Teacher's Guide

Reindeer herding and Sámi culture

In several places, the current national curricula for schools establish that all pupils are to gain insight into Sámi culture.

For the teacher

In several places, the current national curricula for schools establish that all pupils are to gain insight into Sámi culture. This applies to pupils who live outside Sámi areas as well. Wordings concerning the Sámi are found, among other places, in the physical education subject. This is carried further in the friluftsliv programme subject. Through friluftsliv (the Norwegian tradition of unhurried, outdoor open-air living), the teacher has various ways to approach Sámi culture, among them reindeer herding. The subject curriculum for the friluftsliv programme subject states, under the core element friluftsliv outings, that the teaching is to facilitate safe and sustainable travel on trips with and without overnight stays and is to «..take into account any commercial interests such as Sámi reindeer herding». Sámi culture is often associated with reindeer herding, and reindeer herding is a visible bearer of culture closely tied to maintaining and practising Sámi culture. It is important, however, for the teacher to recognise that Sámi culture is highly diverse and contains a great deal more than reindeer-herding culture. Reindeer herding is nonetheless an essential part of Sámi use of nature and an important basis of livelihood for part of the population in core Sámi areas. This article therefore takes up some central elements relating to Sámi reindeer-herding culture, along with other Sámi traditions of relevance to friluftsliv. All Sámi names in this article are from the Northern Sámi language.

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Elisabeth Enoksen and Inger Wallem Krempig, Snuitide (2022)