frans and Henrik forcibly take Mikkol and Nilsa to be held for trial. Despite their efforts to round up the reindeer, the wind and new snow complicate the task. A significant portion of the herd might be lost permanently. The loss of Mikkol and Nilsa, skilled in tracking and managing reindeer, is deeply felt.

Willa is tasked with setting up a makeshift corral, but by the third day, the effort seems increasingly futile. The community is exhausted, overwhelmed with the task of recovering the herd. Despite the dire situation, no one speaks openly about Mikkol and Nilsa's fate, focusing solely on the reindeer.

Sunday arrives, and no one attends church, their thoughts consumed by the herd and their missing members. Willa struggles to find comfort in her prayers and feels disconnected from the religious rituals. Ivvár is consumed by anger and the haunting memory of Borga’s death, leading him to drink brännvin and perform yoik (a traditional Sámi chant). His drunken yoiking is a mix of mourning and rage, but it does nothing to alleviate his feelings.

In a fit of determination, Ivvár decides to confront Frans and Henrik. Simmon, injured and drunk, arrives with news that Frans tried to beat the reindeer into submission to no avail. He left Frans with the sleds, giving Ivvár and the others a chance to prepare. They decide to go to town to confront Frans and Henrik, leaving Simmon behind due to his injury.

The journey to town is long and grueling, with each person driven by their own emotions—anger, fear, determination, and dread. Gárasavvon (Karesuando) is quiet as they arrive, except for Henrik, who is restless and unable to sleep. Henrik’s anxiety is heightened by a scream and the realization that something is amiss. Nora is awake and dressed, sensing trouble. Ivvár and Willa enter the store, demanding the key to free Biettar. Henrik’s nervousness turns to fear as Ivvár threatens him with a knife, demanding the key. Despite his attempts to resist and call for help, Ivvár overpowers him. The confrontation is interrupted by Nora’s scream and the arrival of more men, escalating the situation as Henrik tries in vain to secure the store door against them.

Part 3, Chapter 26 Summary

Frans, still shivering from the cold, struggles to get out of bed to answer Nora’s frantic knocking. Despite his fatigue and feeling slightly delusional, he manages to let her in. Nora, visibly upset, warns him that more Sámi are approaching, but Frans, confused, initially dismisses her concerns. As Nora continues to express her distress, Frans attempts to comfort her, albeit clumsily, and even offers to make coffee.

As they speak, the noise outside grows louder, indicating the Sámi’s imminent arrival. Frans realizes that Nils and Mikkol, whom he had imprisoned in his bedroom, are awake and aware of the commotion. Despite his attempts to reassure Nora and calm the situation, it is clear that the Sámi are coming for their men.

Risten and Anna are armed and demand that Frans release their men. Frans tries to reason with them, asserting that the prisoners are safe and will be tried soon. Risten, undeterred, threatens him with a knife, cutting his earlobe to emphasize her seriousness. Overwhelmed by pain and shock, Frans faints. As he lies unconscious, Anna and Risten search for the key to free their men. Willa arrives, feeling out of place and conflicted but determined to support her community. She confronts Nora, who is distraught and torn between her loyalty to Henrik and Willa. After a tense exchange, Nora reluctantly hands over the key to the storeroom, acknowledging the necessity of freeing the prisoners to prevent further chaos and loss. Willa takes the key to Risten while Nora, feeling isolated and overwhelmed, begins to leave.

Part 3, Chapter 27 Summary

As soon as Willa leaves the store, a new mood falls over Ivvár, Ánde, and Niko. With Henrik unconscious on the floor, Ánde and Niko begin looting the store, throwing bags of flour and sugar outside while Ivvár searches for keys or an axe. Finding an axe outside by the woodpile, Ivvár takes it upstairs to break through the door behind which his father, Biettar, is imprisoned. Despite Biettar's reluctance to leave, Ivvár is determined to free him.

While trying to break down the door, Henrik attacks Ivvár with a heavy pan, leading to a brutal struggle. Ivvár, fueled by desperation and anger, ultimately stabs Henrik multiple times until he dies. A fire starts when Henrik accidentally knocks over a candle. As the fire spreads, Ivvár continues his efforts to free his father. Biettar eventually emerges from the burning store, dragging Henrik's body outside.

Chaos ensues as the store burns with Risten and others trying to manage the situation. Ivvár, overwhelmed and in shock, walks away from the scene toward the river, intending to go back to the sieidi. He feels detached and determined to keep moving despite the chaos and destruction left behind.

Part 3, Chapter 28 Summary

Willa watches Ivvár walk away, becoming a distant figure blending into the snowy landscape. In the chaos around her, Willa feels immobilized by her bitterness. She wishes Ivvár would turn back, but he doesn’t.

Nora is near Henrik's body, rocking back and forth in silent grief. Willa covers Henrik's body with a wool blanket, then returns to the parsonage, where she finds that Anna freed Mikkol and Nils and put Frans in the bedroom. Inside, Mikkol and Biettar are praying, while Nils and Anna sit expressionless, holding hands.

Willa suggests to Nora that she could stay with Frans or Old Sussu, but Nora is distraught and declares she can’t stay with Frans. Willa feels torn, knowing she could take Nora back to Pajala but is unable to voice it.

As the fire grows, Willa and Risten move Henrik's body further from the flames. Willa notices Risten watching her, waiting for her decision. Willa realizes she can’t abandon her duty to Nora, even though she wants to go with Risten and the others. Willa realizes she is destined to remain in the village and face the consequences of the night’s events. She accepts her role as “Mad Willa,” knowing she will be interrogated, maybe imprisoned, and forever associated with the chaos. Risten, seeing Willa’s red scarf as a final sign, gets into her sled and shouts “Cus, cus,” to the reindeer. They run, doing what reindeer do.

Part 3, Chapters 24-28 Analysis

In the final chapters, the theme of Cultural Identity and Survival is illustrated through the escalating conflicts and the Sámi community's efforts to protect their way of life. Henrik's journey to the Sámi tents to collect debts in the form of reindeer symbolizes the encroaching pressures of settler colonialism on both the Sámi's traditional lifestyle and settlers. The violent confrontation that ensues, with Henrik firing a gun and causing chaos among the reindeer, underscores the struggle for survival amid these external threats. The Sámi’s desperate attempts to corral the scattered reindeer symbolize the permanent effect of this disruption on their way of life—they cannot undo this damage, reflected in the geopolitical borders between Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia that persist to this day. Resistance Against Religious and Cultural Assimilation is featured in Ivvár's actions and the community's collective defiance against Frans’s oppressive rule. The final violent confrontation in which the store burns down and Henrik is murdered highlights the stakes of this resistance to the imposition of settler authority and religious influence.

Family dynamics and interpersonal conflicts reach a climax in these chapters. The tensions between Henrik and his uncle Frans and the strain on Henrik's relationship with Nora highlight the personal costs of the broader cultural and religious conflicts. Nora's distress and isolation, coupled with Henrik's violent end, illustrate the destructive impact of external societal pressures on individual and familial relationships. Meanwhile, the Sámi community's response to the border closure and the violent confrontations in these final chapters illustrate the importance of social bonds and communal solidarity. Despite the chaos and loss, the Sámi community's efforts to recover their scattered reindeer and protect their members from settler retribution emphasize their interconnectedness and reliance on each other for survival. As they attempt to recover the scattered reindeer and protect their members from settler retribution, individual fates diverge sharply. Ivvár, emblematic of personal resistance and spiritual struggle, ultimately wanders off alone, symbolizing both his isolation and the solitary burden of his cultural and familial responsibilities. His departure reflects the toll the conflict has taken on him and the deep scars left by the struggle to maintain his cultural identity. Willa, left alone in the settler community, faces social ostracism and is condemned by her reputation as "Mad Willa." Her situation underscores the harsh realities of communal judgment and the difficulties of reintegration after stepping outside societal norms, especially for women in patriarchal societies. Her decision to stay and face the consequences rather than flee with the Sámi highlights the acceptance of her role and the enduring impact of her actions on her identity and future.

These individual narratives reveal the complexities within the broader themes of solidarity and cultural survival. While the Sámi community demonstrates resilience, the personal costs are significant. The fragmentation of the characters’ individual lives illustrates the multifaceted nature of resistance and survival. The novel thus closes on a note that acknowledges both the strength of communal bonds and the deep personal sacrifices made in the face of external threats and internal conflicts. The novel's conclusion, with its dramatic events, underscores the themes of survival, resistance, and cultural identity. However, it also ends with a sense of the ongoing struggle and the uncertain future faced by the Sámi and, by extension, other Indigenous communities around the world. The story invites reflection on the impact of colonialism; the loss, preservation, and adaptation of cultural heritage; the strength found in communal bonds and individual resilience; and the quest for meaning in an ever-changing world.

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