

The participants at the 2022 Indigenous Conference on Cumulative Effects held in March were treated to an eye-opening keynote addresse that featured the rich, lived experience of the Saami people of Finland. The presentation offered by Dr. Klemetti Näkkäläjärvi spoke to the wide-ranging impacts of cumulative effects on the Indigenous peoples of Finland and it’s impacts to their traditional practice of reindeer herding.
Dr. Näkkäläjärv, from Enontekiö, North Finland tied his presentation to the conference theme of Cumulative Effects: A Health and Well-Being Perspective. His presentation discussed the importance of Saami culture and ways of life, and how they have been impacted by climate change.
“Climate change equals cultural change for the Sammi. Adaptation measures influence the reindeer work model,” said the Postdoctoral Researcher in cultural anthropology at the University of Oulu.”
“Every Saami can choose their own path and way of life. But they must have the possibility to be a Saami and live their traditional Saami way of life,” said Dr. Näkkäläjärv. It is increasingly difficult to be a Saami. We are a small people on the global scale, but an important part of the world’s cultural heritage.”