The Saami are an aboriginal people who live in an area they call Sápmi, which spans the borders of five Scandinavian countries. The Saami do not consider themselves citizens of these nations, and have their own independent language, culture and lifestyle. The Saami people and culture date back ten thousand years, when their ancestors hunted moose and reindeer. They continued to inhabit the northern region of Scandinavia during the days of Viking prevalence, trading with the Vikings and adapting the famous Viking game of Hnefatafl into their own game called Tablut. When the settling of Scandinavia began in earnest in the 16th century, the game they hunted decreased in numbers. The Saami adapted and learned to fish and raise domesticated reindeer.
In the century that followed, much of the Saami grazing land was settled by colonial Swedes, who began taxing the Saami as well. In the 17th century, when silver ore was discovered near Nasafjäll, the native Saami were forced into servitude as miners and carriers, using their reindeer to haul the silver. Any who refused were tortured and killed. This was not the only blow dealt them at this time - their polytheistic religion was condemned by the Swedish King and the Christian church, and its practicioners were publicly burned at the stake. Their unique music, called jojk, was also condemned as Devil's music by the church, and was thus suppressed for centuries.
In the ensuing years, as the borders between the various Scandinavian nations were drawn and redrawn, the Saami population was shuffled back and forth across the land. Property rights were given to them and later revoked, and disputes over these and other rights, including hunting and fishing, continue to this day. The situation is very similar to that of the Native Americans residing in North America, and to the aboriginal population of Australia. They are discriminated against and looked down upon by much of the population, and bumper stickers reading, "Save the Wolves - Shoot the Saami!" can sometimes be seen on Swedish cars.