Abstract

This chapter examines the geography of Arctic food by focusing on food production and food consumption in the Arctic environment of Finnish Lapland. The research reaches from the eighteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, focusing on the border region between Finland and Norway, especially the Sámi area of Utsjoki. Food is strongly associated with human rights such as the right to a healthy environment. During past centuries, this right has often been questionable for the indigenous peoples of the Arctic. The question of the right to food is linked to the question of the right to land — by taking over or restricting the use of the land, states have also taken over traditional food and livelihoods. However, the Sámi of the past centuries were not without opportunities. The Utsjoki Sámi were active traders, and they imported many kinds of foods into the Sámi area. The research ends in the years of the Second World War, which posed significant challenges to the Sámi peoples’ nutrition, health and environment.