| This thesis discusses the influence of the Arctic environment upon the indigenous Sami people in northern Europe, and the effects of cultural modernization upon the Sami, particularly in Scandinavia. The culture of the indigenous Sami population has developed greatly over the past several centuries, with the Sami recently facing their toughest struggles as they adapt and adjust to their environment.;Though they are strong in traditions, Sami ethnicity has been weakened by a lack of solidarity and power within their respective countries. Additionally, the Arctic has greatly changed physically due to population growth, resource cultivation from the various governments, and global warming. With their resources diminishing, the Sami have been forced to integrate into urban Nordic occupations and lifestyles, resulting in a severe loss of ethnic identity. They have attempted to compensate this shortfall through obtaining property and resource rights, ethnic and language recognition, and, most importantly, adapting without assimilating. |
