S A M I
Last December, I was in the Swedish Lapland as part of an ESN trip. We visited Kiruna, Abisko, Norvik, and surroundings. Included in our schedule we had the opportunity to be hosted by a Sami family for an entire afternoon for them to tell us about what they do and how do they live.
The Sami where the first ones to live there. The closest translation of Lapland means the Northest province, and its area expands across Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Today, the size in Sweden only consists of 109,702 km2. Nonetheless, its flag and borders have changed through time- during the middle ages it was tried to be Christianized by a couple of Swedish kings (1600s), in the early 1800s it was part of the Russian empire, the Lapland war in 1944, and then it played a key role in the Swedish industrialization in the late 1900s.
The Sami though, have always resided there. Before it was called No Man's Land during the middle ages, before their land had anybody's else's colors. As Nils (see pic) described it, their culture is one of the herding of the reindeer. It is a relationship. They use this winter animal for clothing and feeding themselves, and they will herd their pack through their territory across the seasons.
Nils then gave us to try a reindeer broth which he explained as something he and his family regularly drink because of its high nutritious value. It was a combination of reindeer bones and fat boiled trough long periods of time. It was salty and viscous. It was good and heavy.
Today Lapland's population continues to increase. The rise in temperatures because of global warming has made this rich land further accessible for more coal mining and hydraulic industries to open. This has consequently affected both the Sami in reduced territory, and the reindeers dying because of their incapacity to adapt to a warmer climate.
Nils commented that they haven't really been included into the decision making of their land, leaving the Sami to simply adjust to the outcomes. As he placed it "We have become like boxers you know? We have to keep our fists up. We don't really attack, we just have to keep our guard up. Always"
How to keep respecting other cultures? How to preserve them?
This piece and pictures have the same goal as us visiting them. To spread awareness about other fellow people in remote places having to adapt to a changing culture, a changing world and a changing climate.
