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
The Reindeer Herding Acts and their definitions of Sami identity/Qualifications
12017-06-17T17:31:19-07:00Camilla Samuelssonc755390127bc021e72e8c53dc13ca2fce861acc5189361plain2017-06-17T17:31:20-07:00Camilla Samuelssonc755390127bc021e72e8c53dc13ca2fce861acc5After the first Reindeer Herding Act was passed in 1886, it was revised in 1898. The new act gave specifics regarding who was allowed to herd reindeer. It gave the right to herd to Sami whose fathers and/or grandfathers practiced reindeer herding as a full-time profession. The first RGA divided up herding lands as a way to control herding. The second act however, gave herding rights (and therefore recognition) to Sami who had nomadic herding fathers and grandfathers. This act excluded Sami with maternal roots or who did not practice reindeer husbandry, contributing to the divide of Sami culture (Lantto & Mörkenstam 2008).
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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):
