Example research essay topic: 16 Th Century Ethnic Groups - 572 words

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The Sami people are indigenous inhabiting the Northern parts of four countries, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia (the Kola Peninsula). In earlier times Sami (the land of the Sami) covered a much bigger part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, probably also more of Northern Russia. Archeological evidence suggests that people along the southern shores of Lake nine and around Lake Ladoga reached the River Utsjoki in Northern Finnish Lapland before 8100 BC. Other experts trace the Sami presence back to as recently as 2500 years ago. They are the oldest of the peoples represented in the Sami area, and are consequently considered the indigenous population of the area. Historically, the Sami inhabited all of Northern Scandinavia, Finland, and Eastern Karelia for a long time, though the Eastern Sami became assimilated into Finnish and Karelian populations after settlers from Hme, Savo, and Karelia migrated into the region.

Placenames, e. g. Nuuksio on the south coast of Finland, remain as proof of former Sami settlement. However, Finnish and Scandinavian settlers drove them progressively more north. Finnish tribes even fought wars with one another and with Scandic tribes for the right to tax the Sami. The Sami people have inhabited the Northern Scandinavia for a long time.

They coexisted with other ethnic groups. Up to the 16 th century they preserved their traditions of exchanging the goods. In the 16 th century when the modern states systems of the Nordic states have been established they stopped exchanging the goods and started using newly introduced currency. The history of Sami people is the history of the Northern Europe colonization. The result of that colonization was harmful for the Sami territoriality. They happened to become similar to the Gypsies people with the distinctly shaped national identity, national culture and history but geographically dispersed within a number of states without own state system and national territory.

The question of the national territory is vitally important for Sami from the point of view of their traditional economy which was based alongside with the fishing and hunting on the reindeer herding. Reindeer herding has been the primary way in which the states have recognized a distinct Sami identity, and the administration of herding through the control of territory has been the most common instrument of state power over the Sami. The colonization of the Sami territories, their divisions and incorporation into the North European Kingdoms was justified by the conception that Sami did not have the distinctly formulated ownership over the territory and that meant their territories were free for appropriation. Sami economic activities were concentrated over the reindeer herding, which considered being backwards and the states concern was to promote the industrial development of the countries. This industrial development promotion was conducted at the expense of the traditional interests of the Sami. Having undermined the territorial system within which Sami traditionally practiced herding states took greater control over the traditional way of herding using the conception of the tragedy of minorities annihilating the traditional herding expressing false concern for the destiny of the small ethnic groups.

Nowadays Sami are represented in all the ruling bodies of their residence countries. Now and then politicians raise the question of the Sami's autonomy. The Nordic Council member for land, Barbro Sundback, proposed establishing a Sami state. "The creation of an autonomous Sami country for the Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish Sami's is a natural extension of the Nordic Sami convention, " said Barbro Sundback.

Research essay sample on 16 Th Century Ethnic Groups