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Norberg B. Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples – the Swedish Lap (Same, Sami), a model [culture]. Rondel 2011; 31. URL: http://www.rondellen.net/culture31_eng.htm

Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples
The Swedish Lap (Same, Sami), a model

Summary The UN Declaration of Human Rights is contradicted by the UN adoption of special rights for Indigenous Peoples. The Swedish Laps claim to be an indigenous people of Sameland, half the area of Sweden. At worst, this claim would include the dominion of 20,000 registered Sames over 800,000 non-registered Sames. At best, the claim includes negative discrimination of Swedes not registered as Sames. It is suggested that human rights should be the basic principle in order to produce equal rights among all citizens. The Laps of Sweden provide a model for scientific and political analysis of indigenous peoples in general.  Illustration: “The ravens” by Tomas Bannerhed (28).

Contents

Clash of different rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The History of Swedish Sames
The Nordmaling case
Modern Same science
Modern Lap literature
Role of trade and industry
Future of Human Rights – ten hypotheses
Conclusions
References

Clash of different rights

The terms Lap, Same and Sami are used as synonyms in the present analysis. The tensions between different groups and views in Sweden have been described in previous papers (1-7). For the sake of brevity, sources referred in previous papers will be noted as e.g (3:12), meaning the 12^th  reference in the 3^rd paper, in the present example the Torkel Tomasson history (1881-1940).

The group tensions in Sweden seldom lead to killing. And much of the historical evidence is still undestroyed. Thus, the Same problem of Sweden is a handy model for the analysis of aborigine problems all over the world.

The lobby organisations of the Swedish Laps claim that Laps are the indigenous people of Sweden, or at least northern Sweden (Norrland). Thus, the Laps are included in the rights of indigenous people adopted by UN; the number of the indigenous peoples are estimated to 370 millions (8).

The aim of the present analysis is to show that the rights of indigenous peoples adopted by UN (8) clash with the basic human rights declared by UN (9). Human rights belong to every individual of mankind, on principle without negative or positive discrimination.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Sometimes, The Declaration (9) has a tendency towards overstatement. “All human beings are born free and equal…”. The newborn appears to be totally bound, dependent on genes and context (parents, grandparents, clan, society).

In spite of overstatements, The Declaration (9) drafts basic principles, which aim at equal possibilities for each and every individual concerning rearing, education, jobs, propriety, fair jurisdiction, health care.

In contrast, The Adoption of Indigenous Peoples (8) claims special rights for special individuals due to history, ancestry, religion, language, profession, culture, geographical area.

In short, The Adoption (8) has been made a tool to bereave the neighbours of the alleged aborigines of their properties and rights and transfer resources to the networks representing the alleged aborigines.

The thesis of caprice in the choice of an “indigenous people” is illustrated by the Jewish state of Israel. Despite a history of 4,000 years in the land of Canaan, citizens of Israel are seldom considered an “indigenous people”.

The Swedish Laps provide an easier model for the analysis of the concept “indigenous people” than the Israelis. The political situation has been more stable for 500 years, the population statistics and the written  descriptions smaller in size and simpler.

And most important of all; the analysis of the Lap model is not likely to be shouted down by loud-speaking lobbyists.

The history of Swedish Sames

The present picture of the history of Swedish Sames is mainly based on the thesis of Lennart Lundmark (10), to a minor degree on the great overview by Urban Emanuelsson (11), and on previous papers (1-7).

Lundmark (10) embraces the concept of “the noble aborigine” marketed by Rosseau (1712-1778) and Voltaire (1694-1778). About conflicts with other noble tribes, infant mortality, mother mortality, famines, sudden ill death – nothing!  Only peace and harmony within tribe and around tribe!

Interestingly, Lundmark combines his adoration of the noble aborigine and his noble tribe with a conceptual framework of social ecology and Marxism. His sources were administrative material and trade records from the transactions between the Swedish state and the Laps in the period 1500-1700 CE.

On the geographical areas now claimed as Sameland (north-west part of present Russia, north parts of Finland, Sweden, Norway), there lived small tribes of hunters-gatherers until 1500 CE. These aborigines (Laps) spoke different Fenno-Ugrian dialects.

When the nations of present Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway emerged from 1500 CE and forth, the Laps could move over unguarded borders and trade for best options. Thus, they were endowed with special privileges (cf 6:11).

Lundmark (10) describes the trades and taxes of Swedish Laps, mainly in the central parts of Sameland (Luleå Lapmark), in the period 1500-1700 CE. In the period 1553- 1582, the number of Lap households in this area was 109 (median value, interquartile range 100-114, span 85-126).

The reindeer flocks of Luleå Laps between 1553 - 1582 ranged between 10-30 animals. The size of the herds suggest that they served mainly as transport animals and decoy animals.

An extrapolation of population statistics from Luleå Lapmark in the period 1553-1582 to the claimed Sameland in Sweden (Norrland) suggests a number of 500 – 1000 Lap households in the country during this period (cf 2,12).

The Laps were a small majority or a considerable minority in most shires of the claimed Sameland between 1500-1900 (7). For comparison, the small shire of Burträsk in the woodland between coast and fjeld had  about as many farms as Lap households in Luleå Lapmark during the same period (10,13);  the area of Luleå Lapmark is more than ten times the size of the area of Burträsk .

The Laps provided the state with fur, dried fish and, increasingly, meat and hides from reindeer in the period 1500-1700. The state provided the Laps with butter and flour. The interaction between Laps and state resulted in a marginal increase of Laps (10).

Lundmark (10) argues that Lap livelihood changed from hunter,, fisher and gatherer as late as around 1700. His conclusions are supported by the limited size of tame reindeer flocks in previous centuries and the observations of the great scientist Carolus Linnaeus 1732 (6:12).

The reason of the late conversion of the Laps from hunting to herding is thought to be the abundance of wild reindeer in the period 1500-1700; hunting requires less human energy than herding (10). Then the evolving reindeer nomadism of the Laps resulted in the eradication of wild reindeer in about 1850.

It should be emphasised that  Lap rights were private property in the period 1500-1900. These rights could be inherited, bought, and sold like other private property. However, the net flow of folk was into fishing and farming.

When a Lap settled, he was no longer recorded as a Lap. Reindeer were owned in many farms from coast to fjeld in the period 1500-1900.

From 1810 and forth, the small farms in the claimed Sameland expanded in number, often cultivated by Laps or descendants of previous Laps. Potatoes and barley in combination with hunting and fishing fed the people. Tar and timber became more important export articles than fur and fish. Thus, reindeer nomadism turned unprofitable during the 19^th century, in comparison with other livelihoods.

The Laps had no common language. During the period 1500-1800, they were appreciated producers of fur, fish, meat and hides. From a political point of view, the Laps also provided a barrier against Norway (Denmark). They were the rangers of Sweden.

In comparison with the farmers (settlers), there is no evidence that Laps were discriminated. The state wanted all subjects to live, thrive, and pay taxes. Thus, the production of the society increased, and so did its population.

In contrast to the Marxist interpretations of Lundmark (10), the interactions between the state, the farmers, the traders (Birkarlarna), and the Laps could be described as mutual co-operation, a winner-winner game for peace and prosperity (6:12, 11).

During the 19^th century, some scholars began to regard the Laps as an indigenous people out of racial prejudices in the political and intellectual nomenclatura of the time (6:11).

Inspired by the racial interpretations in the society, Swedish Laps held their first national moot in Östersund in 1918 (3:12). The conference language was Swedish, since the members of the moot did not understand the Lap dialects of each other.

The Nordmaling case

The Nordmaling case was described in the section “Indigenous people – hybrids are also humans?” in a previous work (7). The background was that Laps from Russia and Finland settled in the north apex of Sweden (Karesuando) from around 1850.

In the period 1920-1940, some immigrants in Karesuando were moved (dislocated) to Vapsten, 700 kilometres to the south-west. There they drove out the native Southern Laps of the shire from reindeer nomadism and other Lap privileges (7).

From about 1986, the Karesuando Laps ot Vapsten invaded the coast shire of Nordmaling 400 kilometres to the south-east with their flocks. The farmers had not seen reindeer on their lands previously among the generations living. Destruction of fields and forests were brought to court, District Court, Appeal Court and finally Supreme Court (7).

On April 27, 2011, the Supreme Court decided that Laps had the right of reindeer pasture in Nordmaling. It also noted that the present legislation opens the possibility for owners of fields and forests to demand compensation from Laps for reindeer damage.

The verdict of the Supreme Court was subject to an intense public debate.  Many of the critical objections were formulated by Lennart Stenman, scientist in culture geography (14). Basically, Stenman appears to consider the verdict to be against human rights (9) and present legislation (14).

During the 19^th century, reindeer husbandry became increasingly unprofitable in comparison with other livelihoods. Swedish authorities were concerned about the development.

In the period 1850-1890, new laws made reindeer husbandry a collective monopoly for an administrative unit called Lap Village, later Same Village, initially comprising about 10 Lap households (2).

Despite ample subventions from the society, the collective reindeer husbandry turned out as a disaster for reindeer workers, their neighbours, car traffic, and environment (1-7).

The Stenman critique comprises the analysis by the Supreme Court of history and geography of reindeer pasture and the free evaluation of evidence adopted by Swedish courts (14). However, it should be emphasised that the Lap side could afford top lawyers, the farmer side only lawyers from the bottom league during the processes.

The verdict of the Supreme Court in the Nordmaling case will not go forth to the European Court of Justice or the European Court of Human Rights. The farmers do not have the economical and personal resources  to drive their case further.

The present analysis will continue with a brief overview of Lap contributions to Swedish science and Swedish culture with focus on Lap issues. Such contributions confirm our view that Swedish Laps have shared the history, culture and progress of our society towards democracy and human rights.

Modern Same science

The Laps of Sweden moved from reindeer nomadism to other livelihoods, mainly in the Swedish society, in the period 1810-2010. Most of them settled as farmers up to 1950. Then the job market changed into industry, trade, business and education.

The industrial infrastructure of Norrland was built mainly in the period 1900-2010 with energy production, mines, the culture of forests. The Laps played a major role in the infrastructure construction, just as Arab Muslims (Palestinians), Beduins and other minorities contributed to the building of the infrastructure of the modern Jewish state of Israel in the same period.

For comparison, the first beduin woman of present Israel became a PhD in 2011 (15). In Sweden, the famous Lap lobbyist Torkel Tomasson (1881-1940) moved from reindeer herding to an academic and administrative career a hundred years ago (3:12).

In contrast to many other countries, a Swedish dissertation is expected to require four years of full-time work. If international ambitions of the mother institution are at hand, the result  is a summary (“cloak”) around 3-6 scientific papers published in English in acknowledged scientific journals.

Other institutions restrict their dissertations to a monograph, containing a few hundred pages in Swedish with a summary of some pages in English. On principle, the same amount of work is required as for international dissertations.

Only an arbitrary selection of contemporary scientific work on Lap topics is presented here. Conspicuous among these are the dissertations of Sven Hassler (16) and Niclas Kaiser (17) on contemporary Lap health.

The work of Hassler(16) and the work of Kaiser (17) were both written within the conceptual framework of Same Politics in Sweden 2007. Nevertheless, the dissertations provide valuable material for future research, when present paradigm crumbles and more truth emerges.

Softer sciences on Lap topics have also flourished during the  last decade (18-22). Most theses on Lap history, Lap laws, Lap identity, Lap breeding, Lap surnames, and Lap culture have at least a decent summary in English.

When serious science on Scandinavian Laps emerges  as a model of indigenous peoples, Scandinavian scientists will have a structural advantage; most previous work and material available will be in Scandinavian languages.

Modern Lap literature

In the wake of Lap research, a branch of Lap literature budded. First among modern authors on Lap topics in Sweden was Margareta Sarri. Some of her works are available in English (23). And Mikael Niemi is an author with roots in three cultures. His main work is available in English (24).

The central figure in the trilogy by Ann-Helén Laestadius is Agnes, a 13-14 year-old girl living in a suburb of Stockholm. The Same culture of Agnes is the Northern Same society. The picture of this  tribe is sharp and subtle (25). Laestadius deserves a qualified translation to English.

Southern Sames are represented in literature by the bloggers Anneli Kråik (26) and Marianne Johansson (27); their families were robbed of their Same rights by dislocated Northern Sames (7). The  criticism of Lap taboos by Kråik and Johansson elucidates the imbalances in Same politics over time and in present time.

Lap literature suggests that Sames are as human as other Swedes living in Stockholm and Skåne. Their love for kin, traditions and antiquated breadwinning is the same (28).

Role of trade and industry

Trade and industry were mainly passive towards Lap culture, when the breadwinning of Sameland and Sweden changed towards wood, minerals, and energy. The alleged representatives of the alleged indigenous people could reap cash for alleged losses of resources.

It was in the interest of the representatives of the “aborigines” to keep the number of aborigines low in order to increase individual shares (6:11). Trade and industry were satisfied by paying compensation to only 20,000 Laps instead of 800,000 Lap descendants in Sameland. This process is called “aculturisation” (cf 17).

 In the period 1850-2010, trade and industry in  wood products, mineral products and energy provided maintenance and benefits to both registered Laps and non-registered Laps. Now it is suggested that time is ripe for a broader support to the cultures of Sameland, including all citizens within its borders (cf 14)

Future of Human Rights – ten hypotheses

In 1517, Martin Luther published 95 theses, which influenced the society of our ancestors. Now it is time to publish some thoughts (hypotheses), which may influence the future of our descendants.

The basic hypothesis is also called the null hypothesis (H0). It implies that the world has reached a balanced and harmonic state. Earth is flat. Taxes are flat. Development is the straight extrapolation of present concepts.

The antithesis of H0 is the research hypothesis (H1). It implies that there are still some “imbalances” left. The discovery of such imbalances may be profitable for scientists and enterprisers. However, the value of the observations has to be verified or falsified by further works before becoming building blocks in a future paradigm (29-31).

The first concept to be challenged is the picture of the noble aborigines (H:1A)  – peace be with them. Even our father Abraham, the nomad patriarch, traded meat and bought flour (Genesis 18:6).

When Lennart Lundmark (10) entered the stage, the Laps in Sweden were already at the turning point of a production line. They sold products of the wilderness and bought butter, flour, salt, and metals.

The Laps (cf 10) were not more oppressed than fishers, hunters, farmers, and traders (H:1B)! Times were hard in the period 1500-1700. Potentates spared by sword and plague fell by toothache or constipation.

The Laps (cf 10) were not a separate people (H:1C)! They lived, mostly as a minority, among hunters, fishers, farmers and traders. They spoke the same language as their neighbours. They married over the borders of village, clan, and occupation (cf 19).

The Laps owned Sameland (H:1D)! This statement needs further investigations (cf 10, 21). One possible step would be to define the population of each shire in the period 1500-1900, the number of registered Laps and the number of other households.

Reindeer herding provides the backbone of Same society and Same culture (H:1E)! But hunting and herding of reindeer have changed in the period 1500-2000 (7,10,14).

Racism is good for mankind (H:1F)! Racism has been described in societies and cultures of contemporary Sames (18,25). In order to avoid discrimination, the room and restrictions of acceptable racism should be defined by scientists and voters in open discussions.

Same racism is a projection of Swede racism in the period 1851-1950 (H:1G)! Ghosts o mind are contagious (6:11, 10,18-22). But prejudices against aliens may be an inborn pattern of man. At least, some restrictions for racism appears to be desirable.

Lap health is good (H:1H)! The materials and methods of Hassel (16) and Kaiser (17) have some weaknesses. Closer studies of herding Laps may reveal occupational hazards overlooked.

Reindeer farming within fence on own fields is an alternative to extensive wheel-bourn nomadism ((H:1I). The suggested reformation of reindeer husbandry would cost society and neighbours less than 10% of present reindeer husbandry and be less destructive to herders, animals, predators, environment, road users (3,7). Such a reformation will also allow the re-introduction of wild reindeer (cf 10).

The main profiteers of present reindeer husbandry are the administrators and the politicians (H:1J). There are at present only about one hundred herders with acceptable income from reindeer husbandry (2,7). The society is thought to get one Euro back from every 10 Euros invested in reindeer husbandry.

Conclusions

The adoption of the rights of endogenous peoples (8) collides with the basic Declaration of Human Rights (9) of UN, which is demonstrated by the model of Laps in northern Sweden (Sameland). The rejection of the Same claim of special rights has the advantage that the Same is recognised as a kin and equal of all Swedes in Sameland, 20,000 registered Sames and 800,000 non-registered Sames. Thus, Sames in Sweden share the civil rights of other Swedes. Most of them also share the negative discrimination concerning the specific Same rights. It is reasonable to assume that the adoption of special rights to indigenous peoples (8) provides a hinder for social development and integration, making many indigenous peoples a hostage of history. In contrast, every Swede should have the right to register himself as Lap, every American the right to register himself as Native American. In my opinion, the handling of their indigenous peoples of a state reflects its democratic maturation (cf 15,32).

Bo Norberg
E-mail: norberg.bo@gmail.com

References

1. Norberg B. Umeå – a society model, pp 4-7 [culture]! Rondel 2002; 10. URL: http://www.rondellen.net/culture10_eng.htm

2. Norberg B. Artificial aborigines – a threat to democracy and human rights [health]. Rondel 2004; 19. URL: http://www.rondellen.net/health19_eng.htm

3. Norberg B. Costs of culture myths – aborigines and bastards in the welfare state [culture]. Rondel 2006; 26. URL: http://www.rondellen.net/culture26_eng.htm

4. Norberg B. Equalism – beyond feminism and masculinism [health]. Rondel 2007; 27. URL: http://www.rondellen.net/health27_eng.htm

5. Norberg B. The saga of Harry Potter concluded – a clue to future peace and reconciliation [culture]. Rondel 2008; 28. URL: http://www.rondellen.net/culture28_eng.htm

6. Norberg B. Reasons for reading Bible and Koran - antisemitism, christophobia, and islamophobia [culture]. Rondel 2009; 29. URL: http://www.rondellen.net/culture29_eng.htm. The essay summarises some main ideas behind past and present Israel. The conclusion of the paper is that a nation cannot be based on race, religion, or language. An analysis of the central traditions of Jewry, Christianity, and Islam suggests that it is possible and prudent to postpone religious wars until doomsday. Thus, all emigrants and all immigrants and all settlers everywhere would be able to seek the peace and prosperity of the society, in which they live. The central traditions of Bible and Koran, heard and read in the educational systems without theologian interference, might contribute to such a development. The breakouts of “religious” terrorism reflect the failure of synagogues, churches, and mosques to keep their wars against the “world” within the souls of their members. Thus, secular governments have to support their citizens with a basic knowledge of Bible and Koran in order to keep fanaticism at bay.

7. Norberg B. Crime and punishment – a fair basis of a well-do society [health]. Rondel 2010; 30. URL: http://www.rondellen.net/health30_eng.htm. The essay describes the taboos of morale, hypocrisy, snus, smoking, spirits, weapon trading, wild-wolf re-introduction, aborigines, and Israelis in present Sweden.

8. United Nations adopts Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples (http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=23794)

9. UN: The universal Decaration of human rights (http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/)

10. Lundmark L. Uppbörd, utarmning, utveckling. Disseration, Umeå University 1982, ISBN 91  85 118 680. My translation is “Collection, impoverishment, development: The fisher-hunter society of Sames and its transfer to reindeer nomadism in the Lap Land of Luleå”. The dissertation is the best work of Lennart Lundmark hitherto. Without support of scientific advisers and referees, he regressed into an ordinary lobbyist in later works (6:11). The dissertation is in Swedish with a short summary in English.

11. Emanuelsson U. The rural landscapes of Europe. How man has shaped European nature. The Swedish Research Council Formas (www.formas.se), Stockholm 2009. ISBN 978-91-540-60035-1.

12. Isaksson S. Ingen frid i fjällen. Ord & Visors Förlag. Skellefteå 1999, pages 107-110 (www.ordvisor.com). The translation of the title is ”No peace in the fjelds”. The book is about the tensions between reindeer herders and other people in the Sameland of Sweden. Isaksson gives some population statistics from Umeå Lapmark, where in 1556 there lived 165 Laps in a total population of 242. In 1608, the Laps had increased (N=195). By then, they had 566 reindeer. The number of animals suggests that they served as transport animals and decoy animals.

13. Lindblom N. Fragment ur Burträsk sockens historia.Del  I. Sockenbildningen, 2005. Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan, Kyrkogaan 49, SE-93731 Burträsk, Sweden. ”Fragments from the history of the shire of Burträsk. Part I. The formation of the shire”. Nils Lindblom describes the formation of the shire around 1600 CE. In the previous century, Burträsk had belonged to the shire of Skellefteå. At the time of the formation of Burträsk shire, there were about 100 farms. The shire of Skellefteå had 300 farms at the same time. A new shire was usually formed at an old market place. The church and the priest were key factors in teaching and administration of the area in the formation of the state of Sweden. About one hundred farms was the lowest number of households required to support a church and a priest.

14. Stenman L. Nordmalingsmålet och framtiden.. Vildren, gårdsbruk, nomadiserande skövling[kultur]? Rondellen 2011; 31. URL: http://www.rondellen.net/culture31_swe.htm. The paper of Lennart Stenman means “The Nordmaling case and the future – wild reindeer, reindeer farming, or vagant vandalism?” Stenman is an experienced scientist, born 1931, and raised in the woodland of central Sameland in contemporary Sweden. When the present paper was written, Stenman was a member of the Research Councel of the Samerights Orgnisation (www.samerights.org).

15. Julian HL. First beduin woman PhD is ”insider-outsider” in 3 Cultures. (www.israelnationalnews.com), March 9, 2011. The reporter Hanna Levi Julian describes the career and work of professor Sarab Abu Rabia-Wuader (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/SendMail.aspx?print=print&type=0&item=142774). SARW is an Israel academic with roots in two middle-class Arabic cultures, at the moment three sons aged 7, 4 and 2 years, husband Hassan working as accountant. Her latest book, co-edited with Naomi Weiner, is “Palestinian women in Israel: Life and struggle from the margins”.

16. Hassler S. The health conditions in the Sami population in Sweden 1961-2002. Causes of death and incidences of cancer and cardiovascular diseses. Dissertation (2005). Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epimediology and Public Health Sciences, Umeå University, SE-90185 Umeå, Sweden. The thesis of Sven Hassler is based on five scientific papers, mainly published in epidemiological journals.

17. Kaiser N. Mental health problems among the Swedish reindeer-herding Sami population in perspective of intersctionality, orgnisational culture and aculturalisation. Dissertation(2011). Department of Clinical Sciences, Division of Psychiatry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. The dissertation of Niclas Kaiser is based on four scientific papers.

18. Åhrén C. Är jag en riktig same? En etnologisk studie av unga samers identitetsarbet. Disseration (2008). Institution for Cultural and Medial Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. The thesis of Christina Åhrén is about “Am I  a true Lap? An ethnological study of the identity work of young Laps”. Summary in English.

19. Nordin G. Äktenskap i Sapmi. Giftermålsmönster och etnisk komplexitet i kolonisationens tidevarv, 1722-1835. Dissertation (2009). Institution for the Study of Thoughts and Society, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. The thesis of Gabriella Nordin is ”Marriages in Sameland. Pattern of marriages and ethnical complexity during the time of settling, 1722-1895”. The thesis of Gabriella Nordin is based on the population statistics of Sweden. The epoch described follows closely the epoch analysed by Lennart Lundmark (10). Summary in English.

20. Frändén M. “Att blotta vem jag är”. Släktnamn och släktnamnsbyten hos samer i Sverige 1920-2009. Dissertation(2010). Department of Scandinavian Languages, Scandinavian Onomastics, Box 135, Uppsala University, SE-75104, Uppsala. Sweden. “Laying bare who I am.” Surnames and changes of surname among the Sami of Sweden, 1920-2009. The thesis of Märit Frändén shows that typical Swedish names are most frequent in contemporary Laps, in order Andersson, Johansson, Nilsson, Larsson, Persson (Table 9, page 158). Summary in English.

21. Päiviö NJ. Från skattemannarätt till nyttjanderätt. En rättshistorisk studie av utvecklingen av samernas rättigheter från slutet av 1500-talet till 1886 års renbeteslag. Dissertation (2011). Department of Law, Box 512, Uppsala University, SE-75120, Uppsala, Sweden. The thesis of Nils-Johan Päiviö addresses the change of private Lap ownershipt to collective usefunctionary rights  in the period 1500-1900. The development ended with the passing of the Reindeer Herding Act in 1886. Summary in English.

22. Baglo C. På ville veger? Levende utstillinger av samer i Europa og Amerika. Dissertation (2011). Tromsö University, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Educational Sciences, Department of Archaeology and Social Anthropology, Norway. Translation: ”Astay?Exhibitions of living Laps in Europe and America”. Between 1822-1950, indigenous peoples and their husbandry were showed alive in exhibitions. The intentions were thought to create understanding for the conditions of indigenous peoples. Some hundred Laps worked as exhibition artists. The exhibitions are thought to have created the paradigm of indigenous peoples in the science and politics. The picture described by Cathrine Baglo is balanced.

23. Margareta Sarri (http://www.margaretasarri.se/In%20English.html#), significant author, often writing about Same problems and Same contexts.

24. Niemi M. Popular music. Harper Collins, Glasgow 2004

25. Ann-Helén Laestadius describes the depopulation of present Sameland in passing – overgrown fields, forlorn houses, football below bottom division at festivals. The story is centered around present reindeer husbandry and Same language. Social criticism of present reindeer nomadism is reflected as insults from outsiders. Racism within the Same society is described without comment. Sames are hardy. A Same voman vomits after a quarrel – because she is pregnant.

26. Anneli Kråik, born 1975, mother of four daughters, journalist and tourist enterpreneur.(http://blogg.vk.se/annelikraik)

27. Marianne Johansson (http://blogg.vk.se/marianne-johansson-mosekalla); born 1962, mother of eight children, works within health care. A member of the Left Party in her Municipal Government. In spite of her left-wing socialistic views, she has expressed understanding for the terms of the Nordmaling farmers concerning their right to private property (cf 14).

28. Bannerhed T. Korparna. Svante Weyler Bokförlag, Stockholm 2011. Tomas Bannerhed (The Ravens), writes about family traditions and family land in the south part of Sweden.

29. Siegel S, Castellan NJ Jr. Nonparametric statistics for behavioural sciences (1956). 2^nd ed. McGraw-Hill, New York 1988

30. Kuhn TS. The structure of scientific revolutions (1962). 3^rd Ed. Chicago University Press 1996.

31. Popper KR. Conjectures and refutations. The growth of scientific knowledge. Routledge, 1964.

32. Gedalyahu TB.Israel´s UN ambassador separates lies from truth. . Israel National News (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/149054#replies). The seach of Mr Ron Prosor to the UN Oct 25, 2011, present the official view of Israel. The Arab states in the region blame Israel for its woes but are unable to give their own people democracy and human rights.

Published December 31, 2011