Kallak Mine Has Major Consequences for Sami Rights

The British company Beowulf Mining wants to mine iron ore just outside Jokkmokk in Norrbotten County. But a mine would cause environmental problems and violate the rights of the Sami People who live in the area and who have for a long time used it for reindeer husbandry, among other things. Read more about the consequences of the planned Kallak mine for the Sami affected below.

The Kallak Mine in Brief

Kallak (or Gállok in Sami) is the name of an iron ore deposit located a few dozen kilometres outside Jokkmokk. The so called Kallak mine would affect Europe’s largest continuous wilderness, Laponia, which has been classified as a World Heritage Site by the UN agency UNESCO. If the mine is built, it will be located on land that traditionally belongs to the indigenous Sami People, where the mountain Sami villages of Jåhkågasska and Sirges keep winter pastures for reindeer, and where Sami individuals outside reindeer herding districts live and work.

Click here to read more. (Link in Swedish).