‘Our bodies know the pain’: Why Norway’s reindeer herders support Gaza
Multiple Sámi women speak about their connection to the Palestinian struggle, drawing parallels to the oppression they themselves have faced. The Sámi lived a free, nomadic existence in their lands—known as Sápmi—spanning Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, for over 9,000 years until Christian invaders arrived in the 9th century. Enforced colonial borders split families apart, with the longest unbroken border created in 1751 between Norway and Sweden. As cultural practices, including speaking their languages, were banned, the Sámi have witnessed a decline in youth participation in their traditions. Today, only nine Sámi languages remain, with Norway having upheld a ban on them until 1960. Reindeer herder Maja Kristine Jama, who practices reindeer husbandry in accordance with Sámi culture, is deeply familiar with the Fosen Peninsula in eastern Norway. She also stresses the importance of this practice to the Arctic ecosystem. Jama describes herself as not living off the land, but within it—yet she now sees the land being destroyed by borders, land seizures, construction, and extractive industries. The European Union’s push for self-sufficiency has accelerated the mining of nickel and iron ore, while smaller-scale mining and forestry projects continue to restrict the movement of reindeer and destroy their feeding grounds. Another Sámi woman, singer and artist Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen, speaks to the urgency of standing up for people being displaced from their homes. She calls for solidarity rooted in a shared struggle for Indigenous rights and self-determination. The Sámi have launched regular protests in Oslo against the war on Gaza, with many emphasizing the importance of recognizing that they live within a settler colonial society. They critique the United States and Europe for their inability to fully reckon with their own colonial histories. They also warn of “green colonialism,” pointing to a wind farm on the Fosen Peninsula co-owned by a state-funded Norwegian energy firm and foreign companies. While a compensation agreement was reached with the Norwegian company, no such deal has been made with the foreign firms. Jama notes that this not only has material consequences for the Sámi people but also erases Sámi history from the landscape.
