History of Exploitation

Symbols of Sámi culture have been productised and represented in tourism exploiting Sámi culture in Finland for decades. For a long time, the productisation of Sámi culture has been both defined and executed by outsiders. The image of the Sámi as productised and/or represented by outsiders has generally little to do with authentic Sámi culture. In the worst cases, the incorrect, primitivised image of the Sámi, that is widespread in tourism exploiting Sámi culture, offends and objectifies the Sámi community. This publicly and repeatedly presented incorrect portrayal and distribution of false information have a detrimental effect on the vitality of both the Sámi community and Sámi culture.