The LIT project is committed not only to researching historical photographs, writings, and dávvirat (the plural of the North Sámi word dávvir; here, this North Sámi term is used to refer to musealised Sámi objects, acknowledging that the corresponding word differs in other Sámi languages), but also to engaging with the communities connected to them. In particular, the project seeks dialogue with descendants of the Sámi people portrayed by Paolo Mantegazza and Stephen Sommiern in 1879 and in 1885.

The photographs and dávvirat produced or collected during these journeys are now held in Florence. Yet their histories do are still very much connected to families, places, memories, and communities in Sápmi. For this reason, I travelled to several Sámi towns to present my research, share its results, and engage in conversations with local knowledge holders and descendants. These meetings were an essential part of the LIT project. They created opportunities to make historical materials accessible (albeit only through photographs) to the communities from which they originated, while also allowing me to receive feedback, additional information, and invaluable perspectives on the meanings these materials hold today for the communities of descendants.