NATURE AT THE COST OF WEALTH
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Modernization: indigenous population’s resources and traditions in danger
Image credit: Terje Rekke, Nordic Life
Nature at the cost of wealth
The Samis, indigenous people of North Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula, put up with new infrastructures while their resources and way of life are disrupted.
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Known to live in harmony with nature, the Samis are living at the whim of the seasons to continue practicing reindeer husbandry. For them, taking care of reindeer is not only a source of income but also, a way of life.
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Indeed, the Lapps are following the reindeer’s tracks continuously because those animals are one of their greatest resources. Used as a bartering system, for their meat or their wool, the reindeer have always been very important for the Sami people.
According to what Michel Cabouret, senior member of the Geographical Society of Finland, wrote in his report about the Sami people, 2,150 individuals had reindeer herding as a main activity in 1987 and 73,978 over 239,623 were breed for meat production.
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At the time, each local Sami community had the power to manage its own resources and social issues present on its territory. These communities have been called siidas. It can also be called cearru, sita or kite in other Sami languages.
Did you know?
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- The Sami reindeer industry has specific seasons for calving, marking, counting, castrating and slaughtering.
- There are 250,000 reindeer in Sweden
- More than 4,700 people are owing a reindeer in Sweden
- There are 51 samebys/siidas in Sweden (reindeer herding areas)
- Reindeer can graze over 50% of Sweden’s surface. But not all of this surface is suitable for a reindeer.
- Reindeer eat lichen, grass herbs and mushrooms as well.
Data from :https://sweden.se/society
Moreover in Norway, the Lapps can use the word reinbeitesdistrikt or paliskunta in Finland, which both means “reindeer pasture district”. Whereas in Sweden, they use the term sameby to talk about reindeer herding districts which literally means “Sami village”.
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However, the Sami people encountered difficulties with the states they were living in. Many wanted to exploit the numerous resources which the Sápmi were overflowing. Because of other humans activities and industries such as exploitation of minerals and energy resources, landscapes changed and it was harder to breed animals or to fish in some places.
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Today, the large-scale reindeer herding is still existing. But, the Sami people are directly impacted by the new infrastructures disturbing their activities and its territory is diminishing little by little.
Traditions change along with modernization
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Even though no project is really threatening reindeer herding, many little actions have gradually impacted on the activity. Today, herders have to act differently and reshape their way of doing since the practice is evolving at the same time with modernity and technology.
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Because of new infrastructures, the Samis have to adapt themselves to new means and this directly influence their work with the reindeer. Now, those taking care of the reindeer have to shift the herds either by boat or truck between summer and winter pastures.
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Although it makes them win time, it is a lot more expensive and therefore, not that advantageous. At the time, it didn’t cost anything for them since herders were moving on foot or on skis.
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And because of new technologies replacing their traditional ways, the Lapps are afraid that modernity will erase their identity for the profit of trade and the wealth of a larger cause. In an interview for the National Geographic made by Scott Wallace on 1 March 2016, Aili Keskitalo, president of the Sami Parliament, states:
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“We are used to having to adapt. But we cannot adapt ourselves to death.”
New infrastructures perturbing an entire ecosystem
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On 1 April 2014, a new project called Kalvvatnan was signed. A windfarm of 40 km2 is going to be constructed in the Municipality of Bindal, County of Nordland, in Norway. Estimated at 625 GWh, the construction will provide electricity to 31,250 households.
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However this project along with the power lines that are going to be constructed in Nordland, will affect a lot on the Lapps lives. Keskitalo argues that those infrastructures will disrupt the summer grazing lands and the reindeer migrations. And, along with new technologies, industries can also disrupt Northern Scandinavia.
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Evolving a lot in Europe, the mineral industry is growing and countries such as Sweden, Finland and Norway are concerned. In Norway, two mining projects are topical. One will be held in the Repparfjord, led by the mining company Nussir ASA. The other one will be held by Nordic Mining in Førdefjorden.
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Originally, waste tailings of the Repparfjord project were supposed to be stored on land but the company finally agreed with the government that the elements could be left in a fjord. This action was supposed to avoid bad consequences for the reindeer herders but at the end, the wastes will affect the water, the fishes and by extension, the fishermen and the Sami people.
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In an interview with the National Geographic Oyvind Ravna, a law professor expert in indigenous affairs of the University of Tromso declares:
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“Now it will be much more of a challenge for the local fishermen. So they just moved the problem from one place to another.”
Both projects have been contested by environmental groups, marine experts and indigenous people considering that the submarine tailings disposal is going to be used, practice which became polemic and problematic because its questionable waste management. Hardly used in the world, only five countries are practicing it and some are actually speaking about banning it.
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Moreover, 40 years ago, another mining project was held in Repparfjord and this ended in affecting the quality of the water in the area and therefore, destroying almost the entire fishing industry. Therefore, the marine scientists are even more afraid that the same scenario will happen again, impacting on the entire ecosystem.
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Besides, conservationists are protesting because both sites are classified a “national salmon fjords”. As a result, they are protected areas and the projects shouldn’t be authorized. Several marine research institutes have declared the mining project of Repparfjord as environmentally irresponsible.
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At the end, the decision did not change and the projects are still topical. In addition, Nussir ASA declared that the project in Repparfjord was going to be bigger than expected and that around 66 million tons of copper will be extracted. Tord Lien, Minister of Petroleum and Energy admits that those projects can not only have an impact on the Lapps but on the biological diversity and landscapes as well.
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During an interview with Lieuwe Jan Hettema, Inga Susanne Hætta Triumf, a 77-year old Sami herder from Norway declares: “ÄŒáskejas used to be a nice place with a lot of green.” Speaking about the first infrastructures she remembers: “The research started little by little, but it became more and more”. Today, because of the mining projects the reindeer herder states: “We cannot go there with the reindeer, everything is damaged.”
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The Lapps living from hunting, fishing and reindeer husbandry are directly impacted by those decisions and the traditional lifestyle for the Sami are threatened because of modernization. Protests are being held and many people from conservationists, researches or indigenous people such as the Samis are against these projects.
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However, despite that modernity is infringing on the Samis and their way of life, it can be beneficial for the herders. Indeed, with the new means such as GPS collars to track the reindeer or means of transport such as snowmobiles to gather the reindeer together is a positive point.
The landscapes of Lapland
Image Credit:Vadim Sherbakov, Unplash