Help Protect the Sami People
Greetings from the Northern hemisphere,
The Saami People ( Indigenous Peoples of Sweden, Norway, Finland and northwestern Russia - Saami country called Sapmi) have experienced a series of lawsuits by Swedish landowners. Saami village after Saami village has been dragged to court in disputes over wintergrazing lands for their reindeers. Village after village has lost in the Swedish courts, left with huge amounts of costs to pay.
We kindly ask that you join us in urging the Swedish authorities to stop this madness and instead take measures to protect the Saami People and their way of life.
The Saami Parliament and the Saami Council have both sent protest letters to the Swedish Prime Minister, urging him and the government to correct these violations on the Saami People.
Sincerely
Carina Gustafsson
Hello everybody!
Copy the e-mail below, paste it into a new message and send it to your contacts on the internet. Also send an e-mail to the Swedish Minister of Agriculture, Mrs Ann-Kristin Nykvist at Mrs. Ann-Kristin Nykvist
The minister is responsible for Saami issues in Sweden. Thank you!
In the name of the Saami people! For the protection of Saapmi!
Lilian Mikaelsson
Rödingsträsk/Farsta
[sample letter]
send to Mrs. Ann-Kristin Nykvist
To the Swedish Minister of Agriculture, Mrs. Ann-Kristin Nykvist
I am deeply concerned regarding the weak position of Saami rights in the Swedish judicial system. The non-existing judicial protection of ancient traditional Saami rights within Swedish law is a threat against future existence not only for the Saami reindeer herders, but for the indigenous Sámi people as a whole!
In an article in the Swedish paper Dagens Nyheter of 23rd October 2005, the distinguished professors Mrs. Louise Bäckman (prof. religious science); Mr. Hugh Beach (cultural anthropologist); Mr. Daniel Lindmark (historian); Mr. Peter Sköld (historian and Saami social developement); and Mr. Öje Danell of the Reindeer Herding Science, jointly wrote; "The Saami Culture as a whole is threatened.
In trials persued by Swedish landowners, the Saamis with their reindeers are forced to leave winter-grazing pastures - land that once belonged to the Saamis and that they continously have used from time immemorial. Swedish law has to be changed in a way that considers the distinctive character and history of Saami reindeer herding. Otherwise the Saami culture will not survive! The burden of proof must be on the landowners to show that the Saamis do not have the right to use certain areas. (As it is now, the Saami has been forced to prove their title to the land.) The responsibility lies with the political legislative assembly that has to make this decision now. If the Swedish politicians maintain their passive attitude, the concequences for the Saamis will be devastating! Political passiveness today, will cause devastating effects that will be beyond comprehension."
Swedish law is designed to fit a western life style and private land ownership. Throughout history, every new border created, and every measure taken to protect the Saami territory (the Laplander border of 1751 and the Limit of Agriculture of 1867), as well as Saami life style, has proven to be useless, and has in reality led to further restraints and further inevitable intrusions upon traditional Saami territory.
Both the E.U. Human Rights Survey Commission, and the U.N. Anti-Racial Committer have brought to attention the shortcomings by Swedish authorities on the local as well as national level, and have asked to live up to the U.N. Anti-Racial Convention with respect to the Saami people. These failures are a threat against the Saami peoples, and demands for explanations have been made to the Swedish state.
What actions will the Minister take regarding the many and in numbers increasing land disputes between land owners and Saami villages?
Will the Swedish Minister of Agriculture with responsabilities for Saami issues, act in favour of an alteration of Swedish law to strenghten the rights of Saami reindeer herding?
Will the Swedish Minister of Agriculture act in a way that the Saami Rights will be taken into consideration regarding earlier compulsory acquisition of land lost due to the discriminatory judicial system?
Will the Swedish Minister of Agriculture act for compensation to the Saami villages regarding costs, debts and demands resulting from legal disputes?
Will the Swedish Minister of Agriculture make sure to immediately establish the necessary process of negotiations with the Saami parliament, Saami villages and other parties concerned with intent to correct earlier made mistakes and injusticies, and by doing so preparing grounds for sustainable future for all of the Saami people? In signing this document I wish to show my solidarity with the Saami people. They stand without the protection of Swedish law, which can be demanded by citizens living in a state governed by law.
My opinion is that Sweden in its passiveness in these matters strenghtens non-Saami opinions that others have stronger rights to Saami territory. I demand an alteration of law that considers the distinctive character and history of the Indigenous Peoples, the Saami and the reindeer herding. I direct my urgent request to the Minister of Agriculture in Sweden, Mrs. Ann-Kristin Nykvist, so that she immediately takes action against the trials; so that she takes the nessesary steps for the protection and the survival of the Saami people, the Saami reindeer herding and the Saami Culture.
I lookg forward to a reply and clear answers from the Minister.
Sincerely,
[your name, address + country]
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Special thanks to Gina Boltz for passing this information on.
Contents
December 2005 Reports
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Last updated on December 05, 2005