Sweden: Sami People Regain Hunting Rights

In Sweden, the Supreme Court has ruled that the indigenous Sami people hold exclusive authority to grant hunting rights for small game and fish.

For the Sami, it is a historically significant moment; for Sweden's hobby hunters, it is a source of frustration. The escalation of a long-simmering conflict looms: who does the land of the reindeer belong to?

Millennia-old rights recognized

The argument put forward by the Sami community of Girjas, which ultimately also convinced the Supreme Court: for thousands of years, they had hunted, fished, and used the land as pasture for their reindeer — until the Swedish state arrived and, from their perspective, took away more and more of their land and thus their livelihoods.

Between 20’000 and 40’000 people in Sweden belong to the Sami group. Around 4’700 of them are reindeer owners, like the family of Ylva Sarri. She welcomes the ruling, as Swedish hobby hunters and their dogs frighten the reindeer and obstruct the work of the Sami. Herders regularly round up their animals to slaughter them and sell the meat and hides.

300’000 hobby hunters fear for their privileges

Joachim Almgren is one of over 300’000 Swedish hobby hunters in the country who now fears that he will only be able to hunt with his dogs in a limited capacity in the future. Hobby hunting and fishing are popular leisure activities among Swedes, who would be reluctant to give them up. What if other Sami communities follow the example of Girjas Sameby and go to court to claim exclusive authority over hunting rights? Which is the greater good: the welfare of the reindeer or the hunting rights of Sweden's recreational hunters? The Hunting Myths Dossier shows why the interests of hobby hunters regularly take precedence over animal welfare.