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| 2000-10-18 |
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| Did
you know that the Sami people have eight seasons a year? |
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 The reindeer
breeding year is divided
into eight seasons
in the
Sami language. Each
season is a separate phase of reindeer breeding. These seasons start in
the late winter March and April when the reindeer are moved from the
winter grazing ground in the low lands to the mountain areas where
calving will take place. The year progresses through the various phases
that include calving, building of corrals, marking the calves, grazing,
mating,
slaughtering of the bulls, and ends in December-March when the
herds are divided into smaller groups. The reindeer are moved to winter
grazing where the white reindeer moss is easier to find in the snow.
Reindeer herding is run on a modern basis. Nowadays, modern equipment
like helicopters, snowmobiles, motorcycles, GPS and mobile
slaughterhouses are used to make the herding more efficient. Truly an
indigenous people in tune with the times.
Picture:
Mountain Landscape from Samiland.
An indigenous
people with a strong position
The Sami are
indigenous people who have lived in this northern region long before the
countries established national boundaries. A region that encompasses
bordering areas of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Northern Russia. These
people have maintained their social, economic, cultural and political
institutions. Compared with other indigenous peoples in the world, the
Sami today enjoy a strong position. Nevertheless, they continue to live
in the areas they have always used, the land for the age-old way of life
is gradually shrinking due to the exploitation of raw materials,
industrialisation and others uses. They safeguard their rights, the Sami
are represented in major authorities. The County Administrations in the
northern counties have offices for reindeer affairs. Furthermore the
National Union of the Swedish Sami People (SSR) is a permanent central
organisation that was established in 1950. A popularly elected Sami
Parliament (Sametinget) has also been established that represents
the interests of this minority in various connections. In fact, this
Sami Parliament is one of the secretariats that administrate the new EU
Objective 1 programme in northern Sweden.
The reindeer
is important in the Sami culture
No one is
certain how long the Sami have herded reindeer. As early as 100 A. D. a
Roman historian
wrote about the Fenni who lived in the far north. The reindeer
became the mainstay of these nomadic people since it was a source of
food, tendons and sinews for sewing and leather for clothing and shoes,
as well as transportation. Reindeer breeding is something of a unique
land-based industry as the only factor that can be controlled is the
effort of the reindeer breeder. Weather, temperature, the availability
of grazing grounds and natural disturbances are all variables that
cannot be controlled. As the Sami and their reindeer are so closely
attuned to Nature, changes in the seasons have a direct effect on the
way of life. Reindeer breeding requires large grazing areas, which
extend from the Norwegian border in the west to the Baltic Sea in the
east.
The estimated
number of Sami is 50,000 to 75,000 of which 15,000 to 20,000 live in
Sweden. It is said that during the last few decades there had been a
large emigration of Sami from the traditional Sami areas; subsequently,
about 20 % live outside the counties of Norrbotten, Västerbotten and
Jämtland. Although only about 10 % of the Sami in Sweden make a living
by reindeer breeding--roughly 2,300 to 2,700 people--it is considered a
fundamental part of the Sami culture and, according to Swedish law, can
only be carried on by the Sami. In Västerbotten there are 7 Sami
villages, 127 enterprises and some 51,800 reindeer.
For more
information about the Sami people and the reindeer click
http://www.itv.se/boreale/bovts.htm
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