Narratives of the encounter with the “Other” in early modern Sweden, its hinterland and newly-acquired overseas territories have in recent years often focused on colonialism and exploitation, and rightly so. This aspect has to a great extent been neglected, ignored or treated with indulgence in a country so much of whose self-image since World War II has been built around an idea of Sweden as a paragon of virtues, both human and political. The fact that Sweden too has a tainted colonial past, in many respects comparable to several other European countries, has been a salutary, albeit hard lesson to take in. The slave forts in western Africa, the New Sweden colony on the Delaware River, the silver mines in Sápmi and many other endeavours in the early modern period were all part of the same picture: the ambition of a relatively poor and sparsely-populated country on the northern fringes of Europe whose leaders wanted to play an active part on the political stage of the continent. And acquiring colonies was an important element in that scheme. The problem was that Sweden never had the muscle to compete with the great sea powers of the 17th century and consequently lost its short-lived possessions overseas. The internal colonization of Sápmi (Lapland) gave far better returns. And it still does to this very day, despite continuing infringement on the rights of the Sami people. These are topics that beg discussion, both from a historical/ archaeological point of view and as political matters of today.