When Ivar Bjørklund published "Fjordfolket i Kvænangen: fra samisk samfunn til norsk utkant 1550-1980" (The Fjord People of Kvænangen: From Sami Community to Norwegian Periphery 1550-1980) in the mid-1980s, it provoked strong reactions among the local population. The book revealed how large a proportion of the population had Sami ancestors, which was not viewed favorably by a population that, on the contrary, perceived themselves as descendants of Danish, German, and Finnish immigrants.
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We don't need to go back more than 20 years in time to find examples where local history authors must in some way be conscious of their responsibility to the present. This applies to all local history books that deal with matters concerning living or close relatives in the local community. A current example is Harald Langmyhr's local history book "Nok innmark til ei ku" (Enough land for a cow).
After Langmyhr wrote the local history book, his ex-wife reacted strongly to the way she had been portrayed by her former husband. So strongly, in fact, that the whole case ended up in court. The author initially won the case in the district court, but then lost the appeal in the court of appeal. As a result of his portrayal of his ex-wife, he was ordered to pay NOK 25,000 in compensation. The local history book will remain withdrawn from the market until Langmyhr removes the six pages, out of a total of 149, that deal with his ex-wife.
Without comparison, local historian Egil Fiane has now been asked to clarify his principles regarding privacy and the upcoming series "Ætt og heim i Åmli sokn" (Family and Home in Åmli Parish). Fiane told Agderposten (June 26, 2009) "It can be difficult to know what people perceive as sensitive information. Some are very touchy and critical. And you can hardly avoid reactions from them."
Fiane is probably right about this. No matter how carefully stories are presented, they will always provoke reactions from some people. One must simply not compromise privacy, and if a topic is too sensitive for the current residents of a local community, perhaps the story should be written down (while the memory is fresh and uncolored) and put on hold until the topic in question is no longer as sensitive.
