Sweden's reindeer row - 26-Dec-2007

The Sami, Europe's last indigenous people, have herded their reindeer across Lapland, for thousands of years.

Al Jazeera's Oliver Steeds reports from Sweden, where the Sami have recently lost a number of legal battles over their right to herd reindeer on some of their traditional winter grazing lands.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• aljazeera
• lapland
• reindeer
• Christmas
• indiginous
• Sweden
• Europe
• minority

[troytroyus]

Good video - hopefully they can have some of this land to preserve their culture.

[LouisianaGatorGirl]

Thank you for bringing the Sami's plight to the world's attention. It is true that the plight of the Sami is shared by indigenous people around the world. I live half a world away from Sweden. The indigenous people here are also losing their ancestral lands to private developers. These indigenous people have no idea that land could be owned and are completely at a loss after being displaced from their ancestral lands.

[mieroth]

@valhoundmom: So? They won eventually. You're being ignorant if you think this is an easy-to-solve problem. This has nothing to do with "social intolerance." It has to do with different people claiming rights over a piece of land. And don't tell me you're seriously arguing that everything is all rainbows and roses in Sami history. The Sami have as much of a definition of territory as anyone and have battled over it (primarily with other Sami groups). And it goes on and on...

[valhoundmom]

@mieroth At the time of the video they had NOT yet won, Seriously I'm not sure what YOUR problem is, I think maybe you don't understand English well, or I used too many unfamiliar words or something. Social intolerance is ALWAYS bad, and this is just one expression of it. The ONLY reason landowners are with in their rights is because one day they showed up with written documents saying the are. The Sammi do not have such and until the Land owners arrived they probably were not needed.

[mieroth]

@valhoundmom: This is not a black and white issue as you seem to think. Swedish law has for years been based on equality and giving special treatment to any group is because of this seen as a less-than-good thing. Land owners are perfectly within their rights to complain about the Sami as well. The feud between the land-owners and Sami is long-going but the Sami did eventually win. In high court no less, meaning few land owners are likely to sue again. So what's your problem, exactly?

[valhoundmom]

@mieroth that would be my point! It is a nasty practice to walk into an area used traditionally by nomadic people write a deed then claim the traditional herders have no claim since they have no deed. The court finding a judgement that holds the Sami to a binding monetary judgement for some imaginary "damages" is hideous! That is what I am ranting about. In case I'm not explaining well, I am agreeing- and these practices amount to a type of passive genocide.

[mieroth]

@valhoundmom: Why would traditions be written in law? Swedish traditions aren't and Swedes are indigenous to the southern parts of the country. The only real aspect of culture defined by law is language, and Sami is an official minority language in Sweden. So overall I'm not sure what you're ranting on about. Private land owners having tensions with the Sami is nothing new and the Swedish government has in recent years come to no decision which would be detrimental to Sami culture. o.O

[TheAddicted77]

@ColleenLass yeah waha, thank you and you too

[ColleenLass]

@TheAddicted77

I respect your decision.

Have a great day (eve?).

[TheAddicted77]

@ColleenLass and i dont wish to start a debate please

[TheAddicted77]

@ColleenLass yes i am, im not saying whats right or wrong, im just telling you the both sides, people are making animals suffer on both sides, both swedes and samis, but there is ways to find balance again between prey and predator, im living right in the middle of it