Sami Strike Back at Christian Democrat Proposal: “Populist”

Sami reindeer husbandry should no longer be considered a national interest, propose Christian Democrat party leader Ebba Busch and Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren (KD) in an opinion piece. The chair of the Sami Council in the Church of Sweden disagrees.

Busch and Kullgren argue that Sami reindeer husbandry receives too much consideration in the northern part of the country and that its interests must be balanced against others. They also believe it is wrong that hunting and fishing rights are tied to Sami villages at the expense of others.

Previously, Jimmie Åkesson has also questioned the existing regulations and has wanted the so-called Girjas ruling to be annulled. The Sweden Democrats leader argues that the ruling has created unequal access to state land on ethnonationalist grounds and wants a return to what he describes as the principle that nature belongs to everyone living in Sweden, regardless of origin.

Within the Sami sphere, many have responded negatively to the Christian Democrats’ opinion piece. Among them is Anna Sara Stenvall, chair of the Sami Council in the Church of Sweden, who interprets it as an attempt to win votes ahead of the election.

“I also think it’s about wanting access to the resources in the north, for example to benefit the mining industry,” she tells Kyrkans Tidning.

Anna Sara Stenvall sees the statement as part of a broader development where Sami rights are being questioned and calls it “populist.” The reindeer is central to Sami culture, even for those Sami who do not own reindeer themselves, she says.

Postcolonial Perspective

The group Sweden Democrats in the Church of Sweden (SDSK) also holds a more critical view of how the indigenous rights of the Sami are interpreted, and church assembly member Petter Nilsson thinks the Church of Sweden is going too far in its reconciliation process with the Sami.

“What I experience is that with the postcolonial perspective, one is forced to feel ashamed of the mission to the Sami. But not everything was bad. If the church goes too far, it might make it impossible for people to relate to the apology,” he says.