Older Sami Women Living in the Arctic: A Cultural Background that Breaks with Western Conventions

Abstract

This article is about older Sami women living in the Arctic region in Norway. The Sami are indigenous people of northern Scandinavia and northern Russia; Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The Sami people have a background that breaks with western traditions. In order to understand their cultural values, beliefs and worldviews anchored in "the living body", elder care should consider their cultural, ethnic and linguistic distinctiveness. The three older Sami women presented in this text, Maret, Beret and Betty, have lived in close contact with of lige of older Sami women nature throughout their lives. They are particularly sensitive to restrictions that have reduced their freedom and quality of life.

The Meaning of Healthy Life Period for Older People after Serious Illness: A Regional Study of Four Participants in the Age of 70-92 Living in the Arctic Region of Norway

“…Throughout childhood, the children were taught to believe in some superhuman principles that tied man and nature together. This viewpoint of the individual and society created the framework around the respect for reciprocity in everyday life, where most people shared a common experience foundation, which created a community that reached far beyond the family and neighborhood [14].…”