Reindeer-herding Sami Research Articles

The confidence in health care and social services in northern Sweden – a comparison between reindeer-herding Sami and the non-Sami majority population

To investigate the confidence in primary health care, psychiatry and social services among the reindeer-herding Sami and the non-Sami population of northern Sweden. A semi-randomized, cross-sectional study design comprising 325 reindeer-herding Sami (171 men, 154 women) and a control population of 1,437 non-Sami (684 men, 753 women). A questionnaire on the confidence in primary health care, psychiatry, social services, and work colleagues was distributed to members of reindeer-herding families through the Sami communities and to the control population through the post. The relative risk for poor confidence was analyzed by calculating odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals adjusted for age and level of education. The confidence in primary health care and psychiatry was significantly lower among the reindeer-herding Sami compared with the control group. No differences were found between men and women in the reindeer-herding Sami population. In both the reindeer-herding Sami and the control population, younger people (≤ 48 years) reported significantly lower confidence in primary health care than older individuals (>48 years). A conceivable reason for the poor confidence in health care organizations reported by the reindeer-herding Sami is that they experience health care staff as poorly informed about reindeer husbandry and Sami culture, resulting in unsuitable or unrealistic treatment suggestions. The findings suggest that the poor confidence constitutes a significant obstacle of the reindeer-herding Sami to fully benefit from public health care services.

What is known about the health and living conditions of the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia, the Sami?

BackgroundThe Sami are the indigenous ethnic population of northern Scandinavia. Their health condition is poorly known, although the knowledge has improved over the last decade.ObjectivesThe aim was to review the current information on mortality, diseases, and risk factor exposure in the Swedish Sami population.DesignHealth-related research on Sami cohorts published in scientific journals and anthologies was used to compare the health condition among the Sami and the majority non-Sami population. When relevant, data from the Sami populations in Swedish were compared with corresponding data from Norwegian and Finnish Sami populations.ResultsLife expectancy and mortality patterns of the Sami are similar to those of the majority population. Small differences in incidences of cancer and cardiovascular diseases have been reported. The traditional Sami lifestyle seems to contain elements that reduce the risk to develop cancer and cardiovascular diseases, e.g. physical activity, diet rich in antioxidants and unsaturated fatty acids, and a strong cultural identity. Reindeer herding is an important cultural activity among the Sami and is associated with high risks for accidents. Pain in the lower back, neck, shoulders, elbows, and hands are frequent among both men and women in reindeer-herding families. For men, these symptoms are related to high exposure to terrain vehicles, particularly snowmobile, whereas for women psychosocial risk factors seem to more important, e.g. poor social support, high effort, low reward, and high economical responsibilities.ConclusionsAlthough the health condition of the Sami population appears to be rather similar to that of the general Swedish population, a number of specific health problems have been identified, especially among the reindeer-herding Sami. Most of these problems have their origin in marginalization and poor knowledge of the reindeer husbandry and the Sami culture in the majority population. It is suggested that the most sustainable measure to improve the health among the reindeer-herding Sami would be to improve the conditions of the reindeer husbandry and the Sami culture.

Hazardous Drinking and Drinking Patterns Among the Reindeer-Herding Sami Population in Sweden

The objective of this study was to investigate hazardous drinking among reindeer-herding Sami in Sweden. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted in 2007, which included the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test. A total of 319 reindeer-herding Sami were compared with urban and rural reference populations of 1,393 persons. Data were analyzed with regard to population, gender, age group, education, anxiety, depression, and work-related stress. The Sami population did not report a higher prevalence of hazardous drinking compared with the reference groups; however, subgroups of Sami men with symptoms of depression were revealed as at risk, in contrast to Sami women who were not found to be at risk at all. Limitations of the study are discussed.

Johan Turi: First Author of the Sámi

ONE-HUNDRED YEARS AGO in the year 1910, Johan Turi's book Muitalus samiid birra (An Account of the Sami) first appeared. It was the first time that a Sami had written a book regarding the Sami situation in Sami. The book's genesis has its own particular history. Now, a century after the work's appearance, a new edition has been prepared based on Turi's original handwritten manuscript (Muitalus Samiid Birra). The present collection of essays examines Turi's masterpiece from a variety of different angles. The translations used in the essays below come from a new English version of Muitalus based upon the re-edited text of 2010 (An Account of the Sami). Because the Sami and English editions are meant to be used in conjunction with each other, they share the same format and pagination. Thus, in the essays that follow, cited page references apply to both the Sami and the English editions. Johan Turi was born on March 12, 1854, in Guovdageaidnu (Kautokeino), Norway. He moved with his family to Sweden and moved to the Talma sameby in the parish of Jukkasjarvi during the 1880s. Turi's family members were reindeer herders, but Johan seems to have been more interested in hunting and fishing. He had long considered writing a book about Sami relations when at last in 1904 he happened to meet a Danish artist and ethnographer, Emilie Demant on board a train carrying ore between Tornetrask and the Swedish-Norwegian border. This encounter has been examined in depth by Kristin Kuutma both in a book (Kuutma) and in her contribution below; the meeting proved decisive for Turi's career as an author as well as for Emilie Demant's childhood dream of spending an entire year as part of a reindeer-herding family. Turi and Demant could not understand each other's speech, as Turi spoke Sami and Finnish, as well as some broken Swedish, and Demant spoke only Danish. It happened, however, that there was a person on the train who could speak both Swedish and Finnish and thus could act as an interpreter. The result of their meeting was that Turi promised to arrange for Demant to spend a year with a reindeer-herding family, and she in turn promised to help Turi write his book. In an essay written many years after the fact, Emilie Demant Hatt (as she became known after her marriage) reminisced about her initial meeting with Turi and the events that led to their important collaboration (Demant Hatt). Her account provides us with concrete details of the process that led to the first book written in Sami. When Demant returned to Denmark, she began to study Sami with a Professor Vilhelm Thomsson of the University of Copenhagen, for she knew that only by learning the language could she truly come to know the Sami and their culture. It was, incidentally, the first and last time a course in Sami had ever been offered at the university. Turi kept his word and arranged for Demant to live with his brother, Aslak Turi, and his family over the course of a year. Demant returned in the spring of 1907 and accompanied Aslak's family for a year, participating in all activities related to herding, including the marking of calves, the round-up and separation of herds, and, of course, the migration. She experienced all that related to the nomadic life of reindeer-herding Sami: the course of migration, daily and seasonal activities, the ups and downs of life in a goahti. And she became practically a member of the family, dressing in the same manner as everyone else--an important decision, in that it ensured her protection from the winter cold. During the year she learned more Sami, gaining active competence in the spoken language as well. She had brought with her a large Sami-Norwegian dictionary as a study aid, which her Sami hosts teased her weighed as much as half a full burden for a reindeer to carry (i.e., 15-20 kg). Demant's year spent with Aslak's family made it possible for her to keep her word to Johan Turi and help him write a book about the Sami. …

Depression and anxiety in the reindeer-herding Sami population of Sweden

Objectives. The objective of this study was to investigate symptoms and predicting factors of depression and anxiety among reindeer-herding Sami in Sweden.Study design. A total of 319 reindeer-herding Sami (168 men, 151 women) were compared with urban and rural reference populations comprising 1,393 persons (662 men, 731 women).Methods. A cross-sectional questionnaire study on mental health, which included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Data were analysed with regard to population, gender, age group, education and work-related stress.Results. The Sami population disclosed higher mean values for both depression and anxiety than the reference groups, with Sami men reporting the highest rates. Work-related stress was associated with anxiety and depression in the Sami group.Conclusions. By comparing Sami men and women with reference groups of men and women living in urban and rural areas in northern Sweden, this study identified that reindeer-herding Sami men require special attention with regard to mental health problems.

Unnatural deaths in reindeer-herding Sami families in Sweden, 1961–2001

Objectives. Unnatural deaths among Indigenous populations, including the Swedish Sami, occur more often than among the general population. To find prevention strategies, we explored the circumstances of the unnatural deaths of members of reindeer-herding Sami families.Study design. The number of deaths from among a cohort of 7,482 members of reindeer-herding Sami families were retrieved from the National Board of Health and Welfare for the years 1961– 2001.Methods. An evaluation of the information from autopsy records at the National Board of Forensic Medicine, police reports, and available medical records identified 158 unnatural deaths. These were then analysed in detail.Results. Transport-related deaths and suicides were the most common unnatural deaths among Swedish reindeer-herding Sami family members. Suicides contributed to 23% of all deaths, road traffic accidents to 16%, and snowmobile fatalities to 11%. The accidents generally reflected an “outdoor lifestyle” and the working conditions were characterized by the use of off-road vehicles such as snowmobiles. Half of the number of victims tested positive for alcohol and alcohol abuse was documented in 15% of all victims.Conclusions. The results indicate that alcohol is an important factor in preventing unnatural deaths among reindeer-herding Sami, together with increased safety of both on-road and off-road transportation.

Adherence to a traditional lifestyle affects food and nutrient intake among modern swedish sami

Objectives. To compare the nutrient and food intake of Sami still engaged in reindeer herding (traditionallifestyle or reindeer-herding Sami [RS]) and Sami not involved in reindeer herding (industrializedlifestyle or non-reindeer-herding Sami [NRS]) with other northern Swedish populations.Study design. Cross-sectional analysis of data from a prospective cardiovascular interventionprogram in northern Sweden. Methods. Data were used from a prospective cardiovascular intervention program in northernSweden. Sami recruited into this study were divided according to whether they were involved inreindeer herding (traditional lifestyle, RS) (66 females, 79 males) or not (NRS) (255 females, 195males), and compared to non-Sami from the same area taking part in the same study (controls)(499 females, 501 males). Subjects completed a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and clinicalparameters were analysed.Results. RS had a higher overall intake of energy for both females (P<0.01) and males (P<0.05), but not total food intake compared to controls and NRS. The overall Sami diet was characterizedby a higher proportion of energy from protein and fat. RS had a lower energy adjusted intake ofvitamins A and E, and fibre, and a higher intake of sodium. RS and NRS both had a lower intakeof vegetables and a higher intake of meat, and for RS, fish. Nutrient and food-intake patterns weresimilar for males and females.Conclusions. Classification of Sami into RS and NRS indicates that a traditional lifestyle defined byoccupation is reflected in differences in food and nutrient intake.

Reindeer (&lt;em&gt;Rangifer tarandus tarandus&lt;/em&gt;) feeding on lichens and mushrooms: traditional ecological knowledge among reindeer-herding Sami in northern Sweden

The study was performed in four reindeer-herding districts (Sami villages) in northern Sweden. Reindeer herding Sami, born in 1950 or earlier, were interviewed about reindeer foraging behaviour on lichens and mushrooms, especially relating to non-summer grazing habits, and about characteristics of a good winter feeding ground. The informants claimed that lichens are preferably grazed in the wintertime, but that they also may be eaten in the summertime when the weather is cold and humid. Mushrooms were chosen in the autumn months August and September, but according to some informants mushrooms may also be eaten during late autumn (from Oct.) when frozen and under the snow. The reindeer herders had different names for lichens, which in general terms describe their appearance and habitat. For mushrooms they only used one Sami name. Ground lichens preferred by reindeer are Cladonia species, while the nitrogen-fixing lichen species such as Nephroma arcticum and Stereocaulon pascale were said not to be preferred by the reindeer. Snow conditions are very important, and the less snow (and the softer it is), the better. Habitats where reindeer herders know from experience that snow conditions tend to be problematic, e.g. in moist and open areas with small trees, are used early in the winter (Oct.–Jan.), before too much snow has accumulated. A good winter grazing area should have lichens. It is preferably a dry pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest heath with large, old and wide-crowned trees to shelter the ground from snow and thereby ease the cratering by reindeer. Abstract in Swedish / Sammanfattning: Renens (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) bete av lavar och svampar: Traditionell ekologisk kunskap bland renskötande samer i norra Sverige Studien genomfördes i fyra renskötseldistrikt (samebyar) i norra Sverige. Totalt 22 renskötande samer, födda 1950 eller tidigare, blev intervjuade om renens betande av lavar och svampar, renens vinterbete och om vad som karaktäriserar ett bra vinterbetesland. Informanterna hävdade att lavar företrädesvis betas under vintern, men även kan betas under sommaren då vädret är kallt och fuktigt. Svampar betas under höstmånaderna augusti och september, men enligt några informanter kan svamp även betas senare på hösten (från oktober) när den är frusen och under snön. Renskötarna har namn på lavar som i generella termer beskriver deras utseende och växtplats. För svampar använder de enbart ett samiskt namn, guoppar. Av de marklevande lavarna ansåg informanterna att renarna föredrar Cladonia-arter (renlavar), medan kväve-fixerade arter som Nephroma arcticum (norrlandslav) och Stereocaulon pascale (påskrislav) inte ansågs föredras av renarna. Snöförhållandena är mycket viktiga, och ju mindre snö (och ju lösare den är) desto bättre. Växtplatser där renskötarna vet av erfarenhet att snöförhållandena kan bli problematisk, t.ex. i fuktiga och öppna områden med små träd, används till bete tidigt under vintern (oktober-januari) innan för mycket snö har fallit. Ett bra vinterbetesområde ska ha gott om lavar. Det bästa är en torr tallhed (Pinus sylvestris) med stora och gamla träd med vida kronor som fångar upp snön som upplega och på det viset skyddar marken från snö, vilket gör det lättare för renarna att gräva.

Cancer in the Sami population of Sweden in relation to lifestyle and genetic factors

The reindeer herding Sami of Sweden have low incidences of cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the cancer risk in a large cohort of Swedish Sami, containing Sami with different lifestyle and genetic Sami heritage. A cohort of 41,721 Sami identified in official national registers between 1960 and 1997, was divided into two sub-populations -- reindeer herding Sami (RS) and non-reindeer herding Sami (NRS). A demographically matched non-Sami reference population (NS) was used as standard when incidence and mortality ratios were calculated. Incidence and mortality data were obtained from the Swedish Cancer and Cause of Death Registers for the period 1961-2003. For Sami men, lower risks were found for cancers of the colon and prostate, and for malignant melanoma and non-Hodkins lymphoma, but higher for stomach cancer. The Sami women showed higher risks for cancers of the stomach and the ovaries, but lower risk for cancer of the bladder. The RS demonstrated lower relative cancer risks compared with the NRS. The lowest relative risk was found among the RS men, while the highest were observed among the NRS women. The RS men who had adopted a more westernized lifestyle showed a similar relative risk for prostate cancer as that of the NS living in the same region. Most of these differences in cancer risks could probably be ascribed to differences in lifestyle. It is concluded that the traditional Sami lifestyle contains elements, e.g. dietary contents and physical activity that may protect them from developing cancer.

Quality of life in relation to physical, psychosocial and socioeconomic conditions among reindeer-herding Sami

OBJECTIVES: To analyse different aspects of health-related quality of life factors among members of reindeer-herding families.STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study based on data from a comprehensive survey.METHODS: The health-related quality of life (SF-36) factors were analysed on 99 (56 men, 43 women) adult members of reindeer-herding families. Comparisons were made between the reindeer-herding family members and a Swedish reference population. Associations between mental and physical component summary measures and a number of sociodemographic, biomedical, physical, psychosocial and socio-economic variables were analysed with multivariate regression statistics.RESULTS: Men scored higher than women on physical and social function and vitality. The average scores on the subscales for the reindeer-herding family members were similar to those of the Swedish reference population, except for reindeer-herding men who scored higher on physical function and lower on bodily pain. For women, the quality of life was related to age, sense of coherence, lifestyle and behavioural variables, as well as to issues such as diseases among close relatives, social networks and the economy of their business. For men, it was mainly related to musculoskeletal pain conditions, age, sense of coherence and physical and psychosocial working conditions.CONCLUSIONS: Men and women of the reindeer-herding families need partly different conditions to enjoy a high quality of life. From the results, it might be predicted that poor somatic and psychosocial health, increased intrusion from exploiters on the grazing land and declining profit in reindeer husbandry constitute important threats to a good quality of life among members of reindeer-herding families.

Fatal accidents and suicide among reindeer herding Sami in Sweden

Objective. Over the last decades, reindeer-herding management has experienced dramatic changes, e.g. increased motorization and socio-economic pressure. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether these changes have increased the risk of fatal, work-related accidents and suicide between 1961 and 2000. Study design and methods. A cohort containing 7,482 members of reindeer-herding Sami families was extracted from national population registers. Information on fatal accidents and suicide was obtained from the Swedish Causes of Death Register, and compared to the expected number of deaths in a demographically matched control population of non-Sami. Results. The male reindeer herding Sami showed a significantly increased risk of dying from accidents such as vehicle accidents and poisoning. No significant increased risk of suicide was observed. A comparison between the periods of 1961–1980 and 1981-2000 showed non-significant differences in risk, although a trend towards increased risks was observed for most types of external causes of death except suicide. Conclusions. It is suggested that the increased socio-economic pressure and the extensive use of terrain vehicles have increased the risk for fatal accidents among Swedish reindeer herders, and that commercial reindeer management is one of the most dangerous occupations in Sweden.