Arctic Ancestral Survivalism With The Sami People…

Arctic Ancestral Survivalism With The Sami People...

Want to see your message here? Why not Sponsor This Article

The Sami people are one of the oldest semi-nomadic indigenous groups in the world. Traditionally herding reindeer in the Arctic regions of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia’s Kola Peninsula (the region is known as Sapmi), they learned to work with the rhythms of nature in order to survive the harsh climate.

“Nature is everything for us because we think we belong to Mother Earth,” explains Sami writer/artist/teacher Gunnel Heligfjell, “It is not as with Western European thinking that the earth belongs to us, to the human beings. We think that we belong to the earth like the animals and the plants and everything.”

Following the reindeer migrations, they built transportable homes called lavvu from wood and fabric (similar to Native American tipis, but less vertical to sustain high winds). They also have more permanent homes called goahti made from fabric, peat moss or timber and curved poles.

The reindeer are used for food and materials: clothing, shoes, tents, tools, toys, and handicraft. They even play a role in one of the Sami creation myths.

Gunnel Heligfjell is an artist/writer who teaches the Sami language to school children (recognized as an official Swedish minority language in 2000). While she lives in a more conventional home in Vilhelmina, Sweden most of the year, she still spends time in a goahti or lavvu during summer or hunting trips. She believes in this traditional self-reliance and knows how to build traditional shelters and still cures reindeer meat (from her husband’s herd) and makes shoes, bags and fabrics from the skins. Check it out below…

If you like this idea, be sure to share it with your friends and inspire someone you know. Anything becomes possible with just a little inspiration…


Self Sufficient Backyard

In all that time an electric wire has never been connected to our house. We haven’t gotten or paid an electricity bill in over 40 years, but we have all the electricity we want. We grow everything we need, here, in our small backyard. We also have a small medicinal garden for tough times. Read More Here...


You Might Also Like...

How To Make A Galvanized Stock Tank Vegetable Garden
10 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint and Protect Nature
9 Plants & Recipes for Homemade Healing Salves
How To Keep Birds Out of Your Garden
Growing and Using Valerian as a Natural Sleep Aid
Using Flowers To Repel Pests & Nourish Your Garden Plants
Understanding The Soil Food Web
The Ultimate Survival Crops for Your Garden
How to Start a Thriving Small Farm
The Power of Permaculture Ponds
Bamboo: The Ultimate Homestead Plant
Transforming Spain’s Deserts Into Thriving Farmland