Climate change = culture change: What happened to the snow?

Snow (muohta) covers the Sápmi region—home of the Indigenous Saami people—eight months a year. It plays a central role in the Saami way of life and reindeer herding cul- ture, as well as in climatic, ecological and hydrological processes in the region. But as KLEMETTI NÄKKÄLÄJÄRVI writes, the amount and structure of snow in the area has changed, and the snow-free season is growing longer. Saami people are living in an era of uncer- tainty that is triggering changes to their culture, language and livelihoods.