‘This new snow has no name’: Sami reindeer herders face climate disaster

The only indigenous people left in Europe are struggling to keep their way of life as the Arctic warms up

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The Sami, the only indigenous people left in Europe, famously have more than 100 different words for snow. From seaas, a fluffy, grainy snow that moves easily, to tjaevi, flakes that stick together and are hard to dig, the names are based on its texture, depth, density, and the harsh conditions of the Arctic winter.

But the Sami of Sapmi, formerly Lappland, who are traditionally fishers, trappers and reindeer herders, do not yet have a word for what they are seeing more often on the ground.