In this article, we analyse tensions in Sámi local communities meeting new industrial development. Indigenous communities experience outmigration and are in need of new business development and employment. Global extractive companies may offer new jobs, but the type and scale of these jobs put pressure on traditional indigenous livelihoods. The study underlines the importance of two core ideal type Sámi positionstraditionalist and moderniston future industrial development in rural Sámi areas in Norway. These positions are playing themselves out in different ways by the most important Sámi institutions; The Sámi Parliament (Sámediggi), The Finnmark Estate (FeFo) and Sámipopulated municipalities. The result is a deep-going institutional conflict around industrial development, making it very difficult to find compromises. To shed light on these conflicts and their implications, we analyse how different positions are institutionally visible in the ongoing battle concerning the Nussir mining case in the Sámi municipality Kvalsund in Northern Norway.
As a consequence of the growing global need for minerals, extractive industries are continuously expanding. In the North, together with several environmental problems such as climate change, this poses a real threat to the traditional livelihoods of Sami people. The article examines how the rights of Sami indigenous people are protected against adverse impacts of mining activities. The relevant national legislation is analyzed in all the four countries where Sami are present. It is specifically examined how the main mining act in each country protects the right of Sami people to their traditional livelihoods. Finally, the article sheds light on the actual effectiveness of the legal
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