Sami - Sápmi a people in the north

Originally the Sami made their living by fishing and hunting. It is likely that domesticated reindeer had been kept for a long time, as draught and pack animals as well as for milking and to entice wild reindeer when hunting them. During the 17th and 18th centuries reindeer husbandry was developed and the domesticated reindeer became the foundation of Sami livelihood.

Today only about 10% of the Sami in Sweden make a living by reindeer herding (between 2,300 and 2,700 persons). Nevertheless reindeer herding is considered a fundamental part of the Sami culture and according to Swedish law can only be carried on by Sami. Before the Sami culture was incorporated into the Swedish society, the Sami lived in small units (the sijdda) with limited cooperation between them and without a uniting institution or symbol. Despite this, the Sami have maintained a strong ethnic identity, even though already several hundred years ago they were formally incorporated in the social structures of their respective countries.
From the 1950s the Sami society has gone through a revolutionary development. In just a few decades the scattered Sami population has developed a collective identity, a uniting network and a political sense of belonging. Today the Sami consider themselves one people with a common origin. The area where the Sami live and traditionally have lived is considered a Sami nation and is called Sápmi. In each of the Nordic countries today there is a Sami parliament, the purpose of which is to increase the Sami participation and influence in the democratic process.

The experiences of the Sami are not unlike those of many other ethnic groups who today live within different national borders. It is difficult to point to the first time when the contact between the growing national state and the indigenous people took place. The Sami and Scandinavians have had contact and benefited from this relationship during a long time. Compared with other indigenous peoples, the Sami today enjoy a strong position.

Sweden is a democratic state that respects basic human rights. The Sami have the same rights as the rest of the population in Sweden and continue to live in the areas they have traditionally used, even though the land for the traditional way of life is shrinking because of the exploitation of raw materials, industrialization and other such uses.
However, the Sami face difficulties as a minority people in a majority society. On a structural level the legal position of the Sami has weakened throughout history and the possibilities of affecting their own life situation has continually decreased.

The Sami are the indigenous people of Sweden. This means that they lived here before Sweden established its national boundaries. The Swedish Parliament has also acknowledged the Sami as indigenous people. Indigenous people are defined as people who are descended from ethnic groups who lived in the country at the time present-day national borders were established and who totally or partially have maintained their social, economic, cultural and political institutions. The deciding factor is not whether these people have historically lived in a certain area longer than others. The fact that their social and cultural situation is special is of greater importance.

Info from www.fjallen.nu - scroll down for the link

17th of May 2009 is election day for the Sapmi. Every 4th year it is election. There were very few changes after this election.

The Sami Parliament in Sweden was established in 1993 as a publicly elected body and a state authority, with the overall task of working to achieve a living Sami culture. The Sami Parliament is not a body for self-government. The publicly elected component comprises 31 members who meet three times a year in the Plenary Assembly. Only the President is a full-time employee of the Parliament.

The Hunting and Fishing Sami is the largest political party in the Sami Assembly. Democracy and equality are central themes in our party programme. This means that we aim for a Sami society where all are treated equally and where basic human rights are respected. This includes the right to speak your language, the right to work in all aspects of the Sami economy and the right to retain and strengthen cultural traditions.

The Sami people are however treated differently depending on whether or not they own reindeer and are members of the local economic association (Sameby). Membership brings privileges and economic opportunities that are denied other Sami. The Sameby system was set up by the Swedish state during the 20th century and the organisations that exist today were created in 1971. The state gives members the certain rights, rights which are not shared by other Sami.

The association and it's members may:
1. Run reindeer business and own reindeer
2. Hunt and fish in areas where reindeer business is active (25% of Sweden's surface area)
3. Take any wood for household needs
4. Take out timber for constructing own building
5. Build anywhere, when in conjunction with reindeer business
6. Use vehicles anywhere, when in conjunction with reindeer business
7. Receive funding from special Sami Fund
8. Receive up to 95% funding from EU
9. Collects ca 90% of all economic funding paid out by Sami Assembly and the Swedish state

Today, Sept 2008 the first wind mills are erected by Swevind, on the land where the Sami need to bring their rein deers over the winter. The windmills will be followed by many more. There will eventually be 1000 up and running.

Our Samis have had access to the land for their rein deers for centuries. It is even in the law that they have this vast land to let loose their animals on.

Now the land owners and power suppliers want to put up many wind mills on this very land. This will create a problem first at the construction and later about who is allowed to use the land now.

During the construktion time there will be about 400 kilometers of new roads built, where about 200 000 full loaded trucks will drive in estimated 10 years! The rain deer owners will not be able to use that land all that time.

Later when the issue about who will use the land, the sami has a demand to be paid a cost like rental. This problem is not solved yet. The request is now with the authoroties in the Swedish government.

Jazzy pop from a Sapmi girl.

The critic is so positive and the reviewers really commending her.
The name of her new record is "Ássogattis - By the embers"
She can sing in many languages but likes the Sapmi since childhood.

This summer Sofia Jannok is touring in Sweden and Europe.

SMS from Sopperi is a lovely warm story about a girl that lives with her Mother in Solna, close to Stockholm. One day she suddenly gets a SMS from a boy in the Sapmi language.
The message is:
Hej, din kusin Kristin visade en bild på dig och jag var tvungen att skicka ett sms. Hörde att du kommer upp snart. Då kanske vi ses. H.
That is like: Hi, your cousine Kristin showed me a photo of you and I had to send a SMS. Heard that you will come up soon. May be we can meet. H.
H stands for Henrik

Order the book here

If you can understand Swedish here is where you can get this lovely book. The bok got a prize for best book in a competition called: How it is to be a young sapmi today.

Ann-Helén Laestadius

The Sámi

The Sámi are an indigenous people living in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. Known widely in the past as Lapps, the term "Lapp" is now considered derogatory by many Sámi. The Sámi have their own language, of which there are several variations, and their own culture, way of life and identity. Common history, traditions, livelihoods and customs unite the Sámi living in different countries. In total, they number 75,000 to 100,000. It is estimated that the current number of Sámi in Finland is about 7,500 or 0.15% of the population of Finland. The majority of them, some 4,000 persons, still live in their native area, known as the Sámi Homeland (Sámiid ruovttuguovlu), which is constituted by the three northernmost municipalities in the Province of Lapland, namely Utsjoki, Inari, and Enontekiö plus the northern part of the municipality of Sodankylä. Only in Utsjoki do they constitute a majority of the local residents. Overall, the Sámi constitute approximately one third of the residents within the Sámi Homeland. This area is of relevance for the implementation of the Sámi Language Act as well as the Act on the Sámi Parliament.
Continue reading here:
About Sami in Finland

I just have to tell you that a new movie is made in Sweden. It is about the Sápmi on the border between Sweden and Norway and the dilemma they have about killing a Wolf or not. It is really a current event of killing of a wolf in Sweden. The Sapmis are defending their reindeers.

The movie is still in Swedish and Sápmi language but I will inform you when it is relieced in English too. The Critics say it is a very serious and trustworhy movie.

Karin Baer, a Sapmi woman here on a foto.

The map shows were the Sápmi are living in four countries today.

Bear, Lynx, Wolverine, Grand Eagle, Moose, Wolves and foxes are just some of the animals beside the reindeers