Historic settlement, says the Storting. We are losing our land bit by bit, says reindeer owner. The Storting wants to improve relations between the state and the Sámi, but the reindeer owner fears that it is only symbolic politics. Reindeer owner Frode Utsi looks worriedly over his reindeer herding district. Photo: Niillas Strendo Andersen / Raggo Drone
Areas are being destroyed and the Sámi economy is being weakened, says reindeer owner Frode Utsi.
For many years, Utsi has seen how the landscape in the Rákkonjarga reindeer herding district in Finnmark has changed.
The Rákkonjarga reindeer herding district is located in the far north of the country and extends through three municipalities in Finnmark.
Utsi says that he used to be able to let his reindeer graze freely in large areas, but that he is now faced with increasing encroachment on the grazing areas.
Map of Rákkonjarga reindeer herding district. The district is located in Berlevåg, Båtsfjord and Tana municipalities. Photo: Gávcci
Map of developments in Rákkonjarga reindeer herding district. Photo: Gávcci
Wind power projects, mining, cabin construction and infrastructure expansion have reduced the areas he and the other reindeer herding Sámi Sámi in the Rákkonjárga reindeer herding district have lived on for generations.
Up to 200 new wind turbines are now planned in the reindeer herding district.
A challenge he believes threatens both nature and the Sámi identity.
With extensive experience in reindeer herding, he has witnessed how these projects have changed both the landscape and his livelihood.
We are losing our land bit by bit. The wind power projects do not bring us any benefits; on the contrary, they destroy important grazing areas. I have witnessed how it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain traditional Sámi ways of life, says Utsi.
Reindeer owner Frode Utsi in the reindeer enclosure. Photo: Eilif Aslaksen / NRK
He points out that this development not only affects nature, but threatens the very foundation of his Sámi identity and livelihood.
On November 12, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report was discussed in the Storting.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was appointed by the Storting in the summer of 2018. They were to investigate how the state treated the Sámi, Kven and Forest Finns in Norway.
In the summer of 2023, they submitted a report of over 700 pages to the Storting.
Some of the key points they looked at were language loss, attitudes, education, Norwegianization of names, health, industries, art and culture and religion.
This is a report that examined how Norway has historically treated the Sámi and national minorities.
The Storting adopted 17 measures to make up for the injustice and where it all started with a historical apology.
But while language initiatives and cultural initiatives received a lot of attention, according to Eva Josefsen, an important part was overlooked in the treatment, land and resource rights.
Josefsen is a professor of social science at the Arctic University of Norway and closely followed the treatment of the report.
Professor of social science at the Arctic University of Norway Eva Josefsen. Photo: Tommy Hansen / Tommy Hansen
She believes that it is positive that the Storting has put language initiatives on the agenda, but she misses a more holistic approach that also includes Sámi access to land and natural resources.
It is important that they have now decided to strengthen the Sámi languages in the future. Part of the Norwegianization policy was about getting rid of the Sámi languages, Josefsen told NRK.
Land and resource rights
The state has previously recognized that the Sámi have acquired land and resource rights through historical use, Josefsen explains.
However, this has not been taken up for consideration. Only the minority in the SV, Red, Venstre and the Green Party (MDG) in the parliamentary consideration had proposals to strengthen it.
They also wanted to address usage and property rights, for example the rights of the Sea Sámi to harvest marine resources and fish. They wanted to include the right of reindeer herding to natural resources, she explained.
The same minority would also include international obligations towards indigenous peoples.
The professor questions whether this is the understanding of what Norwegianization was.
As a professional, I find it interesting. Indigenous status is linked to the use of land and resources, and not just to language, she explained.
She particularly requests that Sámi usage and property rights, such as rights related to reindeer herding and Sea Sámi resources, be considered an important part of the reconciliation work.
Sámi interests are an important consideration in concession assessments in traditional Sámi areas, and we consider this carefully. If the measure has a negative impact on Sámi interests, this may be decisive for whether a concession is granted.
This is stated by State Secretary at the Ministry of Energy Elisabeth Sæther in an email to NRK
Dialogue with affected Sámi interests is an important part of the concession process and will always be relevant for the decision on a concession, according to Sæther.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Energy Elisabeth Sæther says that Sámi interests will be well taken care of in a licensing process. Photo: Johan Moen / NRK
We are aware that many, including reindeer herders, are against the construction of wind power plants in their local areas. As a licensing authority, we are concerned that applications for wind power are processed thoroughly and in the best possible way.
Good processing of license applications does not prevent reconciliation, emphasized Sæther.
Last year, the government presented a package of measures for reindeer herding and energy, this to safeguard the interests of reindeer herding and the development of power and the grid.
One of the measures is that 0.2 øre per kWh of wind power production will be set aside for local purposes such as nature, reindeer herding and other purposes that are affected by land use, explained Sæther.
Half of this, 0.1 øre per kWh, will go directly to reindeer herding, where wind turbines have significant negative consequences for reindeer herding activities.
For Frode, the fight for land and natural resources is anything but simple.
Utsi is worried about the future. Photo: Eilif Aslaksen / NRK
In his lifelong work, he has seen how the development of wind power, power lines and other interventions in nature have reduced grazing areas and made it increasingly difficult to maintain traditional Sámi ways of life.
My grandparents are fighting to preserve our language during the Norwegianization. Now it is our turn to fight for the right to land and resources. This is the foundation of our way of life, he said.
He is pleased that the Storting has recognized the importance of strengthening the Sámi language and culture, but he emphasizes that “symbolism” is not enough.
For Frode, it is not just about cultural preservation on paper, but about gaining practical rights to natural resources that are essential for their existence.
We need more than just nice words. We need concrete measures to protect our grazing areas and secure the future of reindeer herding, Utsi told NRK.
Source: NRK
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