Finland is widely considered, also internationally, to be a rare country in that we do not have the burden of shame and crime created by colonial rule. Unfortunately, this view is not true. Finland has never had state-owned overseas areas, such as e.g. Sweden has had it (and as part of Sweden, of course, in a way, we also have). But the Finnish state's relationship with the Sámi culture, the Sámi and the areas inhabited and used by them, in my opinion, fulfills the hallmarks of a colonialist attitude and practice quite well.
The most recent reminder and example of the colonialist attitude is provided by the Supreme Administrative Court (KHO), which annulled the Sámi parliamentary elections held in 2023 and ordered the elections to be repeated and to add 72 people to the electoral roll, whom the Sámi themselves do not consider entitled to the electoral roll.
The KHO's intervention in the Sami people's right to self-determination was caused by a professor of indigenous studies Rauna Kuokkanen to propose in Sami In Ávvir newspaper, that because Finland interferes in another nation's social and political processes, the Sámi should boycott renewed elections: "Our new strategy is to refuse to vote in the new Sámi district elections, which the Supreme Administrative Court has ordered to be held. We can no longer accept the mistakes of the state legal system against us and we cannot legitimize decisions that violate the basic rights of the Sámi people.Kuokkanen did not get practical activists with him, but the elections will be renewed. However, this process also gives us Finnish non-Sámi people a lot to think about.
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I am not an expert in the history or legislation related to the rights of the Sámi people, this text stems from the awareness that Finland, like everyone who behaves in a colonialist manner, denies that it is acting in a colonialist manner. The attitude of the Finnish state and most parties towards the Sámi is formally and superficially matter-of-fact, although not necessarily appreciative. I have also come across an attitude that dismisses the whole "Sámi question" as an effort by a small ethnic minority group to have a voice bigger than itself, or alternatively, evaluates the problems experienced by the Sámi as a matter of Sámi arguing with each other, which the Finnish state should not get involved in.
I think it is important to understand that even if the subjugating, colonialist attitude towards the Sámi is not always conscious, it has been consistently subjugating both culturally and economically throughout the period of independent Finland. The Sámi people may no longer be seen as exotic showpieces, whose motley traditional costumes make it easy to illustrate any commercial communication, i.e. advertising, aimed at tourists. But unfortunately, the equality of the Sámi has been recognized as conditional in many respects, and in the most important matter, i.e. land ownership, the Finnish state has always acted like its white masters, i.e. denied the ownership of the natives and stole the lands and waters for themselves.
For all Sámi, own tradition and culture are not important. The Sámi people do not represent one voice and opinion, but while one part accuses Finland of colonialist actions, the other part does very well with Finland, acknowledges compensation for hunting damages and sells the gold of the north, i.e. reindeer meat in various forms, at a price that the Japanese tourist does not consider too high at all, even in the usual southern the living can rarely afford to even taste reindeer. Personally, I don't think so much about how an individual Sámi feels about his treatment. I think that the colonialism represented by Finland is to be condemned and rejected, even if no Sámi would agree. I also know that the fear of the submission of all Sámi people is pointless. The young Sámi are very militant and perhaps more ready than the older age groups to challenge the Finnish state and its system of subjugation, which takes the form of parties.
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The Finnish state can refer to the constitution, in which it is written that the Sámi, as an indigenous people, "have the right to maintain and develop their own language and culture". The constitution also guarantees the Sami people self-government regarding language and culture in their home region. The Ministry of Justice beautifully writes how "The purpose of the constitution is that the Sámi people can decide their own affairs and guide their future development. All authorities must actively promote the realization of the rights of the Sami people and prevent their weakening. The authorities also have an obligation to promote equality and prevent discrimination."However, the constitution does not guarantee the Sami people the right to own the lands they inhabit or the right to decide how the land and water inhabited by the Sami people is used. In Finland, more than 90 percent of the land and water sector in the home region of the Sami people is under state control.
From the state's point of view, issues of language and culture are harmless, that's why the laws are written to be seemingly tolerant, but without the most important rights to decide on the use of land and water. Amnesty Finland has drawn attention to many problems related to the treatment of the Sami people, which it considers human rights violations. As a central problem, Amnesty presents the reform of the Sámi District Act, which has repeatedly failed in the parliament, because the right-wing parties in particular (I also include the center party) have been unwilling to strengthen the Sámi's right to self-determination, because it could threaten the monopoly of the people of the south who now decide on the land use of the Sámi region. The biggest disputes have been related to the fact that non-Sámi people want to define Sámi in such a way that it is not based on ethnic background or language, but on residential history and land ownership. No compromise has been found, and KHO cannot force it, although it can order the elections to be repeated.
The bodies that monitor the human rights treaties of the Council of Europe and the UN have repeatedly criticized the Finnish state for interfering with the Sami's own self-definition. However, they do not have the tools and perhaps do not want to force the Finnish state, so the major parties in the parliament have been able to play by delaying and postponing the Sámi District Act, regardless of the Sámi's vigorous demonstrations and expressions of will. The behavior of the Parliament is a clear example of the colonialist attitude of everyday life. It is not the past but unfortunately also the present. Finland is still a colonial state.
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Can problems related to the rights of the Sámi people ever be resolved in a way that satisfies the Sámi people themselves? I am quite pessimistic, because even though most parties recognize the linguistic and cultural rights stipulated by the constitution, the parties have no will to share the power of land ownership and the related use of land and water areas. The MPs elected from Lapland also do not want to promote the Sami people's right to self-determination. They fear the reactions of their own non-Sámi Finns and prefer to side with them rather than the Sámi. This has been seen in parliament many times.
I still believe that the reform of the Sámi District Act will at some point sneak through the parliament, as long as it does not contain instruments to interfere with land use. It is an absolute limit for the ruling parties in the south, beyond which they are not ready to go. However, it is precisely that border that makes Finland a colonial state. The Finnish state wants to retain the right to regulate the use of natural resources, the opening of mines, the use of waterways for energy production and also which areas are protected and which are not. The Sámi can and are consulted, but they are not allowed to decide on the land use of the Sámi's home region.
If I could decide for myself, the home regions of the Sámi people would be regulated by law as a nature reserve, within which traditional livelihoods approved by the Sámi assemblies are allowed, but not mines, power plants or structures serving tourism. Although in my opinion the Sámi have an indisputable right to decide on the land use of their home region, the area also belongs to common Finland and must therefore also be open to non-Sámi Finns who adapt to the Sámi's right to self-determination.
Located in Inarijärvi I'm sorry (ukko) is a traditional sacred place of the Sámi people, which has entered the list of UNESCO's world heritage sites, and the Finnish Antiquities Act also protects the island to some extent. I still consider it a good solution that the platform and stairs that served tourists have been decided to be removed by the Metsähallitus and the tourism entrepreneur's own decision. After that, the island is mostly admired from the water without going to the island itself. I think this is a good model for the future more generally. There is no need to close the Sámi country, it is enough to respect the right to self-determination of the Sámi people. You can get rid of colonialism completely.
14 comments on the post “Finland's colonial burden"
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Thank you Heikki for this article, which deals with the status of the Sámi as an indigenous people and part of Finnish society. The question of the Sami people's rights is very topical, also considering the DCA agreement with the USA: The plans now include the placement of a NATO / US military base in the Sami region of Inari.
The Sámi's traditional livelihood is reindeer herding, and according to the UN declaration on indigenous peoples, they should have the right to practice it. In order for this right to be realized in practice, the Finnish state should refrain from such actions in the Sámi areas that endanger this livelihood. Conflicts have arisen, for example, because the reindeer have been disturbed by wind power generators that have been erected in the reindeer husbandry areas. One can only imagine what kind of disruption a noisy and fenced military base would cause to traditional businesses.
A statement signed by several Sami and non-governmental organizations has already been made about placing military bases in Sami areas. Here are a couple of links from which you can familiarize yourself with this current topic:
https://www.maanystavat.fi/sotilastukikohdat-saamelaisten-kotiseutualueella
https://rauhanliitto.fi/rauhanliitto/ajankohtaista/julkilausuma-yhdysvaltojen-sotilastukikohdat-saamelaisten-kotiseutualueella-vaarantavat-alkuperaiskansan-perusoikeuksia
The evil Finnish people trample and exploit the minority. How about a helper for this? It smells a little bit like a mahogany now, when such things are laid out. Would someone come to save us when the small Swedish-speaking minority tramples and exploits us?
Even your nose can be allergic to mahorka, I personally see the responsibility of correcting Finland's human rights violations as belonging solely to the decision-makers and legislators of this country called Finland. No outside help is needed, only political will.
And if you, Joppe, are serious in your opinion that "a small Swedish-speaking minority is trampling and exploiting" us Finnish or something other than Swedish native speakers, I would love to hear examples of this. I would hear because I don't know that this kind of thing happens anymore. If you imply that the RKP let the bastards into the government in order to pursue some of their own affairs, then that is normal political opportunism, to which more or less all parties in turn stoop.
Finland has committed a long time ago to protect its national minorities, of which the Swedish speakers are a much larger group than the Sámi or the Roma. You shouldn't need to be reminded of the principle, but in practice many beautiful promises end up being promises. In a way, it is a politician's skill to manage to create an image of party X as a supporter and supporter of issue Z, even though in practice they vote against issue X.
As a comment on this, when Heikki you ask for examples of oppression practiced by the Swedish-speaking minority, I could mention the Swedish language in elementary school.
Now Finnish-speaking young people study Swedish as their second home language, usually with poor success, due to a lack of motivation and the fact that they hardly ever hear Swedish in their everyday lives, with the exception of bilinguals living in Helsinki and the Swedish-speaking coast.
Swedish-speaking young people study Finnish as their second native language, which they hear every day; from friends, in the media, on social media, in the store, everywhere. I taught Finnish to one Swedish-speaking class, and everyone was practically bilingual. No one from another country got a worse number than Ceisa.
It is different with Sweden. Many Finnish-speaking boys who go to Amish have a Swedish number of six. It calculates the average with which to aim for vocational school. The average score of Swedish-speaking young people is boosted by their easily obtainable moderate Finnish number. They get an advantage from it when competing for study places.
A bad Swedish number can prevent a Finnish-speaking young person from entering e.g. the electrical side, where there is usually a high average limit.
There is also no point in going to university if you haven't completed all the Swedish courses. In that case, the young person will not be able to graduate at all.
Here is the famous structural inequality.
The position of the Swedish language in elementary school has been decided by the parliament, not by any "Swedish-speaking minority". If the law is not considered successful, you have to try to get the biggest parties to push for its change. The power of the RKP alone is not enough for anything, although it may seem so now, when it keeps the far-right government afloat. If you see "structural inequality" here, you have to blame the majority of the parliament, which has enacted the law in all its parts.
Finnish Swedish-speaking schoolchildren are not guilty of anything by learning to be bilingual "by nature". No one chooses their parents or their growing environment, and on the other hand, nothing prevents a Finnish-speaking family from moving to an area where Finnish-Swedish is heard so well that the children practically become bilingual, and those who aspire to have at least a stop in Swedish.
Finnish language policy can also be criticized from the standpoint of equality, but the criticism must be directed at the parliament, not at Finland's Swedish-speaking minority.
Of course, I didn't mean literally that Swedish-speaking people would oppress Finnish-speaking people. And I didn't "blame" Swedish-speaking young people for being bilingual either, I just stated it. I wanted to point out an obvious problem that people are not aware of.
It could be said that the Swedish language in Finnish schools in its current form is a colonialist relic. The language issue is about very old practices, which are based on the fact that the language of civilization in Finland was originally Swedish, because the ruling elite came to us from Sweden.
RKP has indeed had much more power in previous decades than it does today. For example, in the primary school reform in the 1970s, the RKP was in the balance and set a condition: if the Swedish language does not become compulsory for everyone in the new primary school, they will not vote for the reform in parliament.
In the previous separate school system, Swedish was studied in middle school, but not in the civic school, which directs vocational education and working life more directly. After the basic school reform, even Amis boys who are strong in manual skills but often have no command of the language have had to study this language, often bitterly. To me, some of them said that they get English and Swedish mixed up.
I think equality in this matter would be easier to achieve than families having to move to a bilingual area. (It would be practically impossible for everyone to move there.)
A simple way: numerical grading should be given up and replaced with a "completed" marking. I suggested this by e-mail to all MPs a few years ago after seeing long enough how many middle school students struggled with the Swedish language. Among others, Jörn Donner replied that he thought the proposal was worth considering.
Joppe, you have a somewhat obsessive way of explaining everything through your hatred of Russians, if you are referring to this "rescue" that Russia also wants to protect its Russian population living in other countries.
Russia is hardly interested in saving the Finns, no matter how Swedish-speakers subjugate us. So your chain of reasoning went astray.
The Finns are exploiting the Sámi. Swedes do it too. So do the Norwegians. The fact that in history the Swedes have exploited the Finns does not give them the right to exploit the Sámi. I am Finnish-Swedish and Swedish is my mother tongue, my emotional language, and I am not proud of being taught that we are better. I noticed that we are no better. However, I hope that we can be equal, even though we are different. However, the Sámi have a different way of life and a way of getting along even in tough times, and they need adequate conditions for that. The USA does not know how to respect the indigenous peoples, not the Indians, let alone the Sami. They don't want free access to 15 regions at the expense of Finns to protect us. The agreement states that Finland must protect American soldiers in these areas of Finland. They come because they covet Russia's natural resources and plan to weaken Russia through Finnish territories and at the expense of Finnish soldiers and people. They want us to fight for them, like the Ukrainians are doing right now. Biden slipped: And they know how to fight! when he welcomed Sweden to NATO, he mentioned Finland and accidentally shouted about the Swedes that they know how to fight. I don't want any Finn to die for the USA against Russia!
And not only against Russia. Isn't the "Finnish boy" eager to participate in any future conflict that the United States of North America starts anywhere on the globe.
As a person from Lanta, I have understood that specifically the right to use land and water is the critical issue, so Heikki, I think you have hit the essentials.
I'm not familiar with the KHO decision regarding those 72 people either. But if the question is that they have owned the land since ancient times, they are not Sami according to my understanding. I have read so much social anthropology that I have understood that it is characteristic of the Sámi in particular that no one can own land or water, but it is a question of shared use. In other words, the Sami people decide on their use together. It's a completely different form of ownership, if you can't own like a person from Lanta owns. Here, apparently, two completely different ways of thinking about land and water collide.
I would think that the solution is not a nature reserve, but the people of Lantana should take the rights of the Sámi people to practice their own livelihoods according to their own rules.
Why is my comment stuck in "review"?
My comment does not contain any incitement of hatred against any civic groups. On the contrary, I thank Heikki for this article and I referred to the current statement of non-governmental organizations (including Sámi organizations) published on April 9.4.2024, XNUMX regarding Finland's plans to also hand over Sámi areas, Inari, to a US/NATO military base.
I wonder if it could be the links attached to my comment regarding the statement?
So I'll try to post one of them again.
https://www.maanystavat.fi/sotilastukikohdat-saamelaisten-kotiseutualueella
Here's another announcement from the Peace Alliance about this struggle, which is taking place over the location of the bases promised by the DCA agreement, especially in the Sámi region. In a way, it is colonialism to the power of two: The Finns themselves first submit themselves to the colonialism of the USA and then try to decide on subjugating the Sámi people, ignoring their right to self-determination.
https://rauhanliitto.fi/rauhanliitto/ajankohtaista/julkilausuma-yhdysvaltojen-sotilastukikohdat-saamelaisten-kotiseutualueella-vaarantavat-alkuperaiskansan-perusoikeuksia
Shredder, you brought up another important point. When the USA is allowed to the Ivalo border guard and Rovajärvi as planned, it is about Sami lands that they should have the right to decide on their use. I understood that the Sámi assemblies have not been asked and now a new election was ordered, the result of which will not emerge until the parliament votes on the DCA agreement. Parliament should reject the DCA - how do we convince MPs of this? Not only because of the rights of the Sámi people, but because of the right of all of us - it's about the right to life, that is, to peace.