Siida

A siida is an organisation of humans traditionally present in Sámi societies consisting of several families of reindeer herders whose reindeer graze together. Siidas traditionally encompassed more resources than reindeer, but after changes in Sámi societies over the course of the 1600s, only reindeer herders still practiced this system. It is termed a sameby ('Sámi village') in Swedish law, reinbeitedistrikt ('reindeer pasture district') in Norwegian law, and paliskunta ('reindeer herding district') in Finnish law. The pastoralist organisation differs slightly between countries, except in Russia, where kolkhoz replaced these earlier organisations.

In Sweden, according to the Reindeer Herding Act [sv], membership in a sameby follows "pastoralist rights" based on statute of limitations, and is limited to individuals of Sámi descent. There are thirty-three mountain siidas, ten forest samebys and eight concession samebys, divided by historical extent, summer and winter pasture usage, etc. Membership is required to practice pastoralist rights. This is required for reindeer ownership as well, except in concession samebys, where even non-members can own "serve reindeers", served by sameby members who receiving concession to pasture lands in payment. This custom originates in older conventions when reindeer were used by settled local populations in daily life. The economic activity in present-day samebys is limited to profit from pastoralist rights.

Based on historic Swedification policies that distinguished between settled and nomadic Sámi, in 1928 the membership in Swedish samebys essentially limited to those whose ancestors were nomads before 1886, barring the settled Swedish Sámi from membership in a sameby. This restriction was removed by the 1971 version of the Reindeer Herding Act [sv]. ^{[citation needed]}

In 2013, there were 51 sameby, of which 8 were concession sameby and 9 were forest sameby.

Mountain sameby: Könkämä, Lainiovuoma, Saarivuoma, Talma, Gabna, Leavas, Girjas, Báste, Unna Tjerusj, Sirges, Jåkkåkaskatjiellde, Tuorpon, Luokta Mavas, Semisjaur-Njarg, Svaipa, Grans, Rans, Ubmeje tjeälddie, Vapstens, Vilhelmina norra, Vilhelmina södra, Frostvikens norra, Ohredahke, Raedtievaerie, Jiingevaerie, Jovnevaerie, Njaarke, Kall, Handölsdalens, Tåssåsens, Mittådalens, Ruvhten Sijte, and Idre^{[citation needed]}

Forest sameby: Vittangi, Gällivare, Serri, Udtja, Ståkke, Maskaur, Västra Kikkejaur, Östra Kikkejaur, Mausjaur, and Malå^{[citation needed]}

Concession sameby: Muonio, Sattajärvi, Tärendö, Korju, Pirttijärvi, Ängeså, Kalix, and Liehittäjä^{[citation needed]}

In Norway, pastoralist activity requires membership in a unit (driftsenhet), corresponding to a reindeer herd. The rights to conduct pastoralism are based on statute of limitations and limited to individuals of Sámi descent.