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The Sami way
Saemieh, the reindeer people.
The Sami's language, traditional clothing, handicraft, and
music, are distinctively different from other ethnic groups in
Scandinavia.
In Sweden there is 44 native communities where the families
derives most of the income from their reindeers, an economy that
in most cases is combined with fishing, hunting and crafts.
A majority of the Sami population pursue other careers however,
since there isn't enough space for everyone in a habitat that is
constantly shrinking due to mining operations, clean-cutting of
the forests and the construction of hydroelectric power plants.
The "Reindeer Husbandry Law" of 1971, allows the Sami some
freedom for the economical life within the native communities.
The present law, like its predecessors, does however only
regulate the rights of Sami's involved in the reindeer
husbandry. So only those Sami's who carry out reindeer herding
have any native land and water rights in the Sami nation. The
land and water rights of Sami fishermen and hunters or other
Sami's have never been covered by law.
Most Sami's do however have a family member or a relative who in
some way are involved with the reindeers. So the reindeers are
still fundamental to the Sami culture and society, with the
possible exception for the fishing Seasami's of north-western
Norway.
As with most indigenous peoples the Sami never has had an
sovereign state of their own and today they live in an area
which have been divided by Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.
Currently, there are Sami political, cultural and youth
organizations in all four countries and a Sami Parliament in
each of the three Scandinavian ones.
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