It was in April that Vilhelmina municipality together with the Sami villages decided on a new agreement where the Sami villages must deliver reindeer meat in case of crisis or war.
But now Vilhelmina norra and Vilhelmina södra Sámi villages report the municipality to the Discrimination Ombudsman, the Swedish Sámi National Confederation (SSR) writes in a press release.
The reason is that the Sami villagers believe that the municipality expressed outdated and racist views regarding the Sami and reindeer husbandry in its statement regarding the reindeer herding committee’s partial report.
– We question how a referral response can even be written in this way, and least of all signed by leading politicians in the municipality. I don’t understand why they write that the common man is afraid that the mountain area will be left without access. No one has even asked how it could be if the Sámi village were to manage hunting and fishing, says Mathias Blind, chairman of Vilhelmina södra Sámi village.
– We believe that this is discriminatory and that politicians cannot express themselves with outdated and racist views regarding us Sami and our livelihood, the reindeer husbandry. We will submit a report to the discrimination ombudsman shortly, says Jonas Stinnerbom, chairman of Vilhelmina norra Samiby.
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In the clip: Municipal manager Karl-Johan Ottosson on the agreement with the Sami villages on reindeer meat. Photo: Vilhelmina municipality