Let Our Mountains Live

When the Indigenous Sámi people take on a giant energy corporation and the Norwegian State for violating their human rights, they find the Supreme Court on their side. But then… nothing changes. So they find new ways to fight their David-and-Goliath battle to save their livelihoods.  

Terje Haugen, Sissel Stormo Holtan and other reindeer herders in the Norwegian Fosen mountains have spent two decades battling Europe’s largest wind power project. The wind turbines sprawl across their vital reindeer grazing lands, threatening their livelihood. Even before the project could fully proceed through the legal system, the wind power company installed 151 enormous turbines in the mountains. When the Supreme Court ruled that the wind farm violated Sámi human rights, it was an historic victory. The reindeer herders could finally reclaim the land their culture depends on.  

But their victory quickly loses its shine when the Norwegian government declines to take any action. When the angry Sámi and their supporters take to the streets, to Parliament and the Ministry of Energy to protest, they are themselves charged and taken to court. The protests and widespread media attention seem to shift the balance of power in the case. But like Terje says: ‘When money is the determining factor, it’s hard to turn things around.’