| Summary: | We live in a world with an ageing population. Too often we are taught to believe that ageing is something negative. Indeed, in economic and demographic research, it has been argued that a “silver tsunami is coming”, implying that older people are a burden on society. Within Indigenous worldviews, however, ageing is conceptualized not as ‘degradation’, but rather as an important part of the circle of life. Aging is more than a loss of physical and cognitive functions. It is also an enrichment. Accordingly, in Indigenous communities, Elders are often viewed as important conveyors of knowledge, wisdom of life, language and culture to the younger generations, e.g. related to farming, fishing, trapping, traditional handicrafts or animal herding. In the research project that this book stems from, we have learnt about what ageing may entail by engaging with Elders living in Indigenous communities in Norway and Taiwan. A total of 42 Elders, 24 women and 18 men, were interviewed in 2019 and 2020. The participants were between 65 and 92 years of age at the time of our encounter, and lived in inland plains, rural towns and coastal villages in Finnmark, mountain areas of Mid-Norway, as well as in the river valleys of Taranan, north Tayal territory in Taiwan. In this book, one or two photo stories by each of our participants are presented. The stories from the North Sámi territory are provided in North Sámi, Norwegian and English; the stories from the South Sámi territory are provided in South Sámi, Norwegian and English, and the stories from the north Tayal territory are provided in Tayal, Mandarin Chinese and English. As you will see, the stories are about love, joy, worries, resilience and resistance. The main message in this book is that relationships are pivotal for the well-being of the participants in this study, both relationships to significant landscapes or territories, to significant others, to traditional activities and to animals. The knowledge and perspectives conveyed in this book are important to enhance the ...
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