Sami History III – the 16th and 17th centuries.

In the 16th century, the King divided the Sami people into different “Sami villages” to take the control over the Sami people from the “Birkarls” and take their taxes. One of the advances in the Sami rights was when the King Gustav Vasa ordered to punish those settlers who continue abusing of the hunting rights of the indigenous people. But the abuses over these people also increased with the kings during the next century. In this time. The high taxes forced the Sami people to change their ways of reindeer herding as well as the amount of reindeer to higher numbers. Another important fact was the obligation of many Samis to become Christians. They were violently forced to leave their traditional religion. The reasons were not only missionary, but political to gather more trade and taxes.