Presenter: Bennett Hubbard
Mentor: Yvonne Braun
PM Poster Presentation
Poster 16
The Saami, an ethnic group indigenous to a large portion of land that stretches from Norway into Sweden, Finland, and Russia, have persevered under harsh assimilation regulations enforced by the nation-states in which they have resided in for centuries. While significant improvements have been made, Saami communities within northern Sweden, where some research was conducted, have suffered under legislation that has been deemed “progressive” by the Swedish Riksdag, in which the Saami have no representation. This legisla- tion is both an improvement of previous policies maintained by the Swedish government and yet is still limited in their understanding of Saami identity and culture and presupposes that all Saami communities have the same needs and values. Examples of such legislation include the Reindeer Act of 1971, which recently has served as a catalyst for towns in northern Sweden and the Swedish Supreme Court to forbid Saami reindeer herding in several areas. Industrial growth in northern Sweden has also impacted Saami livelihood and has influenced legal perceptions regarding Saami identity, as shown with Sweden’s reluctance to sign on to ILO Convention 169, which recognizes the rights that indigenous peoples have regarding land use. As such, this legislation of identity has caused much distress for Saami communities, many of which are rural and underdeveloped. This raises questions regarding the role that indigenous peoples have in a democratic society and how legislation can inform those roles.