In Lapland with the Sami to learn how to “read” the snow

There is an indigenous people living in the north of the Earth called Sami, which has over 200 words to refer to snow. Muohta is the generic word for snow, opened, indicates the pristine one without any trace, skabrram means snowdrift. But the Sami language can also describe a bridge of ice or snow formed over a river (cuokca) or the exact moment when the snow begins to melt in spring (roared).

The Sami live in Lapponia, in the northern part of Norway, Sweden, Finland and in the northwestern Russian peninsula of Kola, a land where snow falls about 200 days a year. It is normal for them that snow has a significant importance in their lives and that they can distinguish, at a glance, but also with words, the snow that is good for forage and that which can be dangerous to trample on. But more generally, in the Sami community you spend a lot of time listening to the environment to learn to be in tune with the world, but also to be able to read and recognize the signals.

For example, knowing how to distinguish the different types of snow is essential for setting the correct migration of reindeer, but it could also become essential for those who are not Sami, to recognize the signs of climate change. Because snow is like a photograph of the season in general, the way it accumulates can tell a lot about winter, not just to know what it will be like to walk or slide on skis, but to understand how the climate is changing.

And that’s why theUnesco for some years she has been interested in the population. According to the organization “Sami terminology concerning snow has a holistic and integrated approach to local ecology, much more than the international standard terms. Complexities in the language are used for notice transformations small but significant and can also provide adaptation strategies to climate change useful for the international community “.

It may seem strange, but we can make a comparison with what we know. When we walk barefoot we are able to recognize if the soil is dry or wet, those who live in close contact with the sea, fishermen for example, know how to recognize winds and other environmental signals. The same do the Sami, the only indigenous people living in Europe, who are able to know if it is the right time to fish or to look for mushrooms. But their knowledge of the environment, living with it so closely, is even stronger and moreover it is strictly connected to their communication.

In the last few years, collaborative research that brought together indigenous peoples and scientists made important contributions monitoring and adaptation to climate change. Find out more in the gallery.