Adaptation

Sámi people have not tried to shape nature. Instead, they have adapted to nature. Throughout the ages, the sustainable use of nature has been vital condition for the Sámi and practising their traditional livelihoods. Nature and land have provided for the Sámi. The Sámi way of life has adapted to the possibilities and restrictions nature has provided for millennia. On the basis of traditional knowledge and skills, Sámi way of life, culture and traditional livelihoods have changed over time as working methods and instruments have developed, and possibilities for social empowerment have changed. However, even today the preservation and development of Sámi culture requires that traditional knowledge and skills as well as spiritual capital are transmitted to future generations.