Yle Sapmi

Every ninth species in Finland threatened, but reindeer herder gets a glimpse of a rare sight

A fresh assessment of threatened species indicates an increasing loss of biodiversity in Finnish nature. Of the 22,000 species evaluated in the Red List of Finnish Species, 11.9% were classified as threatened, compared to 10.5% in the previous assessment. In early March when the Red List came out in Finland, a Sámi reindeer herder observed the snowy owl, an extremely endangered species, in the fell area of Ohcejohka (Utsjoki).
March 26, 2019

Sámi children’s textbooks not abreast of today’s knowledge and new curriculum

According to the Educational Office of the Sámi Parliament in Finland, the textbook situation in schools is terrible, but it is impossible to produce enough new books without more financial resources from the state of Finland.
March 08, 2019

Fishers rejoice over court decision in Finland: «The court has now declared that we Sámi have rights to our culture»

The District Court of Lapland has acquitted all the defendants in the case that dealt with fishing in the river system of Tana.
March 07, 2019

Women dominate Sámi film industry

Approximately 70 percent of Sámi film-makers are women, says Anne Lajla Utsi, the director of the International Sámi Film Institute in Sápmi, the Land of the Sámi. 
March 05, 2019

Unique criminal case in Finland: Sámi base their fishing violations on constitutional rights

At the Utsjoki Court, five Sámi have been accused of fishing offences. They base their fishing on their right to practice Sámi culture – a right pursuant to the constitution of Finland.
March 01, 2019

My lake. If you follow traditions, Nature will continue to feed you

On Lake Muddus, the world shines all white. The sky is separated from the ice only by a pine forest. It is late January. After the real cold spell of mid-January, the temperature keeps at –20 degrees Centigrade. The polar night is over, and the rays of a rising sun begin to color the sky.
February 18, 2019

UN Human Rights Committee: Finland has violated Sámi rights

According to a decision by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, Finland acted in an erroneous manner when the State accepted people into the electoral roll of the Sámi Parliament against the will of the Sámi Parliament.
February 13, 2019

The story about how a Soviet missile strayed into Lake Inari, Finland, in 1984, causing a media circus

About 34 years ago, a drill missile fell into Lake Inari in Northern Finland. The event affected life in the area in many ways. The media circus extended to the homes of the local people and even led to changes in restaurant menus.
January 15, 2019

Young Sámi move south to study – sixty percent of Finnish Sámi live outside Sámi Area

Sápmi, the Land of the Sámi, cannot offer all the young people the kind of schooling they are interested in. To follow their dreams, many have to move away from their home region.
January 04, 2019

State of Norway wants reindeer herder to slaughter though the case has not been decided by UN

Jovsset Ánte Sara from Norway has to slaughter all but 75 reindeer of his 350-head herd. In practice, this means that, after culling, the reindeer herder has to get by with an annual income of 3,310 euros.
December 21, 2018

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