Mikael Sokero, Lotta Viljamaa, Noora Maria Hagman,
Heli Tikkanen, Maria Nurminen
Academic English
Fall of 2012
Final Essay
How do land ownership issues effect the ethnic identities of the Finnish
Sami people?
1. Introduction
The Sami peoples are the only indigenous people in the European Union. They inhabit mainly
four countries in the northern Europe: Norway, Sweden, Russia and Finland. This paper will
examine the changing identities of the Sami population as a minority group in Finland during
the independence era hence from 1917 onwards. The Sami populations are as a whole rather
heterogenous respectively. Different Sami people have different and sometimes overlapping
interests and desires and the peoples are often represented and thought as, from the majority
perspective, rather homogenous. This should always be taken into account when analysing
the minority question of Sami peoples in Finland. In this paper the Sami minorities will be
approached in the Finnish context territorially given that data is more easily accesible and
there is a quite wide literature written in Finland on the questions this essay attempts to
touch upon. Also the writers find it far more interesting to analyse the land ownership and the
clash of interests between the Sami and largely the Finnish and the authorities of the Finnish
state that has escalated to a slow pace land conflict in the northernmost parts of Finland.
It seems that in a global scale when indigenous people, that are by their identities minorities
compared to the majority of the people living in the territory, circumstances for a potential of
contradiction between the two groups exists. According to Tajfel social identity is defined as
individual knowledge of belonging to a social group coupled with personal significance of
belonging to the group that is shaped by his or hers values. Also it must be pointed out that
the belonging is somewhat cognitive. This essay adopts a rather similar conception of social
identity. Moreover Sami peoples are defined in this essay as by the Sami parliament’s
definition that holds as a primary condition the knowledge of one of the Sami languages
(Aanar Sami, Northern Sami and Skolt Sami). According to the legislation also one of
conditions is that the person identifying as Sami one of his or hers parents or grandparents
has spoken or is speaking one of the Sami languages as his or hers first language.
(Saamelaiskäräjät)
The focus of this essay in terms of stakeholders is the Sami people living in the region of Inari,
speaking Aanar Sami language (Inari as the biggest city in the region dictates the name Aanar
Sami) and their historical experience of the ever changing circumstances.
2. Review of literature
The following three works are considered the most important writings regarding the essay in
hand. Other sources alongside the three are used as well and they will be presented in the
bibliography.
2.1 Social identity and intergroup relation relations edited by Henri Tajfel
Tajfels theories of social identity and self-conception have been the basis of this essay.
Tajfel sees the social identity partly formed by the conception of belonging to a certain
category such as social groups. Social identities are also seen as a subsystem of selfconcept. Also in the book John C. Turner has incorporated and cooperated with Henri
Tajfels work.
2.2 Social identity edited by Naomi Ellemers, Russel Spears and Bertjan Doosje
The article’s most important point is to show how the process of self-categorising to a
certain social group has effects the way groups behave and conceive one another. In this
process the editors argue that while individuals categorize themselves to the social groups
the groups per se become more salient than individuals personal identities. This approach
could be incorporated to this essay through the concept of strategical identification that in
the case of Sami people is reflected as social grouping and hence gaining more bargaining
power in the task of gaining land ownership to their historical territories. Primarily John C.
Turner’s article will be utilized in the essay.
2.3 Shaping Ethnic Identities: Ethnic Minorities in Northern and East Central
European States and Communities, c.1450-2000 edited by Marko Lamberg
The article deals with the strategy of adopted by the Sami People for managing their
identity and for engaging in what eventually came to be their identity politics. The
settings consist of multiethnic local community in time of varying cultural pressure. The
article asks did the multicultural society in Inari emerge through marginalization kor
inclusion? Also what kind of ethno and identity political manifestations did the Sami come
up with? The article is historically orientated so that the utilization in regards with this
essay is the both historical and strategical value it has to offer. Primarily Jukka
Nyyssönen’s article ”Constructing Sami ethnic identity within shifting Finnish territories:
How did the land owners become landless Sami?” will be used in the essay.
3. Analysis
In the first place in the 14th century the Sami people in Inari had the right to livestock
primarily reindeer herding and fishing from the Siida system that held the kinship inheritance
order. The system changed when the Finland was incorporated to the Swedish crown and the
state of Sweden exproriated the land that belonged formerly to the Sami people. Nevertheless
the Sami were endowed to rent the exproriated land from the crown. That is how Sami people
were turned into landless from being land owners. During the 15th century a system of lap
boundary was introduced in where Sami people and the tenant farmers that forced the Sami
to move to periferic regions. The system was coupled with a fine. More and more Finnish land
tenants moved to the regions and took over livelihoods formerly dominated by the Sami. The
Swedish state gained more power at the time and a collective tax was introduced to Lapland
of Finland. The power formerly belonging to the villages’ elders was moved to royal byliffs
that futher isolated Sami people from power. Also typically tent court dwellings were replaced
by a Scandinavian model of building. New settlers came to Inari in 1757 and the traditional
way of living gave way to a more modern christianity based organization of life. Shortly after
Finland was incorporated to the Russian Crown significant changes didn’t appear although
infrastructure such as water plants and roads were constructed and the economic situation
was enhanced that led to Finnish people moving slowly to the northernmost areas in Finland.
Finland got it’s independence that included a great ethos towards nationalism. It of course
included an idea of one people, one language and one state. The Sami people were thought of
as a threat and the Sami experienced a vast assimilation urge by the Finnish. Racism towards
Sami was very common. The Siida system was abolished in 1924 which les to a situation
where Sami didn’t have any special rights including the formerly exproriated land. (Lamberg,
2007, ss. 158-199)
In regards with the development of the ethnic identities of Sami people the shifts have been
closely linked to the overall socio-economic changes concerning the Sami. Tajfel’s important
notion of a tendency among the minorities with a lower status is that often members of the
minority leave the group they were socialized in. This said it must be added that the
oppressive economic conditions, that certainly is a factor among Sami in terms of land
ownership, influence the decision among other factors that include psychological, language
and education issues. These all together have effect on the self perception of the self and
moreover the minority in general and reflect into leaving the group. This has been widespread
among Sami specially during the 1970’s when many moved to the south of Finland. (Lamberg,
2007, pp. 170-199) (Helkama;Myllyniemi;& Liebkind, 2007) These days a clear tendency
towards migrating back to the traditional areas where Sami people have lived due to general
trends, lack of knowledge of the languages and general acceptance of Sami people. (HS, 2012)
What comes to the connection between land ownership and ethnic identity the question of the
Sami people is interesting and multidimensional. In the case of Sami people in all countries
they inhabit (Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia) reindeer herding has traditionally been
conceived as a privilege of the Sami. Indeed Sami people have been largely reindeer herders at
least in the past. (Korhonen;Ruotsala;& Uusitalo, 2003) Here the importance of land ownership
becomes important. Since traditional livelihoods define indigenuity and therefore is the most
important dimension of the ethnic identity of the Sami it logically follows that when land
ownership is limited and lands are exproriated the identity is pushed to a process of change.
Sami people have been forced to change their traditional livelihood through shifts in access to
land and they have needed to adopt to new livelihoods which then again brings them closer to
the majority identities through labour markets. Also the defining point when being Sami has
been reindeer pasture and the livelihood has been something of inheritance (Svensson, 1976,
s. 27). There are also ethnically Finnish people who have been involved in reindeer pasture
and they have been framed by themselves but also by the media as the Lapps.
(Korhonen;Ruotsala;& Uusitalo, 2003, ss. 126-127) Nowadays the most important defining
factor of the Sami is indeed the language. Moreover in terms of land ownership when the Sami
people are migratiing back and livelihoods are diversifying and the number of people is
increasing it seems that land ownership is becoming less and less important when it comes to
ethnical identity.
Conclusions
It seems that land ownership has been important specially in the era of rather homogenous
livelihoods that means reindeer pasture in the case of the Sami people in Finland but also
other northern countries where Sami people live also today. In the circumstances of livelihood
diversification the maintenance of the ethnic identity takes new forms. Today the Sami people
enhance the knowledge of Sami languages more and more in order to maintain their identity.
Also culture for example music and theater are important channels of reproduction of the
identity as it is in constant change and under pressure in that sense. For example Ailu Valle is
prominent rap artist that uses northern Sami language. The language question is interesting
given that the use of Sami language has been prohibited during 1970’s and 1980’s. Nowadays
in the newest Finnish constitution from 2000 it contains that Sami people have the right to
maintain their cultural heritage for example in the terms of language. The appreciation of the
Sami languages has incresead in the process of Sami becoming more and more acceptable and
perhaps prestigioused in the Finnish society. These days the knowledge of some of the Sami
languages can be beneficial in terms of labour markets in the north of Finland.
Hence given these shifts in the identity environment Sami have become increasingly
psychologically strong minority from being a oppresed and weak minority group. Typically
these groups emphasize the differentiating characteristics of their minority identities and are
ready to stand up for their rights. It seems that the Sami peoples are about to fit into a such
category.
Lähdeluettelo
Helkama, K.;Myllyniemi, R.;& Liebkind, K. (2007). Johdatus Sosiaalipsykologiaan. Helsinki:
Edita.
HS. (2. Joulukuu 2012). Saamelaisuuden noste houkuttaa palaamaan. Saamelaisuuden noste
houkuttaa palaamaan .
Korhonen, T.;Ruotsala, H.;& Uusitalo, E. (2003). Making and Breking of Borders. Studia
Fennica.
Lamberg, M. (. (2007). Shaping ethnic identities - ethnic minorities in northern and east central
european states and communities, c.1450-2000. Helsinki: East-West Books.
Saamelaiskäräjät. (n.d.). Saamelaiskäräjät - Sami Parliament. Retrieved 2012 йил 29thNovember from
http://www.samediggi.fi/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=105&Itemi
d=104
Svensson, T. G. (1976). Ethnicity and Mobilization in Sami politics. Stockholm: LiberTryck.