RECOGNITION: The Sámi Parliament

The Sámi Parliament in Inari, Finland, encourages the Finnish government to recognize issues related to the Sámi people and their land.

Students learn about recognition at the Sámi Parliament in Inari, Finland. Photo: Becca Farnum

A major part of our experience in Finland was learning from the Sámi, the only group of indigenous people recognized in Europe. The Sámi live above the Arctic Circle in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, and traditionally live as reindeer herders. There are several distinct groups within the Sámi culture, speaking varied versions of the language and wearing different variations of the traditional dress. While many of the languages have died, a revival of Sámi language education over the past generation has maintained the prevalence of the culture in Finland. Overall, while the people and culture vary throughout the northern lands of Europe, the Sámi are united by a common history and bond with their native land.

The Sámi do, however, face a major challenge: they have little political power. The Sámi Parliament of Finland is a council made up of 21 members and four deputies (1). Unfortunately, this group does not have any official political power in conjunction with the Finnish Parliament, so their authority rests in Sámi cultural issues. They may also give opinions and suggestions to the Finnish Parliament.

While it is encouraging that the Sámi have a strong means of preserving their culture, I found it disheartening that Finland gives them little legal power over the land that has been theirs for so long. One major issue that the Sámi face is the oil drilling potential in their area. Oil reserves under their land are sought after by large companies in the hopes of earning a profit and it is up to the Finnish government to determine the legality of drilling.

Drilling can have a variety of negative effects on the landscape in the Arctic, such as taking away land for reindeer herding and contaminating northern Finland's pristine waters. Furthermore, oil spills could kill off the wildlife in the area, disrupting the food chain and therefore the Sámi, many of whom obtain food locally through herding, fishing, and hunting.

Finland is allowing the Sámi to participate minimally instead of fully recognizing them as a group with a deep connection and inherent right to their land. It is not fair that the future of their environment and therefore their livelihoods should be determined by those who do not share their culture, history, or lifestyle.

I am glad that I had this experience because I am now aware of an injustice that I did not know about before. While I have little power in Finland, I think that there is power in the spread of knowledge. If more people knew about the Sámi and their lack of recognition, I believe that there would be more widespread support for increased autonomy.

Sources:

(1) https://www.samediggi.fi/task/?lang=en