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The  Sami

People

The Sami's language, traditional clothing, handicraft, and music, are distinctively different from other ethnic groups in Scandinavia.  In Sweden there is 44 native communitys where the familys derives most of the income from their reindeers, an economy that in most cases is combined with fishing, hunting and crafts.  A majority of the Sami population pursue other careers however, since there isn't enough space for everyone in a habitat that is constantly shrinking due to mining operations, clean-cutting of the forests and the construction of hydroelectric powerplants.  The "Reindeer Husbandry Law" of 1971, allows the Sami some freedom for the economical life within the native communitys. The present law, like its predecessors, does however only regulate the rights of Sami's involved in the reindeerhusbandry. So only those Sami's who carry out reindeer herding have any native land and water rights in the Sami nation. The land and water rights of Sami fishermen and hunters or other Sami's have never been covered by law.  Most Sami's do however have a familymember or a relative who in some way are involved with the reindeers. So the reindeers are still fundamental to the Sami culture and society, with the possible exception for the fishing Seasami's of northwestern Norway.

 As with most indigenous peoples the Sami never has had an sovereign state of their own and today they live in an area which have been divided by Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Currently, there are Sami political, cultural and youth organizations in all four countries and a Sami Parliament in each of the three Scandinavian ones.
 "Lapp" means a patch of cloth for mending, thus the name suggests that the Sami are wearing patched clothes, a derogatory term and one that needs to be replaced. The word "Laplander" is also problematic since that could mean any person who lives within this region, also those that are non native. Finally there's a part of the Sami population who always have lived outside the region of "Lapland" such as the Sami's in Swedens, Jemtland and Härjedalen.

History
Long before the Swedish, Finnish or even the Viking culture had developed, the Scandinavian peninsula was populated by the Saemieh (hereafter referred to as Sami). The oldest written source of knowledge on the Sami's is the Roman historian Tacitus' who describes fenni in a book from 98 A.D, although his account most certainly was based on hearsay only.

In 555 A.D. the Greek historian, Procopius, refers to Scandinavia as Thule, and the inhabitants he calls skridfinns¹. At this time the most southern part of Sweden was populated by the Vendel people a peaceful group of sunworshippers.

Since they lived in a time before recorded history for this part of the world, little is known today about the Vendel's. Later the immigration by and mixing with germanic tribes gave birth to the wellknown Viking culture in Sweden and Norway. During the Viking Age -and later- in the Middle Ages, Sweden was only about a third of it's present size, the northern 2/3 of the country was populated by the Sami. Even though the Sami tales about the Stalo suggests that there was a long-lasting conflict with the Vikings. The Sami's also traded first with Vikings and later with travelers from northern Europe such as tradesmen from the Hanseatic league. As a result of these contacts the Sami society took a cultural leap from a predominately stone age society and even developed a monetary system of their own -a little known fact- the currency was named tjoervie btw. Animal hides and furs were the most common commoditys that was traded for salt, coins (often used as ornaments) and different kind of metal blades. The handicrafted Sami knifes developed its present form during this age.

   Important years in Sami history

1542: The Swedish King Gustav Vasa declares that 'All unused lands belongs to God, us and the Swedish Crown'. An uncanny resemblance with what was said about the North American continent at about the same time -don't you think? 1603: The first church is built in "Lapland". 1635: The mine in Nasafjäll is opened and the Sami's is coerced to work both in the mine and with the transports of ore, those who refused to work was cruelly punished. This slavemine is perhaps the worst atrocity committed by the Swedish government. Many Sami's flee from the the area, so a large part of the provinces previously used by Pite and Lule Sami's is depopulated. The government sends troops to prevent the Sami's from fleeing. 1673: The official start of colonization of the Sami area, the idea is encourage settlers to move to the northern regions by granting land- and waterrights as well as tax-allowances. The settlers moved into the areas "unused" by the Sami's, farming and cattleranches was a source of livelihood which contrasted strongly with the traditional Sami lifestyle. More importantly is that the farmers hunting brought several species to the brink of extinction, among them the beaver. The economic foundation of the Sami hunting culture was destroyed and starvation becomes widespread among the Sami's.

1685 -> Burning of the Sami drums, persecution of those who practice the old religion, destruction of holy sites and idols.

1693: Lars Nilsson from Arjeplog is burned at the stake for "Witchcraft" after he tried to save the life of his grandson who had fallen into a creek.

1720-1729: The king of Sweden issues a proclamation that the Sami's found in Västmanland, Kopparberg and Gästrikland should be gathered and deported to the "Lappish administrative region". Some familys and small groups of Sami's who avoided the deportations remained in Dalarna and Gästrikland and even was found as far south as Uppland until the first half of the 19'th century. During the 1730´s most of those who remained in this southern area was forced to become settlers by a proclamation from the king and as a consequence had to give up the reindeerherding. Yet the reindeerhusbandry continue in the area until the 1780's.

1751: By royal decree "Lapland" is created, with the passing of this law for this region the huntingrights are divided between the Sami's and the settlers -and as such "Lapland" only serves as a limited protection for the Sami.

1755: The new testament is translated to the Ume-Sami language, the Old testament in 1811.

1780: The Lexicon Lapponicum are published by a biblesociety, a Sami - Swedish - Sami dictionary which are intended for missionaries.

1809: The border between Finland (which at this time isn't an independent national state) and Norway is drawn, of little consequence for the nomadic Sami's in the area at first but the problems increases as the control gets stricter later in this century (see 1852).

1811: The bible is translated to the Åarjel or south-Sami language.

1848: The parliament, Stortinget, passes a bill which states that the land in Finnmark, Norway, previously had been without rulers, and that the nomadic Sami's had no propertyrights.

1852 The "revolt" in Kautokeino, Norway. Have been called: "The revolt of the holy ones," since there was a clear connection with a religious movement. Yet the fact that the border towards Finland had been closed shortly before the "revolt" should not be underestimated. An administrative decision where the nomadic Sami's of the area lost access to lands they badly needed for their reindeers in the wintertime.

1868-73: The "cultivation border" is created for the protection of the mountainsami's in Sweden, in some respects similar to the "reservations" of north America -but as well as there it was overrun by settlers. No special measure for the protection of the south & forest Sami's rights to land and water.

1905: The Karlstad Convention of this year dissolved the union between Norway and Sweden, the nomadic mountain Sami have to decide which country they want to belong to.

1913: The Norwegian parliament passes a bill on "native act land" which allocate the best and most useful lands to the white settlers.

1913-1920: The Swedish race-segregation politic creates a system of institutional racism. The use of the Sami language is forbidden in the "Nomadicschools" A racebiological institute is created in Uppsala.

1917: First pan-national Sami conference in Trondheim, Norway decides to create political Sami organizations.

1918: First national conference for Sami's in Sweden is held in Östersund.