2008-05-14

Sami People (Laplanders) Issue Plea for Help. By Emily Dugan, London Independent, May 10, 2008. "Olav Mathias-Eira is a reindeer-herder. So was his father. And his father's father. He is a member of the Sami community, one of the largest indigenous groups remaining in Europe, and his family have been herding reindeer in the same stretch of the Norwegian Arctic since the 1400s. But, because of climate change, their lifestyle, unchanged for centuries, is now at risk. So Mr Mathias-Eira, 50, has travelled to Britain to issue an urgent plea in the hope that his people and livelihood can be saved... The Sami community, one of the largest indigenous groups remaining in Europe... The Sami live across northern Europe, in Norway, Finland, Sweden and Russia. There are believed to be only 100,000 left... Sami have lived in the same northern region of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia for more than 2,500 years. Their traditional livelihoods include fishing, trapping for fur and reinder herding. The Sami were previously known around the world as 'Lapps,' or Laplanders."

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