- Title: SWEDEN: FEATURE - SAAMI PEOPLE (LAPLANDERS)
- Date: 8th November 1994
- Summary: REUTERS TELEVISION - NOONAN WINTER SUN/ LANDSCAPE/ MOUNTAIN/ REINDEER HERDER ON CELLULAR PHONE/ HERDER ON PHONE ON FROZEN LAKE/ SNOWMOBILE/ SUN AND LANDSCAPE/ VARIOUS OF REINDEER HERDERS IN MOUNTAINS ON SNOWMOBILE HERDING REINDEER/ HERDS OF REINDEER/ SAAMI NATIVE, REINDEER HERDER PETER BLYNND SAYING THE ONE THING IS ECONOMICAL, YOU DO IT FOR A LIVING, THE SECOND IS YOU
- Embargoed: 23rd November 1994 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KIRUNA AND SURROUNDS, SWEDEN (APPROX 250 KILOMETRES NORTH OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE)
- City:
- Country: Sweden
- Topics: General,Lifestyle
- Reuters ID: LVA2SYIWU8RGD5KMR8RZCMRW58OS
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: As Sweden prepares to vote in the referendum on joining the European Union, the country's Laplanders are resisting the move to integrate into Europe.
North of Sweden's Arctic Circle the Laplanders, or Saami people as they prefer to be called, are living a life similar to that of their ancestors.
Cave drawings may have been replaced by digital cellular phones and snow shoes may have given way to snow mobiles but reindeer herding remains at the heart of the Saami community which continues to live close to nature. The community is sceptical of changing its ways to adapt to those of the European Union.
In the Arctic climate where the sun barely arcs over the horizon in winter months, vast expanses of mountainous terrain are open to herds of reindeer.
Herders use snowmobiles to round up their animals in early winter so they can graze and be fed in the low lands in the freezing mid winter months.
The work is arduous as bone-jarring rides and sub-freezing temperatures make a daily routine physically exhausting.
The life and mystique of the reindeer men is central to the Saami culture and even their language. More importantly, the reindeer business accounts for the economy of almost fourty per cent of the Swedish Saami economy.
Some Saami see membership in the European Union (EU) as an opportunity to expand their markets for the lean red meat, durable warm furs and handicrafts. Most Saami, however, are fearful that the meticulous rules and legislation produced in distant Brussels would ruin their homelands and culture.
The Saami have always lived with a great respect for their beautiful yet harsh surroundings, engaging in a econologically-sound relationship.
EU membership conjures up visions of a wild expansion of tourism and the mining industry - unchecked development is a paramount concern as well as the spectre of losing their indigenous language.
In some areas, Saami schools teach the language alongside English and Swedish.
Folklore, science, Saami music and mathematics are also taught in the native tongue.
In Saami day care centres, the youngsters are instilled with a sense of dignity and pride in their background and participate in handicraft lessons and singalongs.
By the time they are ready to leave school, many children are eager to work in a traditional profession like reindeer herding or handicraft making.
One woman's handicraft co-operative was established because it was found that many women were creating things alone at home and because work was hard to find outside the bigger cities in the south.
Now, traditional handicrafts have a solid place in the cutlure's staying power and its economy. Workers in the cottage industry also believe that membership in the EU may strip away the uniqueness of their lives.
Those who live off the land through ice fishing, hunting and herding are afraid of the infringement of their habitat. Their remote environment, though harsh, is relatively unspoiled and the Saami do not want to trust a bureaucracy thousands of kilometres away in Brussels with something they have worked to preseve throughout generations. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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