"The Slave Mark"

The "slave mark" was an intended control system that Sulitjema Gruber wanted to implement at the mines in Sulitjelma in 1906.

In the picture you can see the teardrop-shaped pendant that was named “Slavemerket.” This was an intended control system that Sulitjema Gruber wanted to use at the mines in Sulitjelma in 1906. This allowed the mining company to keep track of which workers were inside the individual mines at any given time.

The badges were never used in Sulitjelma. When the workers showed up for their shifts, they refused to wear these badges. For the miners, this was the last straw; they were not slaves, and they should not wear these "Slave Badges." This sparked the workers to gather in large numbers on January 13, 1907, and form a union.

The "slave mark" became a symbol of the workers' struggle. Today, you can see a copy in the exhibition at the Sulitjelma Mining Museum.

The workers' struggle in Sulitjelma is the theme of the film "Sulis 1907" which was released in 2023.