The Sámi People: The Reindeer Herders Influencing Arctic Geopolitics

Indigenous to the Arctic region, the Sámi people inhabit the northern territories of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia’s Kola Peninsula. This region of cultural significance is traditionally known as “Sápmi” to the Sámi people and includes the northern portions of “Fennoscandia”. Many of the Sámi people living within the borders of Norway live in Finnmark. As one of the northernmost counties in Norway, Finnmark is surrounded by the Barents Sea to the north, the Norwegian Sea to the west, and the White Sea past the Kola Peninsula to the east. The most concentrated inhabited areas are “Kautokeino” and “Karasjok”, two neighboring municipalities in the southernmost region of Finnmark.

The Sámi people speak a total of ten different languages: South Sámi, Ume Sámi, Pite Sámi, Lule Sámi, North Sámi, Inari Sámi, Skolt Sámi, Kildin Sámi, Ter Sámi, and Akkala Sámi. All of these languages are considered to be endangered by UNESCO’s World Atlas of Languages, and efforts are being made to revitalize several of them. The Arctic Council’s Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat notes that each of these ten languages is distinctly different from one another despite being related to one another within the Uralic language family. However, geographical continuity allows for “speakers of neighboring Sámi languages [to] usually understand each other better than speakers from distant regions”. While some of these languages are spoken by hundreds of Sámi persons, some of the languages like “Akkala Sámi” and “Ter Sámi” are only known passively or are spoken by individuals 65 and over who are spread far apart.

With historical accounts dating back to 98 A.D., the relationship between the Sámi people and reindeer has been an important and enduring one. There is an ancient Sámi community system called “Siiddat” which designates territories and defines partnerships for families and the management of their reindeer herds. This system allowed the Sámi people to successfully practice their cultural occupation of reindeer herding. Reindeer herding has traditionally been understood as the protection and guided movement of reindeer herds, but as society moves forward, reindeer husbandry has pushed reindeer herders to transform their diligence to include economic, social, and biological factors within a small industry on a national level.

The Sámi people are active in Arctic development and are permanent participants of the Arctic Council. With an estimated population of over 100,000 persons, the Sámi Council has stated that their core mission is to promote Sámi rights and interests in the four countries where Sámi are living, consolidate the feeling of affinity among the Sámi people, attain recognition for the Sámi as a nation, and maintain the economic, social, and cultural rights of the Sámi in the legislation of the four states. As a result, the Sámi people have been important contributors to projects such as “Indigenous Youth, Food Knowledge, and Arctic Change”, “Solid Waste Management in Remote Arctic Communities”, the “Kola Waste Project”, “Salmon Peoples of Arctic Rivers”, and more. The Sámi Council is currently one of the six indigenous groups that are permanent participants actively contributing to conversations with the Arctic Council.

Since the implementation of the “Sámediggi” (the Sámi’s own elected assembly in Norway) in 1989, the Norwegian government has also begun to take into consideration the formal advice of the Sámi people's consultative body. Democratically elected by the Sámi people, the parliament's leaders act independently in the interest of the Sámi people without pressure from authority. Its 39 representatives are elected every fourth year and attend meetings at least four times a year at the Sámi Parliament Building in Karasjok.

Brightly dressed in their traditional clothing known as the “gákti”, the Sámi people continue their cultural and historical practices in the modern age. As issues arise related to land, cultural preservation, and political representation, the Sámi people have found a way forward. Through self-governance and partnerships with Arctic states who appreciate their knowledge of the ever-changing Arctic landscape, the Sámi people have secured influence over an ever-expanding geopolitical environment. The way in which the Sámi people protect their history, languages, art, music, and reindeer is a testament to a deep understanding of the means required to achieve environmental stewardship.