The
estimated number of Sami is 50,000-75,000. Of these 15,000-20,000 live in Sweden,
30,000-50,000 in Norway, 4,000-5,000 in Finland and about 2,000 in Russia. During the last
few decades there has been a significant emigration of Sami from the traditional Sami
areas, which means that many Sami today live outside this area. About 20% of the Sami in
Sweden live outside the districts of Norrbotten, Västerbotten and Jämtland.
Originally the Sami made their living by fishing and hunting. It is likely that
domesticated reindeer had been kept for a long time, as draught and pack animals as well
as for milking and to entice wild reindeer when hunting them. During the 17th and 18th
centuries reindeer husbandry was developed and the domesticated reindeer became the
foundation of Sami livelihood.
Today only about 10% of the Sami in Sweden make a living by reindeer
herding (between 2,300 and 2,700 persons). Nevertheless reindeer herding is considered a
fundamental part of the Sami culture and according to Swedish law can only be carried on
by Sami. Before the Sami culture was incorporated into the Swedish society, the Sami lived
in small units (the sijdda) with limited cooperation between them and without a uniting
institution or symbol. Despite this, the Sami have maintained a strong ethnic identity,
even though already several hundred years ago they were formally incorporated in the
social structures of their respective countries.
From the 1950s the Sami society has gone through a revolutionary development. In
just a few decades the scattered Sami population has developed a collective identity, a
uniting network and a political sense of belonging. Today the Sami consider themselves one
people with a common origin. The area where the Sami live and traditionally have lived is
considered a Sami nation and is called Sápmi. In each of the Nordic countries today there
is a Sami parliament, the purpose of which is to increase the Sami participation and
influence in the democratic process.
The experiences of the Sami are not unlike those of many other ethnic
groups who today live within different national borders. It is difficult to point to the
first time when the contact between the growing national state and the indigenous people
took place. The Sami and Scandinavians have had contact and benefited from this
relationship during a long time. Compared with other indigenous peoples, the Sami today
enjoy a strong position.
Sweden is a democratic state that respects basic human rights. The Sami have the
same rights as the rest of the population in Sweden and continue to live in the areas they
have traditionally used, even though the land for the traditional way of life is shrinking
because of the exploitation of raw materials, industrialization and other such uses.
However, the Sami face difficulties as a minority people in a majority society. On a
structural level the legal position of the Sami has weakened throughout history and the
possibilities of affecting their own life situation has continually decreased.
Who is Sami?
The only law in Sweden that defines a Sami is the Sami Parliament Law, SFS
1991:1433, which says "By Sami this law means anyone who considers himself or herself
to be Sami and is likely to have had Sami as his or her maternal language, or that Sami
was likely the maternal language of parent or grandparent, or has a parent who is in the
Sami Parliament voter registration list."
Both subjective and objective criteria are given here to identify a
Sami. To the subjective criteria we find the individual's own opinion of identity.
According to this definition a Sami is someone who considers himself or herself to be
Sami. Among the objective criteria we find ancestry, race, language, place of settlement
and line of work.
Often the Sami are associated with reindeer herding. But fishing¸ hunting,
handicraft production are also traditional occupations and today most Sami make their
living in lines of work other than the traditional Sami occupations, and many Sami live
outside their traditional settlement areas.
Indigenous People
The Sami are the indigenous people of Sweden. This means that they lived here
before Sweden established its national boundaries. The Swedish Parliament has also
acknowledged the Sami as indigenous people. Indigenous people are defined as people who
are descended from ethnic groups who lived in the country at the time present-day national
borders were established and who totally or partially have maintained their social,
economic, cultural and political institutions. The deciding factor is not whether these
people have historically lived in a certain area longer than others. The fact that their
social and cultural situation is special is of greater importance.
