The primary objective of this thesis was to develop knowledge and understanding about how traditional resources can be used for entrepreneurship and economic development. This was accomplished by systematically studying how the Canadian Inuit, Swedish Sámi and other indigenous people use Rangifer tarandus for enterprise. The Inuit and Sámi are indigenous circumpolar people living in Canada and Northern Europe for more than 4000 years. Rangifer tarandus known as caribou or tuktu by the Canadian Inuit and reindeer by the Sámi has been a key resource for survival. A literature review was conducted relating 1) to Canadian Inuit, Swedish Sámi and other selected circumpolar indigenous people use of caribou or reindeer for enterprise, and 2) indigenous entrepreneurship, particularly from traditional resources, and how this is affected by context and culture. Research methods included descriptive exploratory comparative cases, participative observation, snowball sampling as well as indigenous research methods. Five field sites were visited: Rankin Inlet and Coral Harbour in Nunavut; Inukjuak in Nunavik, Quebec; Happy Valley-Goose Bay/ North West River in Labrador; and Jokkmokk, in Northern Sweden. The thesis explored: 1) Why are the Inuit hunters of caribou and the Sámi herders of reindeer? 2) What were the products and value-added processing? 3) Why have the Sámi successfully sold their meat and products in the international market while the Inuit have only recently begun to do so? 4) How has their culture and traditional knowledge affected the entrepreneurship including innovation and opportunity recognition? 5) What barriers have they faced and how have these been overcome? 6) How have they measured the success of their enterprises? 7) What can they learn from each other? The findings indicated the Inuit and Sámi uses of caribou and reindeer for enterprise were very different. Context and culture were extremely important. Indigenous people living at similar latitudes and making use of a similar species had very different trajectories and outcomes in indigenous economic development and entrepreneurship from Rangifer tarandus. Themes such as resource availability, cultural propensity, remoteness and geographic location, kinship and social capital, infrastructure, measures of success, indigenous knowledge and wisdom, and innovation and adaptation were important. This work made a significant contribution as little consideration had been given to the voice and perspectives of the Canadian Inuit and Swedish Sámi in the emerging field of indigenous entrepreneurship especially as it relates to traditional resources and practices. It also helped to identify other potential commercial uses of caribou thus it provided more potential value added from the commercial harvesting and processing. These opportunities could assist in increasing Inuit employment, income, self-reliance, and community esteem. The research findings have implications for 1) the field of indigenous entrepreneurship, 2) policy makers, and 3) indigenous entrepreneurship education. It provides international comparisons of two indigenous peoples using a similar species and focused on the use of traditional resources and culture as a basis for business creation and operation.

Evaluating the integration of multiple land uses in protected areas by assessing user satisfaction assists in identifying the balance between ecological protection and the socio-economic and cultural needs of local populations. Urho Kekkonen National Park in northern Lapland, Finland, provides an example of such integration through the management of reindeer herding, visitor recreation and conservation within park boundaries. Through use of questionnaires, discussions, observations and maps, the impacts and perceptions of reindeer herding, visitor recreation and park management upon each other were assessed, including their relation to conservation. Results revealed a complex co-existence of the users, based on the intensity of demand for an area and spatial location within the park, with overall benefits from the existence of the national park. Discussion of similar arctic-subarctic land use issues in Canadian parks management made apparent the many commonalities of the concerns among national parks worldwide.

The overall objective of the thesis was to investigate aspects of mental health among Swedish Sami reindeer herders and to deepen the understanding of the experience of the living conditions of young Sami reindeer-herding men. Theories of intersectionality, organisational culture and acculturation were used. Methods A questionnaire covering different aspects of mental health was distributed to the Sami population, including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, selected parts of the Attitudes Towards Suicide questionnaire (ATTS) and the Job Control Questionnaire (JCQ). 15 interviews with young male reindeer-herders were conducted and analysed according to qualitative content analysis. Results A higher load of anxiety and depression was found in the Sami population, most evident regarding anxiety and among middle aged reindeer-herding men. Regarding alcohol risk consumption reindeer-herding Sami do not in general drink more than a geographically matched reference population, but reindeer-herding men reported a higher proportion of hazardous drinkers, and of teetotallers and periodic drinkers. The reindeer-herding population reported significantly higher exposure to suicide and suicidal behaviour among significant others. Reindeer-herds also reported higher prevalence of different types of suicidal problems. The main theme that emerged in qualitative analysis was ‘Being a young reindeer herder means so many (impossible) dreams and conditions’, and the five subthemes were ‘Being inside or outside is a question of identity’, ‘There is a paradox between being free/unfree’, ‘An experience of different threats and a feeling of powerlessness’, ‘Specific norms for how a ‘real’ reindeer-herder should be’ and ‘The different impacts and meanings of relations’. Conclusions The thesis hypothesizes that the reindeer-herding right as an including, excluding and enclosing historically induced border plays an important part when trying to understand the mental health problems in the group. At present, the situation within reindeer-herding is strained because of practical obstacles and feelings of unfairness and uninfluencability. Furthermore, lack of social support, except from the closest part of the family, and experiences of multi-layered conflicts. This – together with norms of reindeer-herding and reindeer-herders that e.g. say that the reindeer herder is a man who doesn’t show weakness – plays a role in the present mental health problems of the Swedish reindeer-herding population. This applies especially to young and middle-aged reindeer-herding men. / Mental health among reindeer-herding Sami in Sweden

Abstract  In 1924 an investigation into the poor relief of the Saamis in Sweden was conducted. Thus, non-reindeer herding Saamis came into the lime-light for the first time. Previous research has focused on reindeer-herding Saamis in the sense that they were “the true Saamis”. Instead, the aim of this thesis, is to disclose how the non-reindeer herding Saamis were constructed by using a discourse analysis approach. It includes those called Parish Lapps, found in thirty replies to a questionnaire of the Nordic Museum in Sweden conducted in 1945. The bias presented there included the magic abilities of the Saamis. The findings illustrate that these notions, as well as the official discourse, influenced the communal discourse. Other bias exist in Swedish society today, and previous special rights of reindeer-herding is brought to the fore onto the political agenda, leaving the non-reindeer herding Saamis, and their history, on the margins. The non-reindeer herding Saamis were depicted as “the other”, not fully included in the “true Saami” way of living, always in exclusion to the Swedish residential manner.

No description available.

This paper delves into the significance of land disposal to indigenous rights and Settler-Colonies. Specifically, it examines land use regulations for forestry management and Forest Sami villages. Through interviews with practicing forest reindeer herders, it has been revealed that forestry practices in Sweden have dramatically altered the landscape, posing significant challenges to the continuation of reindeer herding. In the context of Settler-Colonialism, the analysis of these findings shows that land use regulations align with the "logic of elimination," which seeks to remove the native population to secure settlers’ access to land.

Background Indigenous peoples with traditional lifestyles worldwide are considered particularly vulnerable to climate change effects. Large climate change impacts on the spread of infectious vector-borne diseases are expected as a health outcome. The most rapid climate changes are occurring in the Arctic regions, and as a part of this region northernmost Sweden might experience early effects. In this thesis, climate change effects on the lives of Sami reindeer herders are described and 30 years of weather changes are quantified. Epidemiology of the climate sensitive human infection tularemia is assessed, baseline serologic prevalence of tularemia is investigated and the disease burden is quantified across inhabitants in the region. Methods Perceptions and experiences of climate change effects among the indigenous Sami reindeer herders of northern Sweden were investigated through qualitative analyses of fourteen interviews. The results were then combined with instrumental weather data from ten meteorological stations in a mixed-methods design to further illustrate climate change effects in this region. In two following studies, tularemia ecology and epidemiology were investigated. A total of 4,792 reported cases of tularemia between 1984 and 2012 were analysed and correlated to ecological regions and presence of inland water using geographical mapping. The status of tularemia in the Swedish Arctic region was further investigated through risk factor analyses of a 2012 regional outbreak and a cross-sectional serological survey to estimate the burden of disease including unreported cases. Results The reindeer herders described how the winters of northern Sweden have changed since the 1970s – warmer winters with shorter snow season and cold periods, and earlier spring. The adverse effects on the reindeer herders through the obstruction of their work, the stress induced and the threat to their lifestyle was demonstrated, forcing the reindeer herders towards the limit of resilience. Weather data supported the observations of winter changes; some stations displayed a more than two full months shorter snow cover season and winter temperatures increased significantly, most pronounced in the lowest temperatures. During the same time period a near tenfold increase in national incidence of tularemia was observed in Sweden (from 0.26 to 2.47/100,000 p<0.001) with a clear overrepresentation of cases in the north versus the south (4.52 vs. 0.56/100,000 p<0.001). The incidence was positively correlated with the presence of inland water (p<0.001) and higher than expected in the alpine and boreal ecologic regions (p<0.001). In the outbreak investigation a dose-response relationship to water was identified; distance from residence to water – less than 100 m, mOR 2.86 (95% CI 1.79–4.57) and 100 to 500 m, mOR 1.63 (95% CI 1.08–2.46). The prevalence of tularemia antibodies in the two northernmost counties was 2.9% corresponding to a 16 times higher number of cases than reported indicating that the reported numbers represent only a minute fraction of the true tularemia. Conclusions The extensive winter changes pose a threat to reindeer herding in this region. Tularemia is increasing in Sweden, it has a strong correlation to water and northern ecoregions, and unreported tularemia cases are quite common.

Die Chanten leben als Rentierzüchter in der Taiga Westsibiriens – eine Lebensweise, die durch die Erdölförderung verdrängt wird. Ihr Leben verläuft heute räumlich und sozial im Wechsel zwischen Wald und Stadt. Ihre Strategien, kulturelle Differenz und Autonomie durch Grenzziehungen mit Hilfe religiöser Praktiken und sozialer Normen aufrechtzuerhalten, werden am Beispiel des Festes zum „Tag des Rentierzüchters“ verdeutlicht. Der Autor zeigt, wie Menschen der Taiga in dieser Situation eigene Praktiken des Verbergens und Vermeidens, aber auch neue Wege der öffentlichen Repräsentation nutzen. / The Khanty live as reindeer herders in the Western Siberian Taiga but their lifestyle is endangered by crude oil extraction on their land. Today their lives are divided socially as well as spatially between the town and the forest. By taking the celebration of the Day of the Reindeer Herder as an example, the book describes the indigenous strategies to keep cultural difference and autonomy alive by drawing boundaries and maintaining religious practices and social norms. The author shows how the people of the Taiga use their traditions of hiding and avoiding as well as new ways of public representation to cope with the changes. / Оленеводы-ханты живут в Западносибирской тайге, на этой же территории ведется добыча нефти, которая ставить их образ жизни под угрозу. Их жизнь сегодня связана одновременно и с тайгой и с городом, между которыми они постоянно перемещаются и пространственно и социально. На примере празднования Дня Оленевода автор пассматривает существующие у жителей тайги стратегии сохранения культурного своеобразия и культурной автономии, связанные с проведением социальных границ при помощи культурных практик и социальных норм. Автор показывает, что в этой ситуации ханты используют как традиционные практики избегания и скрывания, так и новые способы публичной репрезентации.

Reindeer can have strong effects on the plant species composition and functioning of tundra ecosystems, and often promote a transition towards a graminoid-dominated vegetation type. As a result, they influence many ecological processes, such as nutrient dynamics, soil biotic composition and functioning, and carbon storage. Several studies suggest that the effect of reindeer on vegetation may follow predictable patterns and could induce an alternative stable vegetation state. However, little empirical data on the long-term stability of reindeer effects on vegetation exist, as it is inherently challenging to study these ecological processes experimentally on a sufficiently long timescale. The main objective of this thesis was therefore to gain a better understanding of the long-term ecological processes following reindeer-induced vegetation shifts. In order to gain a more mechanistic insight in what initially drives this transition, I used a field-based grazing simulation experiment in which I separated defoliation, trampling, moss removal and the addition of feces. This allowed me to test the relative contribution of reindeer-related activities to initiating the shift from moss and heath- dominated tundra towards a graminoid-dominated vegetation state. Additionally, I studied the long-term ecological stability following such a vegetation shift. I did this by addressing historical milking grounds (HMGs): sites where high reindeer concentrations associated with historical traditional reindeer herding practices induced a vegetation transition from shrubs towards graminoids several centuries earlier, but which were abandoned a century ago. Studying HMGs allowed me to address: 1. The potential stability of reindeer-induced vegetation shifts; 2. The ecological mechanisms contributing to the long-term stability of these vegetation shifts; and 3. How such long-lasting vegetation changes influence soil carbon- and nutrient cycling. I found that trampling by reindeer is an important mechanism by which reindeer cause vegetation change. Addressing HMGs further revealed that this vegetation change can be hightly persistent, as the studied HMGs showed only a low encroachment at the surrounding borders in the last 50 years. The vegetation in the core areas of all studied HMGs had remained strikingly stable, and were hardly invaded by surrounding shrubs. Interestingly, soil nutrient concentrations and microbial activities were still different from the surrounding area as well, and even comparable to actively grazed areas. Even after many centuries of changed vegetation composition and soil processes, there was no difference in total carbon sequestration. This suggests that the environmental conditions for microbial decomposition were more important than vegetation composition for the soil carbon stocks, in our study site. After studying the contemporary habitat use of HMGs by reindeer and other herbivores, investigating the potential plant-soil feedbacks mechanisms and detailed soil analyses, I concluded that several ecological mechanisms contribute to the long-term stability of HMGs: first, the altered soil biotic and abiotic conditions appear to have a stronger advantage for HMG vegetation than for the surrounding tundra vegetation. Furthermore, I found a clear browsing preference of small rodents on single shrubs proliferating in HMGs, causing a strong limitation on shrub expansion. Moreover, the dense established sward of graminoids likely poses a strong direct competition for space and nutrients, hindering seedling establishment. Finally, I conclude that HMGs are highly stable on relevant ecological timescales, and propose how the concepts of historical contingency and ASS can be applied to understand stability of these reindeer-induced vegetation transitions.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att klargöra om den svenska regleringen av samernas vinterbetesmarker är förenlig med egendomsskyddet i artikel 1 första tilläggsprotokollet Europakonventionen. För att uppfylla det syftet utreds hur den svenska regleringen av samernas vinterbetesmarker ser ut, hur egendomsskyddet i Europakonventionen är utformat och slutligen om den svenska regleringen är förenlig med egendomsskyddet. Eftersom Europakonventionen är ett folkrättsligt traktat som dessutom har till syfte att skydda mänskliga rättigheter påverkas tolkningen av konventionen dels av folkrättsliga regler om traktatstolkning, men också av andra folkrättsliga instrument som exempelvis rör skydd för mänskliga rättigheter. Samerna är ett urfolk, och det finns folkrättsliga regler som skyddar urfolks markrättigheter. För att uppfylla uppsatsens syfte utreds därför frågorna hur Europakonventionen påverkas av folkrätten, samt vilket skydd urfolk har för sina markrättigheter enligt folkrätten. Utredningen av den svenska regleringen av samernas vinterbetesmarker visar att det är mycket svårt och kostsamt för samerna att i domstol styrka att de har rätt till vinterbete. Detta leder till rättsförluster eftersom samerna inte har råd att gå i svaromål i tvister rörande sin rätt till vinterbete. De områden där samerna kan låta sina renar beta om vintern minskar på grund av detta, vilket påverkar rennäringen som är en viktig del av den samiska kulturen negativt. När de folkrättsliga reglerna för urfolks markrättigheter utreds visar det sig också att den svenska regleringen av samernas vinterbetesmarker inte ger samerna ett skydd vilket är lika starkt som vad som följer av den folkrättsliga standarden. Utredningen av de tolkningsregler som är tillämpliga vid tolkningen av Europakonventionen visar att de folkrättsliga reglerna om urfolks markrättigheter är högst relevanta för hur konventionen ska tolkas. När egendomsskyddet i artikel 1 första tilläggsprotokollet tolkas med beaktande av de folkrättsliga reglerna blir det tydligt att den svenska regleringen av samernas vinterbetesmarker inte är förenlig med Europakonventionen. / The purpose of this thesis is to ascertain whether the Swedish rules concerning Sami reindeer winter pastures is compatible with the right of property provided for in Article 1 of the First Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). To fulfill this purpose, the rules concerning Sami winter pastures and the right to property in the ECHR will be examined, and finally it will be ascertained whether the Swedish rules are in harmony with the right of property in the ECHR. Because the ECHR as a treaty is part of public international law, and since its purpose is to protect human rights its interpretation can be affected by both international rules for treaty interpretation as well as other international law instruments. The Sami, as an indigenous people, have certain land rights according to several different international instruments. To fulfill the purpose of this thesis in a satisfactory manner will therefore require an examination of how the ECHR is affected by other rules in public international law, as well as the protection international law offers for indigenous peoples’ land rights. When the Swedish rules concerning Sami land rights are examined, it becomes apparent that it is very difficult and costly for the Sami to prove their right to winter pastures in court. Because of this the Sami oftentimes are not able to afford the legal costs necessary for them to adequately protect their right to reindeer winter pastures. Consequently, the areas which can be used by the Sami for reindeer herding during winters are shrinking. This affects the traditional Sami occupation of reindeer husbandry, which is an important part of Sami culture negatively. The examination of indigenous land rights under international law shows that the Swedish rules are not up to par with international standards. The examination of how the ECHR should be interpreted makes it clear that indigenous rights under international law are relevant for the interpretation of the convention. Finally, when the right to property in the ECHR is examined with regard to international rules concerning indigenous land rights it is clear that the Swedish rules concerning Sami reindeer winter pastures are not compatible with the ECHR.