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Global warming -

As global warming continues to wreak havoc in countries all over the world, there are certain places on the planet that appear to be more affected than others.

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Global warming in Sápmi -

One of those places is Sápmi, a traditionally snowy region of the Arctic that comprises areas of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.

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Statistics -

Global warming in Sápmi is particularly bad: in Finnish Sápmi, for example, the average temperature has risen by 2.3°C (36.14°F) since the post-industrial period.

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Impact on way of life -

For the Sámi people, whose livelihoods depend on activities such as reindeer herding and salmon fishing, these changes are profoundly altering their way of life.

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Dwindling traditions -

As the traditional activities and environment of the Sámi people continue to change, essential aspects of their culture are starting to disappear.

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Reindeer herding -

Reindeer herding is an essential component of Sámi culture. In many families it is a way of life that has been passed down through the generations.

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Reindeer owners -

According to one BBC article, there are an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 reindeer owners across Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

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The impact of climate change -

Climate change has made reindeer herding much more difficult in recent years, due to the increased number of rain-on-snow events, often followed by a freezing cold spell.

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No access to food -

This type of event creates hard-packed snow with ice on top and icy layers on the inside. The ice locks away the lichen that the reindeer rely on for food.

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Hungry reindeer -

The reindeer, in turn, are unable to dig through the ice to access the lichen, and their survival becomes much more uncertain.

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Salmon fishing -

Salmon fishing is another important tradition in Sámi culture. Again, in many families it has been around for several generations.

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Depleted stocks -

Fishing for salmon has become more difficult in recent years due to depleted stocks.

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Climate change as a cause -

Thanks to climate change the temperature of the sea water is rising, ocean currents are changing, and the ocean is becoming more acidic.

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Fewer fish in the river -

The combination of these factors has meant that fewer salmon are returning from the ocean to the Teno River, which runs through the Sápmi region.

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Fishing ban -

In fact, the situation has gotten so bad that for the past three years Finland and Norway have banned salmon fishing on the river, in order to protect the stocks.

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The Sámi language -

With climate change altering the traditional activities of the Sámi people, changes to their language are following suit.

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Endangered words -

Indeed, there are certain words related to reindeer herding and fishing that have become endangered simply because the Sámi people do not need to use them any more.

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Example: jiekŋaguolli -

The word jiekŋaguolli, for example, refers to the salmon that appear in the spring, immediately after the ice on the river breaks up.

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Example: jiekŋaguolli -

According to Sámi fisherman Pentti Pieski, there is no need to use that word any more. Even before the fishing ban, the season was considerably shortened.

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Example: jiekŋaguolli -

By the time it started on June 1, 2023, the river already had no ice and there was no opportunity for the fisherman to see any jiekŋaguolli.

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Words for snow -

Climate change is affecting the Sámi language in other ways, too. For example, the vocabulary related to snow has shrunk in the last 20 years.

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Some 300 strong -

Traditionally, the Sámi language had more than 300 words that captured different kinds of snow, as well as snow and ice conditions.

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Shrinking vocabulary -

While some of those words are becoming more common (in particular those related to warmer weather), others are disappearing entirely.

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Example: jassa -

The word jassa, for example, was used to refer to the snow that lingered in the fells or the highlands in the summer.

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Example: jassa -

Nowadays the word is very rarely used, because there are very few places left that even have jassa.

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Place names -

There is another problem, too: with global warming changing the Sápmi landscape, many places simply do not match their traditional Sámi names any more.

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Traditional place names -

In the traditional Sámi languages, most places derive their name from nature, with place names often describing the type of terrain or main vegetation.

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No longer relevant -

As landscapes continue to change thanks to global warming, many places have a name that does not accurately reflect their appearance.

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Going forward -

The survival of the Sámi languages will go hand in hand with the survival of their culture, traditions, and ways of life.

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Saving Sámi culture -

The only way to ensure this happens is to find a way to limit global warming, which continues to disproportionately affect indigenous communities across the globe.

Sources: (BBC) (Environmental Health News) (WWF)

See also: How does our environment affect our health?

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