sami people

reindeer herding is the traditional industry for the sami population. there are two types of sami herding, the one where they stay in the forest for the majority of the year. the other happens on the sweedish norway boarder, this is where the reindeer herds travel across to summer and winter pastures.

the sami people are the only people in the world who are legally allowed to farm and profit from reindeer herding. 

out of the 17,000 sami in sweeden 3,000 make their living from reindeer herding alone. the sami people own 850,000 reindeer out of the 4-5 million worldwide.... that is a big number.

there are several problems to reindeer herding.

• modern development of the forest areas for farming and forestery mean that there is a limited supply of land for the traditional reindeer herding 
• the development and infrastructure often means permanent roads being constructed in the forests, this limits the aout of lichen that can grow in the forest area around the stubs of the trees. 
• due to the chopping down of trees in the forests snow displacement means that thereindeer have to dig deeper to find the food source underneath the snow
• there is also problems with seperation of the herds menaing that the sami have to use non traditional methods to herd their reendeer such as snowmobiles and helicoptors.

there are problems with modern technology encroaching on the sami people and their traditional economic activities.

the modernisiation of the world means that many sami children have to go to boarding schools further south to get an education that is satisfactory by the european standards.

the loss of traditional clothing in favour for newer more fashionable clothes means a loss of culture and traditions. there are just the few who participate in the traditional dress code.

there is also a threat to the newer modern cultures encroaching for the development of the northern hemisphere

there is less amd less people going into sami herding now adays due to the negative economic impacts reindeer herding.  

the sami were origionally a nomadic, semi-nomadic culture that followed the reindeer herds to the summer and winter breeding and feeding herds.

they inhabit the upper hemisphere of northen sweeden, norway, finland and russia. 

there are about 17,000 sami living in this secluded culture that is rich and sustainable. they love off the land and the reindeer herds by their skins, and their meat and their milk.

the sami are the only people allowed to farm reendeer in the whole world!!!