Sami Indigeneity in Sweden : A Struggle for Rights and Recognition Main MenuIntroductionSwedish Policies and LegislationPolicies for Demographic Data CollectionEducation for Sami childrenBibliographyAboutResearch Paper for Digital ProjectPaper written during Digital Humanities Research Internship in Summer 2017Camilla Samuelssonc755390127bc021e72e8c53dc13ca2fce861acc5
Government Definition 1: The "ideal" Sami
12017-06-15T12:09:38-07:00Camilla Samuelssonc755390127bc021e72e8c53dc13ca2fce861acc5189361plain2017-06-15T12:09:38-07:00Camilla Samuelssonc755390127bc021e72e8c53dc13ca2fce861acc5Sami in Norrbotton were considered to be the ideal form of Sami because of their traditional way of herding. Because they were defined as a nomadic people, it was acceptable for them to be relocated to a region further South. The state's intention was to teach other Sami the strategies and manipulate them into the state's definition of ideal. The main issue with this strategy was that different Sami communities practice different traditions, and relocations caused conflict. In addition, determining that Sami are all nomadic implies that they do not need their own land and this created issues regarding access to land and water for Sami, a problem that they still face today (Lantto 2014).
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12017-06-11T15:06:52-07:00Swedish Policies and Legislation19image_header4644602018-04-06T20:57:46-07:00The Sami people originally come from a region called Sápmi. It encompasses Parts of Northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Western Russia. Over time, as conflicts and decisions were made over national lines, farming, and other industries, Sweden has passed policies regarding the Sami people, more specifically: reindeer husbandry. These policies are attempts at balancing reindeer husbandry with other forms of farming, restricting migration across national borders, promoting the state standards for efficiency, and other forms of manipulation of Sami reindeer herding traditions and Sami culture. These policies heavily influence land rights through defining Sami identity and restricting self-determination. For example, defining Sami as exclusively nomadic gave the state the ability to relocate them and remove land ownership (Lantto 2014) (Lantto & Mörkenstam 2008).
Definitions of Sami Identity Based on Governmental Policies and Actions
The "Ideal Sami": A reindeer herding, nomadic Sami.
Someone whose father and/or grandfather was a reindeer herder
Someone whose parents and/or grandparents were reindeer herders.
Sami who practice reindeer herding as a full-time profession
Map of Sami lands in Sweden (Nordiska Museet 2007):
