Kinship in the Sami tribe has a bilateral structure. There is equal significance in relationships from both the maternal and paternal sides. There is no existence of evidence supporting a clan structure in the Sami people. However, sources distinguish three groups of Lopi on the Kola Peninsula that perhaps correspond to the division along tribal lines. The Sami people are very open. They are very courteous and accepting. They will accept someone who is not full blooded. A person's attitudes toward their traditions is more important than their bloodlines.
In the past, the Sami people lived in family groups called the Siida. Today, the nuclear family is the norm. Each family in the Sami tribe has a mark. The herding families used this mark to distinguish their reindeer from those of another family.
Source:
http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Norway-to-Russia/Sami.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/33100/Arctic/57868/Traditional-culture?anchor=ref518983
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Sami.aspx
A Sami family around 1900
image source:
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Sami
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