Sami people - The native Scandinavians
The Sami people live in the far north of the Scandinavian peninsula. They are Europe´s only indigenous people, and one of the smallest in - the world in terms of population, numbering only around 75,000 - of which 20,000 live in Sweden. Though in most respects the Sami have been fully assimilated in modern Swedish society, in other ways they still proudly and energetically retain their traditional culture and lifestyle. And although Sami of today are settled residents, an element of their traditional nomadic lifestyle remains - in summer the reindeer herders and their families follow the reindeer herds from the forests to the mountains.
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Photo:Staffan Widstrand |
In Lapland there are traces of Sami settlements that date back as far as to the Ice Age, some 9,600 years ago. Originally, the Sami were hunters and fishers, who took up larger scale reindeer herding in the 16th and 17th centuries. Today, about ten percent of the Sami population are reindeer herders, moving their herds over huge areas, from the woodlands in winter to the mountain highlands in summer, much like in ancient times, though today they use modern equipment such as snowmobiles, motorcycles and helicopters, rather than skis and dogs.
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Photo: Wolfgang Greiner
www.imagebank.sweden.se |
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Reindeer herding is considered as perhaps the most important of the three legs on which traditional Sami culture stands today. The other two are the Sami language and Sami handicrafts, or slojd. The traditional yoik chanting is the original Sami folk music, and an important bearer of oral tradition.
The giant area named Sapmi, which covers all land north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Russian Kola Peninsula, is partly recognised as a Sami nation in all these countries, and all of these four nations have Sami parliaments, with Sweden’s located in the town of Kiruna. Another centre for Sami culture is in the town of Jokkmokk, where you´ll find the Sami museum and the Sami college. In Jokkmokk, there is also the renowned annual winter market in February, an event with strong presence of traditional Sami culture, attracting a growing number of international visitors.
There are a number of tour operators around Lapland and Northern Sweden that offer Sami experiences such as reindeer rides and various excursions for tourists.