I am a Sami reindeer herder from northern Norway. My family and I have herded reindeer for generations. It is not just our livelihood, but an integral part of Sami culture – a way of life built on respect for nature, community and continuity. We make our living from the land, and we are proud of who we are and what we do.Today, that way of life is under serious threat.The Norwegian government is planning to build several hundred wind turbines on our grazing lands. These projects would disrupt reindeer migration routes, damage fragile ecosystems and undermine the very foundations of Sami reindeer herding. I am speaking out because if this goes ahead, we risk losing not just our income, but our culture. This is why I am part of Amnesty International’s Write for Rights campaign this year.I grew up in a small place called Tana, where there were just 12 children in my school class. Of the five of us who were Sami, two came from families of reindeer herders. At the time, I believed the rest were Norwegian. Later, I learned that everyone in my class was Sami. Their parents had been pressured to hide who they were.When I was at school, the Norwegian state wanted all Sami people to be known simply as Norwegian. We were forced to speak the national language instead of our own. We were not allowe …
