It was two thousand years ago that the Sami people were assumed to have inhabited what is present-day Finland. Their family groups (siida) were built on unity and natural resources. Some lived the nomadic lifestyle, traveling from place to place. These nomads are the most well known because of the reindeer breeding that they made so popular. They followed wherever the reindeer went. Whereas others chose a more permanent and stable lifestyle. It was the more settled Sami that made their living off of fishing.Since hunting and fishing were what the Sami based their livelihood off of, trading with fellow tribes was a vital key to survival. The leader of such groups was typically the eldest man or woman of the group. It was he/she that chose where the siida would go and who would do what jobs. This wisdom of these elders combined with the will of the gods was what society rested on.
Source: http://www.samenland.nl/lap_sami_si.html
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
How war affects their existence
The Sami people were not faced with the issue of war, but instead were faced with the hardship of racism. It first began in 1800 when ideals of superior and inferior cultures came about. It was then viewed that nomads were inferior to farmers. The Sami were then deprived of land that was rightfully theirs. Since farmers knew that reindeer husbandry was their main resource, the Same were forced to pay for land that they was called their own. Farmers viewed the Sami as insignificant. They displayed such hatred by burning down forests and pastures to rid the Sami of one their main resources, cattle. By removing the cattle's place of gathering, it made it all the more difficult for the Sami to herd them. Only towards the middle of the 19th century did people finally begin to hurt over the suffering of the Sami people. Parliament attempted to ease the majority of the Sami struggles by suspending the transfer of Sami land to farmers in 1841. Eventually land was purchased specifically for the Sami only. This established act of legislation was hard to interpret at times with caused conflicts at times. During the last decades of the 19th century the biology of racial discrimination rose to the forefront of issues. Sami people were seen as born with "racial characteristics" that burdened them with an inability to live as civilized people. Parliament believed that they would neglect the reindeer and become beggars. therefore Sami lost the right to hunt and fish in treasured areas any longer. It was not only the agricultural area that was influenced by such racial discrimination, but the educational systems as well. Children who were unfortunate enough to be born of a Sami nomad were denied educational rights. Nomads were forced to protest on multiple occasions for their children to be treated fairly. After WWII in the 1930s the nomad schools were forced to teach the nomad children on the same standards as the Swedish educational system. The struggle for Sami rights continued as the battle of "racial biology" was consistent. It was clear that the Sami must fight long and hard to cherish their culture and traditions.
Kvarfordt,
Karin, Nils-Henrik Sikku, Michael Teilus, and Robert Crofts. The Sámi: An
Indigenous People in Sweden. Kiruna, Sweden: National Sámi Information
Centre, 2005. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.samer.se/2137>.
How Globalization effects their Existence.
-In Norway, there is a policy to recognize Sami language, including teaching it in schools.And protection of the culture through museums.
-Sweden does not recognize the Sami as a separate people; but they do recognize them as an ethnic minority.
-Northern Sami of Sweden lack protection for their herding areas. Which are increasingly threatened by mining and nuclear and hydropower plants.
-Under Finnish law the Sami have no rights to lands, water or traditional sources of livelihood.
-Finland allows those without native ancestry to use reindeer.
-Finnish government has played an important role in publishing Sami textbooks and dictionaries as to preserve their culture.
-Each of the three Nordic States have Sami "Parliaments".
Heininen, Lassi. Southcott, Chris. Globalization of the Circumpolar North: Changing forms of Goverance in the North. University of Alaska Press. 2010.
Subsistence
-Members of their traditional community of families (Siida) cooperated in hunting, trapping, fishing.
-Herd Reindeer.
-The Sami would traditionally maintain permanent dwellings, sometimes more than one.
-The Sami spent part of their time living in tents (called Lavvo).
-Their tents and huts were arranged around a central fire.
-Tents (lavvo): were a circular framework of poles leaning inward like the Native American teepee or wigwam and a floor of birch twigs covered with layers of reindeer fur.
-Today, most Sami are no longer reindeer herders and are living in typical Scandinavian houses with central heating and running water.
-Family life typically centers on the kitchen.
-They recieve the same level of healthcare as other citizens of the countries they live in.
-They have high rates of heart disease, like their Scandinavian neighbors.
-They're often active and healthy thriugh their 80s.
-Sometimes they supplement western style medical care with home remedies or treatment from old beliefs in curing powers of the word of the Shaman or medicine man.
Countries and their Cultures: Sami. [Online] www.everyculture.com/wc/Norway-to-Russia/Sami.html#b. 2012.
-Herd Reindeer.
-The Sami would traditionally maintain permanent dwellings, sometimes more than one.
-The Sami spent part of their time living in tents (called Lavvo).
-Their tents and huts were arranged around a central fire.
-Tents (lavvo): were a circular framework of poles leaning inward like the Native American teepee or wigwam and a floor of birch twigs covered with layers of reindeer fur.
-Today, most Sami are no longer reindeer herders and are living in typical Scandinavian houses with central heating and running water.
-Family life typically centers on the kitchen.
-They recieve the same level of healthcare as other citizens of the countries they live in.
-They have high rates of heart disease, like their Scandinavian neighbors.
-They're often active and healthy thriugh their 80s.
-Sometimes they supplement western style medical care with home remedies or treatment from old beliefs in curing powers of the word of the Shaman or medicine man.
Countries and their Cultures: Sami. [Online] www.everyculture.com/wc/Norway-to-Russia/Sami.html#b. 2012.
Sami Language
-All in all the Sami have a Finno-Ugric language that's closely related to Finnish, Estonian, Livonian, Voltic and many other little-know languages.
-Their dialects vary from region to region.
-There are a total if 50 dialects divided into 3 major groups: East, Central and South.
-These dialects are all unintelligible to each other, meaning different dialects most likely don't understand each other .
-Almost all Sami speak the language of the country the reside in.
-Their dialects vary from region to region.
-There are a total if 50 dialects divided into 3 major groups: East, Central and South.
-These dialects are all unintelligible to each other, meaning different dialects most likely don't understand each other .
-Almost all Sami speak the language of the country the reside in.
Population
The population of the Sami people consists of almost 20,000 people.
"SWEDEN.SE - the Official Gateway to Sweden." The
Sami People. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Society/The-Sami-People/>.
How Multinational Incursions Affect the Sami
Before political borders were set up, the Sami people freely followed the migratory patterns of their reindeer in the areas currently occupied by Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The borders between Norway, Sweden and Finland were set between 1751 and 1809. These countries, however, did not impose strict regulations on the movement of the Sami people until 1917 when the Russian border was established and open travel became illegal. The Sami people were separated from their families and forced to live in smaller groups. Before, the Sami herders had as many as 500-1000 animals, the governments then stepped in set up strict regulations. Many were forced to abandon herding and go to settlement camps.
Source: http://www.polarnet.ca/tuktu/Reports/nwayrpt.html#3.1
Source: http://www.polarnet.ca/tuktu/Reports/nwayrpt.html#3.1
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