Reindeer Blog

Three young Sami reindeer herders from Härjedalen,  Sweden have started a blog where they write about their everyday life as reindeer herders in this area. The reason for the blog is an ongoing law suit, where the Sami villages have lost their rights to reindeer grazing in this area. And while an agreement would appear [...]

One of the largest wind farms in the world is being built in northern Sweden but not everyone is pleased about it. The turbines cut across an area used by Sweden’s indigenous Sámi reindeer herders. An hour’s drive inland from the town of Piteå, a dozen wind turbines tower over the surrounding forest. In the [...]

A recent study published in the International Journal for Circumpolar Health concluded that reindeer herding Sami in Sweden, most particularly men, were more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than others.  Entitled “Depression and anxiety in the reindeer-herding Sami population of Sweden” , the objectives were to investigate symptoms and predicting factors of depression [...]

The Saami Council, the NGO that represents the Sami people in all four countries in which they live have released a strongly worded press release criticising the German bank KfW IPEX for their funding of a giant wind power project in Sami reindeer herding areas, in contravention of the OECD Convention on Multilateral Enterprises. In [...]

On Wednesday, October 7th, the Ministers of Agriculture in Norway and Sweden signed the new Norwegian-Swedish Reindeer Grazing Convention. The Convention contains provisions for how reindeer herding is conducted over the border. The background to the negotiations is that the 1972 Reindeer Grazing Convention expired in 2005 and had to be replaced with a new [...]

(Press Release, Saami Council) The Saami people say a mining project in Northeastern Sweden, proposed by a Canadian company, threatens their traditional way of life and violates their basic human rights, as recognized by the United Nations. On 31 August 2009, Blackstone Ventures Inc., a Vancouver-based mining company, announced plans to begin test-drilling for minerals [...]

  The documentary ‘Herdwoman’ by Kine Boman tells the stories of  three Sami reindeer herding women in Sweden of different generations and their lives with the reindeer herds. Their thoughts, dreams and memories show their view of lifes essential values. When a court case questions their ancient rights to reindeer pasture their life as reindeer keepers [...]

Vapsten Sami village in Sweden has been granted state aid which enables them to test new methods in monitoring reindeer. Now, the reindeer will be fitted with GPS transmitters. Jon Mikkal Labba, the leader of the Vapsten Sami village, says that he begins his working day by turning on the computer, to see how the reindeer [...]

Handölsdalens sameby har ansökt om skyddsjakt på fem järvar och fem lodjur. Ansökan ligger nu hos Naturvårdsverket. Beslut väntas komma inom kort. ”Över 50 000 renar blir rovdjursföda” Lennart Blindh som är ordförande i Handölsdalens sameby tror att varje sameby förlorar omkring 1000 renar varje år på grund av rovdjur. I Sverige finns det drygt [...]

Även om beskedet att det kanadensiska bolaget, Northland Resources fått tillstånd att bryta järnmalm i Pajala, så finns oron hos Muonio sameby kring vilka konsekvenser det får för renskötseln. / The Canadian mining company, Northland Resources has received permission to mine iron ore in Pajala, and as a result, there are concerns among Muonio Sameby [...]