The “Sámi” people are the northernmost indigenous people of Europe and are considered by some as the only indigenous people of Scandinavia. They inhabit “Sápmi”, comprising of parts of Northern Sweden, Northern Norway, Finland and the Russian northwestern peninsula of Kola. Their best-known means of livelihood remains semi-nomadic reindeer herding which provide them with meat, fur, and transportation. Today’s reindeer herding requires large areas, and with the help of snow mobiles the herders often manage to direct the herds to specific areas of natural pastures in short time. The conditions in which the Sámi do their reindeer herding can be extreme. To be able to manage and survive the conditions it has been and still is important for herders to have knowledge of landscape, such as of grazing or snow conditions which have passed down the generations. The Sámi culture thus remains a wonderful mix of traditional knowledge and modernisation.
