A growing and diversifying population
In the 16th century, there were less than one million inhabitants in Sweden. In the nineteenth century, the rapid growth of the population provided the necessary labour for the forestry industries in the Norrland region and fuelled migration to the industrial cities. From 1865 to 1914, more than one million Swedes emigrated to North America, and until the Second World War, the Swedish population was characterized by a great homogeneity.
Sweden is historically a land of welcome and immigration, and the country has always received refugees (from Iraq, Iran, but also from Yugoslavia). In 2015, Sweden is the country that receives the most refugees in proportion to its population. However, the country has changed its migration policy in recent years, closing its borders to immigration and putting in place more complex and restrictive rules to limit the number of immigrants. The arrival in power in 2022 of the right-wing and far-right coalition led by Ulf Kristersson marks a new turn in immigration restrictions. Today, about 20 per cent of Swedish residents are foreign-born.
The Saami, the last indigenous population in Europe
The Sami people live in the Far North, in a territory close to the Arctic. For a long time, the Scandinavian countries have exercised their domination over this people and have tried to assimilate them (often with violence). Thus, the names Lapps and Lapland now have a very pejorative connotation and recall a painful colonial history. It is therefore important to call this population by its real name, Sami, which means "son of the sun". Today, the Sami are divided between Norway (45,000), Sweden (20,000) and Finland (6,500): "A Sami is one who has a Sami grandparent or who, speaking Sami, defines himself as such and is considered as such by his fellow human beings. With this definition, the Sami are recognized as a single people.
Originally, the Sami sustained themselves by hunting and fishing. The foundations of their society were once based on the belief in the benevolence of the gods and the wisdom of the elders. The shaman, a witch-priest called noaidi, mediated with the gods and other supernatural powers. The attribute of the shaman was a drum with which he could predict the future, heal the sick and enter into communion with the gods. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Sami were evangelized by missionaries crisscrossing the territory, and the persecuted shamans were forced to renounce their religion and hand over their drums.
Since 1993, the Sami have been represented by the Sami Parliament of Sweden, and are trying to regain sovereignty over their territory, which is not without difficulty. At the same time, far from renouncing the Nordic part of their cultural identity, the Sami are more and more frequently accessing higher education (which was not the case before!), often marrying Nordic women and enjoying modern comforts. Most of their children attend Swedish schools, and the six schools reserved for Sami have difficulty in gathering a sufficient number of students.
Many Saami are now working as craftsmen, allowing the traditional culture to survive. With the help of the state, research centers and cultural venues have been created in the fields of theater, painting, fashion and crafts. Combining tradition and commerce, some Saami people organize "typical" evenings under the tent for passing tourists. However, one must be wary, because some of these activities have been developed by unscrupulous people who respect local customs, contributing to the creation of a certain exoticism that is not favorable to this indigenous people. On the other hand, there is no lack of activities in Sápmi, between hiking, horseback riding, fishing and hunting.
The languages of the country
The Scandinavian languages (Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish) are all derived from the common Germanic language. In Sweden, Swedish is the official language and the languages of the national minorities are Finnish, Yiddish, Meänkieli (Tornedalian Finnish), Romani and Saami.
Saami has nothing in common with Swedish; this language belongs to the Finno-Ugric language group. Bilingualism is common among the Sami people, and in the far north of Sweden some are even trilingual (they speak Sami, Swedish and Finnish). The Saami vocabulary is very rich in terms related to natural phenomena; for example, there are no less than 200 words to describe snow! However, because of the number of dialects, often distant, the language divides the Sami as much as it unites them.
English is very common and most Swedes will be able to give you information or talk to you in the language of Shakespeare. Some people speak German and French. Danish, Norwegian and Swedish are very similar in terms of lexicon and grammatical structures, so the use of Swedish will usually allow you to be understood by Norwegians and Danes, with a little effort on both sides (which is not always self-evident).
