60

"You guys are still upset with us, aren't you?" Bjorn asked, breaking the silence in the kitchen.
"For what you did to us, you mean?"
"Yes..."
"Well, it's not like anyone alive today remember much of it. But it was bad. There's no doubt about that. And it is easy to start blaming all sorts of things on what happened back then."
"Like what?"
"Like the fact that most of my family is unemployed for instance..."
"You think that's because of what happened back then?"
"Nah... I don't know... Many Samis are actually doing quite well."
"Like Jan with his casino, you mean?"

Ante shook his head. "No... I wasn't really thinking of him. I was more thinking of all the Samis who've ended up as average middle class Norwegians."

Bjorn nodded, and there was again silence between the two men. Ante rose from the table, tossed the rest of his coffee in the kitchen sink, and started to set the table in final preparation for dinner.

"Jan is different..." Ante said thoughtfully as he lay out the cutlery. "You know... By the time they passed the Reparation Act, most Samis had given up their land claims. But Jan's family and a handful of others were still able to document ownership of certain areas... And that's how Jan ended up owning most of the land around here."