Wayfinders Circle 2022 Annual Report - Flipbook - Page 28
SELECTED INVESTMENTS
SÁmiiD
Riikkasearvi
SWEDEN
One of the most important achievements of Samiid
Riikkasearvi (RSR), Sweden is their legal struggle for
land rights and hunting and ûshing rights, as reindeer
husbandry is at the core of Saami culture. Established
in 1950, the National Association of Saami in Sweden
is composed of 17 member associations and 44 Saami
reindeer herding communities in the northern 40% of
Sweden. Within the community, reindeer herding
families have their own herds, and the tradition is
passed down from generation to generation.
The Saami have achieved impressive legal gains. They
have trained members in legal issues, and connected
with academics who provide them with historical data
about their ancestral property and way of life in order
to bolster legal arguments. In recent years, commercial
interests have been increasing pressure on their territory for their land and resources (mining, illegal logging
and wind farms). These pressures and the eûects of
climate change (long winters and unusually high
summer temperatures) are gravely aûecting the
reindeer's natural feeding. Herders have to resort to
purchasing supplementary feed for their herds, or
relocating reindeer to other grazing sites.
Because of this, the Samiid Riikkasearvi is working on
returning to their traditional knowledge and practices
as a strategy for adaptation and resilience to climate
change. At the same time, they want Saami youth to
learn about and value reindeer herding, and strengthen their identity in a context where Saami youth are
discriminated against by the national society.
The Saami are advocating for political change. One of
the biggest achievements of recent years was the
Supreme Court ruling in Sweden in January 2020, that
Girjas (a Saami reindeer herding community) has
more of a right to ûsh and hunt in its reindeer-grazing
area than the Swedish State. Furthermore, these rights
are exclusive. This means that Girjas controls its own
ûshing and hunting rights and can also transfer them
to others. The outcome of the case gives Girjas the
opportunity and the right to license hunting and ûshing
within this speciûc area.
Samiid Riikkasearvi advocates that all other Saami
reindeer herding communities in Sweden should be
given equal ûshing and hunting rights within their
reindeer-grazing area. They have appointed experts to
the committee concerning the Reindeer Husbandry Act
and the working-group of the Swedish Saami Parliament concerning future organization of the reindeer
herding communities.
Sámiid Riikkasearvi established a sustainable management system in 2022 for resource use of hunting and
ûshing resources in the mountain areas within the
reindeer herding area in Sweden. They used traditional
knowledge of land management and resource use in
order to build a management system based on Saami
ecosystem guardianship.
WAY F I N D E R S C I R C L E
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ANNUAL REPORT
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2022
28