Sunday, November 2, 2008

Card #23, Sami and Reindeer



This is a really cool card featuring the traditional garb of the Sami people of northern Scandinavia. This is my first card from Norway, coming from the #1 Postcrossing user of all time, Britt. The Sami people are considered to be among the first groups to inhabit Europe, and it remains one of the largest indigenous groups in Europe, with a population of about 100,000. The Sami traditionally earned a livelihood from fishing, trapping animals for fur, and most famously, herding reindeer. Only 10% of remaining Sami people are involved in this profession, but in the countries where the Sami still live (mostly Norway, but also Sweden, Finland, and Russia), the profession is reserved solely for the Sami by law. Any person who had a great-grandparent who spoke Sami at home can be considered part of that ethnic group. Cool card!

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