Sámi CD Productions as Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage: Soft Power of Rooted, Cosmopolitan Indigeneity in the Music Industry.

The article examines Sámi Indigenous music CD productions from northern Europe during 2000–2010 as expressions of soft power intertwined with rooted cosmopolitan indigeneity and intangible cultural heritage (ICH). Funded primarily by Nordic nation states—especially Norway, Finland, and Sweden—these CDs sustained Sámi historical vocal traditions such as yoik (or joik), Sámi languages, and cultural practices while incorporating globalized popular music styles and intercultural collaborations. The CDs served dual roles: fulfilling nation states' international cultural heritage obligations under conventions like UNESCO's 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and simultaneously enabling Sámi artists to assert Indigenous rights, resist colonial legacies, and promote Sámi nationhood through lyrics, visuals (including traditional clothing and Sámi flag imagery), and linguistic revitalization. Distributed both locally and internationally, these productions illustrate how Indigenous cultural heritage can function as a form of soft power "at the borders," reflecting complex relationships between Indigenous agency and state cultural diplomacy.