“Mas amas diehtá maid oarri borrá?”: Contesting Sustainability in Sápmi

In recent decades, traditional Sámi salmon fishing has become increasingly restricted on the Deatnu River, dividing Finland from Norway. Many Sámi have resisted this conservation effort, contending that it represents a type of “green colonialism.” This article explores the concept of sustainability as a cultural construction within Sámi and Nordic contexts, emphasizing the historical evolution of sustainability, its inextricable ties to culture and knowledge traditions, and its role in colonialism today.