Vapsten Lappby had appealed the district court’s ruling last year that Vapsten Samiby should have the exclusive right to reindeer husbandry in the Tärnaby and Lycksele area.
A large part of the time in the Court of Appeal has been spent watching the interrogations that were done in the district court, and the screening continued until Thursday.
After forced displacement
The dispute goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, when Sami people in the Karesuando area were forcibly moved south. Their descendants today form Vapsten Sámi village, while the descendants of the Sámi who lived in the area where the forced relocation took place, make up Vapsten Lappby.
For several years, they have been arguing about who has the right to run reindeer herding, and on Thursday afternoon the appeal court proceedings in Umeå ended.
Both parties certain of victory
The attorneys have made their closing statements, and earlier this week both Vapsten Lappby’s lawyer Jan Södergren and Vapsten Samiby’s lawyer Per Magnusson expressed victory that their client will win.
It remains to be seen how it will turn out. The verdict will be announced on June 22.