Identity Economics and the Sámi pastoralism sector : A survey among Sámi pastoralists in the Karasjok region in Eastern Finnmark

• Main Author: Rein, Maria Katjana Kemi
• Other Authors: Kjell Arne Brekke
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: VDP::210; Karasjok; Norway; Finnmark; Sámi
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10852/34017; http://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-32836

The Sámi pastoralism sector is getting bigger in Norway, while the farming sector has experienced a massive decline from 1960-2011. The aim in this thesis is to look at causes for this trend in the Sámi pastoralism sector. Is this trend explained by income, identity, lifestyle, or lack of better occupation alternatives? To test these explanations I chose to conduct a survey among Siida-shareholders /pastoralists in the Karasjok region in Eastern Finnmark.The survey was conducted in February and March 2012. In Norway, approximately 25% of the Siida-shareholders/pastoralists live in the Karasjok region. Earlier, there have been done two similar studies among Sámi pastoralists in Sweden (1999) and in Western Finnmark and Trøndelag (2007). However my survey is more focused on identity compared to the two earlier surveys. Akerlof and Kranton (2000) introduced identity theories in economics, and in this thesis these theories are used as one explanation for the increase in Siida-shares and Siida-members. In my survey in the Karasjok region, the most frequently reported reason for choosing reindeer herding as an occupation was (1) to preserve and pass on Sámi traditions to the next generation (84.6%). The second most reported reason was (2) closeness to nature (61.5%), and the third most reported reason was (3) flexible work hours (50 %). That everyday work language will still be Sámi was the fourth most reported reason (42.8%) (4). Reasons (1) and (4) support the identity hypothesis while (2) and (3) support mainly the lifestyle hypothesis. The lack of better paid occupation hypothesis is not validated in my survey, since none of the pastoralists reported that they would quit reindeer herding for a better paid occupation. Also, 88.9% of the Siida-shareholders/pastoralists report that it is important for them that next generation takes over as reindeer herders.