• In northern Europe, Indigenous Sámi people continue to compete with neighboring nations for the same resources and lands, says Áslat Holmberg, former president of the Saami Council, political leader and advocate for Indigenous rights.
• He argues that this is part of continual colonial control, taking shape in the form of mines, energy projects, top-down conservation efforts and politics taking more land from Sámi reindeer herders and fishers or overriding Sámi rights in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.
• “Our lands are seen as a storeroom of resources, just waiting to be plundered,” Holmberg writes in this opinion piece. “We are told that we must contribute and give more of our lands for the sake of the planet. But we have already given so much. Many of our communities are stretched to their limits.”
• This commentary is part of the Voices from the Land series, a compilation of Indigenous-led opinion pieces focusing on their lived experiences, land stewardship and visions for environmental justice. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay.

This series, Voices from the Land, brings together opinion pieces led and written by Indigenous peoples from around the world. Through these commentaries, we share our lived realities and reflections on urgent issues shaping our time — environmental destruction, our relationship with nature, and systemic injustice. We write from the heart of our communities, where the impacts of these urgent crises are deeply felt, but also where solutions are rooted. Through this series, we speak from our territories, and ensure our truths are part of the global conversation.

There is no “postcolonial” for Indigenous peoples. On the contrary, for centuries, the Sámi — the only recognized Indigenous people in the European Union — have been losing lands and waters to our neighbors. For us, colonialism lies in the structures that continue to dominate our lives while we live alongside the neighboring nations that have settled on our lands for good.

One aspect of this coexistence: competition for the same resources and areas.

In recent years, there have been several protest movements to protect Sámi territories, known as Sápmi in North Sámi, which were colonized by Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. In Riehpovuotna (also known as Repparfjord) on the Norwegian side of Sápmi, Sámi and environmental groups have opposed the Nussir copper mine, licensed to dump tailings into a national salmon fjord.

As I write, in August 2025, activists and Sámi reindeer herders are on top of the mine site, inside the security zone, halting blasting operations. Last week, three Sámi reindeer herders joined a civil disobedience action, entering the mine with other activists to occupy it and stop operations. This marks a turning point in the case, as those defending their ancestral lands were removed by police.

Áslat Holmberg, former president of the Saami Council, political leader and advocate for Indigenous rights. Image by Nina Gualinga. The threats to Sámi lands and livelihoods do not come only from industry; they also arise under the banner of conservation.

In the Deatnu (also known as Tana) River Valley, on the border of Norway and Finland, the Sámi protest movement Ellos Deatnu has, since 2017, defended Sámi river fishing rights against unjust state regulations. Salmon remains central to the Sámi river economy and culture, yet Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) stocks are at record lows.

In summer 2025, Norway completed a massive weir that slows salmon migration, may block some fish from reaching their spawning grounds and captures many pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) for state use. This removes a potential resource for local food security and climate adaptation, deepening colonial control of Sámi waters. This summer, Ellos Deatnu has monitored the weir’s impacts, documented salmon delays and raised awareness through protests and media coverage.

In the Deatnu (also known as Tana) River Valley, on the border of Norway and Finland, the Sámi protest movement Ellos Deatnu has, since 2017, joined Sámi river fishing rights against state regulations. Image courtesy of Áslat Holmberg. Similar industrial pressures are visible elsewhere.

In March 2022, the Swedish government approved another destructive mine in Gállok (also known as Kallak), despite decade-old protests highlighting human rights concerns. In summer 2023, a new mine was licensed in Nautanen, near Váhčir, already scarred by mining. Close to Giron (also known as Kiruna), the so-called Per Geijer deposit of rare earth minerals were hailed as a strategic resource —without mention that this lies on traditional Sámi land.

Several mines in Sápmi are designated by the EU as “strategic projects”, despite being planned and operated without the consent of Sámi rights holders. On the Norwegian side, large areas have been taken by wind power projects in Øyfjellet and Fovsen (also known as Fosen), with many more planned.

Roan wind farm in Fosen, Norway. Image by Ole Martin Wold via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). The Fovsen case is striking: In 2021, Norway’s Supreme Court ruled that the Storheia and Roan wind farms — 151 turbines with roads and power lines cutting through key migration routes — illegally destroyed vital Sámi winter grazing lands, violating the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 27. Yet the state-owned operator kept running them, profiting while the government ignored the ruling.

In 2023, Sámi youth and Natur og Ungdom (Nature and Youth), a Norwegian environmental organization, staged major protests in Oslo, occupying ministries on the 500th day of inaction until the prime minister acknowledged the human rights violations. After more than two years, an agreement was reached, promising new grazing areas, an allocation of energy for local purposes and a cultural grant.

But as long as pastures are not restored, the violations continue — showing how “green” projects in Sápmi can override Indigenous rights in favor of profit. The push for more wind power in Sápmi is only accelerating, as Norway aims to greenwash its image by electrifying a gas plant in Muolkkut (also known as Melkøya), which would require a massive increase in wind power production in the Sámi areas in Finnmark county.

Gas plant in Muolkkut (also known as Melkøya). Image by Amanda Graham via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). Sámi and environmental groups have opposed the Nussir copper mine, licensed to dump tailings into a national salmon fjord. Image courtesy of Áslat Holmberg. Not all struggles are about resource extraction — some are about the right to govern our own lands and waters.

In 2020, the Sámi village (or a sameby in Swedish, meaning a rights holder collective of Sámi reindeer herders) of Girjas won a major case in the Supreme Court of Sweden, which concluded that the village — not the state — has the exclusive right to issue licenses for fishing and hunting of small game in their territory.

A strong wave of anti-Sámi sentiment arose after the court ruling; reindeer were killed and the Sámi suffered openly racist attacks. While the principles of the ruling should apply to other Sámi villages, including on the Finnish side, which is a former Swedish colony and inherited its laws from the time of Swedish rule, there seems to be no political ambition to ensure respect for the rights of other Sámi villages regarding the governance of fishing and hunting in their territories. It seems as if each village will have to go to court to obtain recognition of their rights.

Reindeer in Utsjoki, Lapland, Finland. Image by Ninara via Flickr (CC BY 2.0). These issues continue in the easternmost part of Sápmi. With Russia’s attack on Ukraine, it has become very difficult to operate as one nation with Sámi people living in four countries. Problems with visas and funding for work involving people in Russia have almost put a stop to official cooperation with the Sámi on the Russian side. Some politically active Sámi have left Russia, as strong opposing political views are not tolerated.

Sanctions have restricted Russia’s access to various minerals on the international market, causing increased pressure to establish new mines — again in Sámi territory. As civil society and critical voices are silenced, the threat of further encroachments on the Russian side of Sápmi is rising.

The road ahead

With this brief look into Sápmi as a European colony, I have tried to show how our lands are seen as a storeroom of resources, just waiting to be plundered. We are told that we must contribute and give more of our lands for the sake of the planet. But we have already given so much. Many of our communities are stretched to their limits.

How many more mines? And how many more hundreds of square kilometers of our lands can be sacrificed to feed southern energy demands or greenwash the fossil fuel industry?

The states colonizing Sápmi have decided they make the laws. There is no self-determination for Indigenous Sámi, despite this being recognized as a fundamental right for all peoples. We live under the iron fists of Norway, Finland, Sweden and Russia. The Sámi have won major court victories, which support our struggle for life as a Sámi nation. Nevertheless, even when we win in court, we still lose. The governments do not act by the rulings of their courts. State-owned companies are permitted to continue to make millions, while Sámi human rights continue to be violated.

Reindeer herding is a cornerstone of many Sámi livelihoods. Image by Nina Gualinga. The racial hierarchies of colonialism have not disappeared from our society; they have just received a democratic veneer. We have been granted a largely ceremonial level of cultural autonomy, but when it comes to making life-or-death decisions on the sacrifice of our lands for industrial development, we are primarily in the passenger seat.

We can and will protect our rights via the court system, which has shown that it is possible to safeguard our rights, even in colonial courts. However, it seems that everyone will have to go to court, as the principles of landmark rulings do not seem to lead to changes in legislation, regulations or government practices. When the courts fail to protect us, activism is needed, and it has led to tangible results in the past.

We are increasingly facing encroachments in the name of the green transition. Some Sámi call it the “black transition,” as it is eating away at our means of survival. The Nordic societies might be able to provide some protection for our equality as individuals, but there is no equality for the Sámi as an Indigenous people. In the name of what the states call sustainability, biodiversity and cultural diversity are being sacrificed — accelerating one crisis by providing false solutions to another.

Unmodified land is a nonrenewable resource. It is also the cultural scenery of the Indigenous Sámi people. We will keep protecting our lands and the life on that land, as this land is part of us and we are part of this land.

***Banner image:*A member of the Sámi Indigenous people tends a reindeer in Sweden. Image by Staffan Widstrand/Rewilding Europe.

• Áslat Holmberg is the former president of the Saami Council and is a political leader and advocate for Indigenous rights. Find him on Instagram @deanuaslat and Facebook @aslak.holmberg*

The series is produced by the collective Passu Creativa, with the support of Earth Alliance, and published by Mongabay.