Customary Law

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 customary law is related to nature’s biodiversity. It conducts traditional land use, intracommunal relationships connected to land use, creates principles for usufructuary areas, and conducts the utilisation of natural resources in sustainable way following the legal views of the Sámi. Through the ages, Sámi have picked up cloudberries in late summer. The community had tacit agreement in which place each family picked up their cloudberries. This agreement was respected by community members. Similar tacit agreements were applied to places to fish, hunt ptarmigans, fell trees, collect shoe hay and lichen.