Not all Sami are nomadic

It can be difficult to distinguish among the different Sami populations. Conditions have changed over time and the different populations have mixed with society at large and created new ways of life

While many Sami communities have historically been nomadic, regardless of their source of income, there are several examples of settled Sami and nomadic Sami that have worked in areas other than hunting, fishing, and reindeer husbandry. In the past, aging or ill individual members of the Sami population who had been reindeer herders, but no longer could maintain a nomadic lifestyle, could instead work as servants. Other Sami settled and built up a homestead for different reasons. Many Sami also made handicrafts for sale, thus securing another source of income.

The “Parish Lapp” often did the jobs that no one else would take

Around the beginning of the 18th century, the term Parish Lapp (Lapp being a pejorative term for Sami) began to appear as a profession in some parts of Sweden. The Parish Lapp was a settled Sami individual who worked for the parish in various odd-jobs. These usually included putting down horses and dogs and skinning them, as well as other tasks that the parishioners did not want to carry out themselves. The Parish Lapp could also be tasked with holding predators away. Often the Parish Lapp was a skillful handcrafter, providing the farmers with baskets and ropes. Parish Lapps could be found until the end of the 19th century. The societal changes that were then initiated by the industrial revolution meant that their services were no longer needed.

Today, the Sami people are spread far beyond Saepmie

The Sami live like the rest of the population today. They have the same education and professions, and the same access to houses, cars, and modern technology. The Sami population, which long lived side by side with their neighbors from other cultures, have become more and more assimilated into the majority society. Many Sami live today in cities such as Oslo and Stockholm, or in other places around the world. Despite the fact that they live far from Saepmie, many have chosen to maintain their Sami identity and cultural expressions.