The research, conducted by Finland’s University of Oulu, revealed that, if the Sámi’s rights were extended, the government would be forced to offer the same rights to other people living in Lapland.
The study also rebuked several other historical claims, including taxation, collective ownership of the land and large-scale reindeer herding.
Commenting on the research, justice minister Leena Luhtanen said that, while research of history did not give a direct answer on how to solve a modern dispute, “it may give answers to some important questions”.
Pekka Aikio, president of the Sámi parliament, criticised the report, saying it “created the impression that it is important to prove that reindeer herding does not entitle to land ownership”.
