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‘The Klondike of ore mining’: Fighting for the Sami way of life

An indigenous photographer in Sweden documents the beauty of his homeland – and the threats it faces from mining.

Reindeer herders travel over Lake Raddnavrre to Gallok. The area is a winter pastureland for two Sami communities, Sirges and Jahkagasska. In Sweden, 51 Sami communities participate in reindeer herding and herders travel with their animals to different foraging grounds throughout the seasons. [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
Reindeer herders travel over Lake Raddnavrre to Gallok. The area is a winter pastureland for two Sami communities, Sirges and Jahkagasska. In Sweden, 51 Sami communities participate in reindeer herding and herders travel with their animals to different foraging grounds throughout the seasons. [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
20 Feb 2019
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Tor Tuorda feels a strong connection to the countryside around his home, from the winding streams and pine forests to the birds in his backyard.

He lives in a town called Randijaur in Lapland, a northern region of Sweden that encompasses a world heritage site and the traditional lands of the indigenous Sami people.

The Sami have lived in Sweden’s northern region for millennia, first as fishers and hunters before developing reindeer herding as a means of livelihood.

As a nature photographer, Tor spends a lot of time outdoors – hunkering down on a float to photograph waterfowl or hiking around to take shots of the mountainous terrain. 

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His favourite place to hike is an old-growth forest north of the village of Kvikkjokk, where pine trees are hundreds of years old and the low mountains and lake are home to moose, reindeer, bears, wolverines, lynxes, and grouse.

“My … feelings for the area are about the same as when I first enter a cathedral,” he says. “Big and powerful.”

His family harvests much of their food from the land – with his children helping him fish on the nearby lake, as well as hunting and collecting berries and herbs. 

“We live close to nature, and never buy fish, meat or berries in the shops,” he says. “The Sami land carries Sami history, memories and stories. All beings in nature teach the children respect and consideration. I gather all my power from nature. All that is important in this life is related to nature.”

Tor has been taking photographs of his surroundings for years, he does it out of love of the nature around him and out of a desire to document his home and the changes that threaten it.

Northern Sweden is home to dozens of Sami communities and tourists come to visit the arctic wilderness, but the land also attracts resource industries; the government is looking to expand metal mining, and timbering threatens old-growth forests.

In 2006, the British company Beowulf Mining plc was granted permission to begin exploring for an ore mine just 50km away from Jokkmokk. The plans divided the community: while it could create hundreds of jobs and help revitalise the town, whose population was in decline, it could also threaten wildlife and ruin the pasturelands of reindeer herders.

A large number of residents had wanted to see the mine go through, but the exploration project was mired in protests by other locals, Sami groups, and environmental activists.

Tor decided to join the fight against the mine, and reclaimed his family’s former Sami name – Tuorda – a move he says drew mixed reactions from Swedes and Sami people, many of whom believe that only those that herd reindeer can be considered Sami.

The plan to mine in the region has left Tor restless and frustrated, and determined to fight to save his home.

Tor Tuorda says he has been fighting a potential mining project in Gallok, Sweden since 2006. [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
Tor Tuorda says he has been fighting a potential mining project in Gallok, Sweden since 2006. [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
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The Aitik gold and copper mine in northern Sweden. In 2013, Sweden had 16 active metal mines, and announced plans to expand to 27 mines by 2030, with a large focus in the northern part of the country. "This is the Klondike of ore mining," Tor says. "They're blasting everywhere. These are not natural sounds here. The natural sounds are silenced." [Tor L Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
The Aitik gold and copper mine in northern Sweden. In 2013, Sweden had 16 active metal mines, and announced plans to expand to 27 mines by 2030, with a large focus in the northern part of the country. "This is the Klondike of ore mining," Tor says. "They're blasting everywhere. These are not natural sounds here. The natural sounds are silenced." [Tor L Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
Sami groups and activists set up a camp in Gallok, at the site where the British company Beowulf Mining plc had attempted to begin exploratory drilling for an ore mine. "I can't deny that I've had the idea, several times, to start blasting things away and applying plastic explosives to stuff," Tor says. "But it would lead to a catastrophe. And knowing that, it's not a very wise thing to do." [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
Sami groups and activists set up a camp in Gallok, at the site where the British company Beowulf Mining plc had attempted to begin exploratory drilling for an ore mine. "I can't deny that I've had the idea, several times, to start blasting things away and applying plastic explosives to stuff," Tor says. "But it would lead to a catastrophe. And knowing that, it's not a very wise thing to do." [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
Protesters clash with police in Gallok in 2013. Tor says the demonstrators faced police six times throughout the summer as they attempted to block the path for mining equipment. [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
Protesters clash with police in Gallok in 2013. Tor says the demonstrators faced police six times throughout the summer as they attempted to block the path for mining equipment. [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
Jörgen Stenberg, a traditional Sami singer called a "joiker", performs in Gallok. Tor says that performances, workshops, and guided tours were a part of life at the camp, and that times between police confrontations were peaceful. [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
Jörgen Stenberg, a traditional Sami singer called a "joiker", performs in Gallok. Tor says that performances, workshops, and guided tours were a part of life at the camp, and that times between police confrontations were peaceful. [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
Randijaur Lake, north Sweden. "The right and the possibility to use unspoiled land are vital for the Sami culture," says Tor. "If the Sami are responsible for the land ... no open-pit mines are created, no clear-cuts, no wind farms and no hydro-power plants are built. Nature will be used as sustainably as the Sami used it in all times." [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
Randijaur Lake, north Sweden. "The right and the possibility to use unspoiled land are vital for the Sami culture," says Tor. "If the Sami are responsible for the land ... no open-pit mines are created, no clear-cuts, no wind farms and no hydro-power plants are built. Nature will be used as sustainably as the Sami used it in all times." [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
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The mining company temporarily withdrew but, according to its website, commissioned another study in October 2017. [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
The mining company temporarily withdrew but, according to its website, commissioned another study in October 2017. [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
Tor’s daughter, Astrid, stands on a sludge pond in Aitik in north of Sweden. "My biggest concern for the future of my children is that nature they live and use becomes totally poisoned and destroyed," Tor says. [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]
Tor’s daughter, Astrid, stands on a sludge pond in Aitik in north of Sweden. "My biggest concern for the future of my children is that nature they live and use becomes totally poisoned and destroyed," Tor says. [Tor L. Tuorda/Al Jazeera]

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