Sami history spans at least 4,000 years and, despite efforts to acculturate the Sami into mainstream Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish cultures, they have continued their nomadic way of life. Oral traditions, especially their folk music - the Yoik, keep the stories and the history of this enduring culture alive.

Professor Stoor was raised in the Sami culture. His family is among the 17,000 Sami living in the northernmost part of Sweden, where they have been herding reindeer for more than 400 years. With a degree in museology, Krister Stoor is a researcher in folklore, specializing in Sami traditions.