Indigenous Populations and Vulnerability. Characterizing Vulnerability in a Sami Context

• Main Authors: Axelsson, Per, Sköld, Peter
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: French
• Published: 2007
• Subjects: anthro-se; demo; Rendu; Lapons; sami
• Online Access: http://www.cairn.info/article.php?ID_ARTICLE=ADH_111_0115

`titrebSummary`/titrebAmong the most vulnerable populations of today are the indigenous peoples. They share the experience of colonization with severe implications. Historically thousands of indigenous cultures have ceased to exist. The current article outlines and discusses the conditions from the past to the present that make an indigenous people like the Swedish Sami vulnerable. Until the early twentieth century the Sami were in some respects a demographically vulnerable population. Infants and child mortality were dramatically high, yet the fear of extinction that prevailed among Swedish scientists until the 1940s were never realistic. The Swedish Sami population of today is not living on the brink of extinction but there are still circumstances that are the result of historical events contributing to them being more vulnerable than the majority population of Sweden. The Sami has been reduced due to demographic, socio-economic, cultural and political interference. We argue that the Sami vulnerability of the past, present and future involves changes in statistics, language, traditional economy, religion, relocation/reservation, cultural diversity, educational system, and denial of the right to cultural and political self-determination. These factors all play important roles for the contextualization of indigenous vulnerability and should be considered when studying vulnerability among all indigenous populations. `titrebRésumé`/titrebLes peuples indigènes font partie des populations les plus vulnérables à l’heure actuelle. Ils ont en partage l’expérience de la colonisation et ses sévères conséquences. À l’échelle historique, des milliers de cultures indigènes ont cessé d’exister. Cet article analyse les facteurs qui, hier comme aujourd’hui, ont rendu vulnérable un peuple comme les Sami suédois. Jusqu’au début du xxe siècle, les Sami (Lapons) formaient jusqu’à un certain point une population démographiquement vulnérable. La mortalité infantile et enfantine était effrayante, même si la crainte de l’extinction, ...