The Sami
and their land, Sápmi
The Sami have never had an own country with official borders but they do have a common parliament being elected and driven to enforce the rights and interests of the Sami people.
The landscapes called “Lapland” in both northern Sweden and Finland are actually just small parts of the whole Sápmi, which is a huge area including 51 villages all over Scandinavia. It reaches from the Atlantic Ocean in northern Norway over Idre in the highlands of Sweden all the way over to northern Finland as well as to the Kola peninsula in Russia. The Sami population living in this spacious area has been breeding reindeer since as early as mankind can remember.
In earlier days, the Sami were making a living as hunters and fishermen and coexisted with the rest of the Scandinavian population, which in those days also were hunters and fishermen as well as farmers, forest owners and lumberjacks. As the areas can not be used for traditional farming, due to the short growing season, many people that live here still collect the edible treasures of nature – as well as some tourists do.
In Jämtland and Härjedalen we still have 11 Sami villages. These are not villages in the common meaning of this word though. A Sami village is merely an area where unions and single entrepreneurs breed their reindeer herds.
Traditions
On February 6th the Sami are celebrating their national day by hoisting their flag, which is common for all Sami people no matter in what region they live. The colours of the flag – being red, blue, green and yellow – are part of the traditional Sami costumes, as well. These four colours symbolize the so called survival elements:
Green – plants/nature and the land Sápmi as the foundation for survival.
Blue – water – the elixir of life.
Red – warmth and love.
Yellow – the sun which stands for a sustainable life.
The circle on the flag is the symbol for both the sun and the moon – the sun ring is red and the moon ring is blue.
But the circle is also a sign for spirituality which ties the four elements together.
Sami souvenirs
During your adventure trip you may visit the Sami in both Sweden and Norway. Here you will have the chance to buy handcrafted goods with the spirit and style of the Sami. You may take a little souvenir or a larger decorative item home with you. Classic Samit crafts are for example jewellery made out of tin or silver, ceramics and glasses, knives, reindeer skins and leather.
A visit at a Sami restaurant can be one of the highlights of your trips. Here you can get the genuine taste of a traditional Sami dish – with reindeer meat, of course. Some Sami dishes are also being served at our restaurant at Skarvruets Högfjällshotell and if you would like to take some Sami food home with you, we can supply you with different kinds of specialities.
The Sami culture
The Sami are the native inhabitants of Scandinavia and their tribes and reindeers live a lifestyle that is closely tied to the seasons, still today. Throughout history, the Sami have left only very few tracks in the nature, as they have great respect for their environment. It is a fundamental part of their culture to never take more from nature than you actually need to survive and to touch and change the environment as little as possible in order to keep it in the best condition for the generations to come. Sapmi often gets called “the last wilderness of Europe”. However, tracks of the Sami culture can be found all over the area – you just need to know how to spot the signs of their culture.
The language
The language of the Sami consists of many dialects, while the south, east and central Sami dialects are the most common ones. One example for the richness of nuances is that there are more than 100 different words for snow as well as to describe the reindeers. This may be another proof for the genuine love of the Sami for nature and animals.
Eight seasons
The Sami are also called the “tribe of the eight seasons” which relates to the traditional 8 seasons under one year of reindeer breeding. Breeders work and live outdoors with the animals all year round using some modern appliances like snowmobiles or even helicopters.
“7 Swedes on snowmobiles will leave 7 tracks – 7 Sami on snowmobiles will leave 1 track.” as the Sami say to express that they are very aware of how machinery effects the nature that they seek to preserve.
However, during their eight seasons, the Sami and the reindeer are moving along a couple of hundred kilometres of paths between their different pasture grounds. Especially in autumn, winter and spring your chances are high to meet larger groups on your journey through the highlands.
We are surrounded by the three Sami villages Mittådalen, Ruvthen Sitje and Handöldalen while there are some more across the border around the area of Röros.
How to behave when you spot reindeer
- Never approach a herd directly. Reindeer are not aggressive. However, you do not want to get run over by them when they panic.
- Keep dogs on the leash.
- If you walk past them, for example on a hike, pass them in a calm and respectful way.
- Rather use goggles to watch them and keep a safe distance.
- Many reindeer wear reflex item to make them visible. Keep your eyes open and, please, do not drive to fast with your car in order to avoid accidents.
- Should you have an accident with a reindeer, mark the place with something colourful to warn others and then call the police and give them the best possible description of the place of the accident.
- When reindeer stand on the road and block your way, please be patient. Do not honk or shout. You may take down the window of your car and take a picture. Reindeer mostly leave the road quite quickly.
Please take care of the highland areas as being the working place and the home of the Sami.
Their culture is an important part of our region in Härjedalen and around Röros.
We welcome you as our guest to Sápmi-Sameland!
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