Who are the Sami? Part 2
A Sami woman with a reindeer. Photo: Anna Öhlund/imagebank.sweden.se
One people among four nations
The Sámi are the Indigenous people of the Nordic Arctic who share a common identity yet are as diverse as the different natural environments in which they have lived since time immemorial. There is no consensus on Sámi population counts. Some say between 50,000 and 80,000; others say the number is closer to 200,000.The majority reside in Norway, but these days, Sámi live and work all over the world.
Indigenous to Sápmi
Sápmi stretches over northern Scandinavia to the Kola Peninsula. Sámi culture is directly connected to these lands and their flora and fauna. Awareness of, and symbiosis with the natural world is integral to the Sámi luondi, or way of being.
Finno-Ugric
Sámi languages are Finno-Ugric, and distantly related to Finnish and Estonian. There are nine living Sámi languages, and several that were extinguished by colonization. While many Sámi continue to speak the Sámi language of their ancestors, at least half do not. Younger generations are eager to reclaim their ancestral language.
Siidat
For most of history, the Sámi lived in small hunting and gathering communities known as siidat. Each siida was comprised of several family groups associated with a specific geographical area. A council of elders made decisions for the siida and resources were shared among members.
Reindeer Domestication
About 400 years ago, due to increasing pressures from outsiders on the wild reindeer herds, on which the Sámi depended for food, leather, and other products, the siida system began to give way to large-scale reindeer herding. This required the herders to follow the migration routes of the reindeer across the old siidat boundaries, which led to significant changes in Sámi society.
Forced Assimilation and Displacement
The colonizing powers made laws that defined who was “real” Sámi, privileging herders over those who farmed, fished or hunted for sustenance. The consequences of these laws continue to be felt in living rooms and courtrooms today.
Resilience in Resistance
The Sámi continue to resist exploitation and erasure in creative ways, individually and collectively. The Sámi American awakening is still a small footnote in a very long history, but each day is a victory for Sámi resilience.
TREKWAYS OF THE WIND
— Nils-Aslak Valkeapää
How I respect
the old Sami life
That was true love of nature
where nothing was wasted
where humans were part of nature
Not until now have they realized
that the people who lived here
ten thousand years ago
melted to become the Sami
That is a long time
The wanderings of the Egyptian Pharaohs
The riches of the Roman empire
The glory of the Greek culture
short moments if you compare
. . .
How I respect the ancient Sami way
How everything was utilized
everything that could be used
from reindeer pelts coats shoes sinews for thread
boil fry split dry
If you were hungry you were
but no one should mention starvation
In this affluent world
every other child is starving
and one third
eat two thirds
of the world’s food
