Addition to the border treaty of 1751 between Sweden (including Finland) and Norway (Denmark-Norway).
The Lapp Codicil formalised Sámi rights to cross-border reindeer herding, shaping indigenous land-use debates across Scandinavia for centuries.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 2 October 1751
- Number of sections
- 30
- Norway–Finland border closed
- 1852
- Swedish reindeer treaty
- 1972 (expired 2005)
- Archive relocation year
- 2021, moved to Sámi Archives, Kautokeino
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Strömstad Treaty of 1751 drew a formal border between Danish Norway and Sweden, cutting across the traditional migratory routes of Sámi reindeer herders who had long moved between seasonal pastures without restriction. This posed a direct threat to the Sámi way of life and required supplementary legal protection for their cross-border practices.
The Lapp Codicil, an addendum of 30 sections to the 1751 Strömstad Treaty, formalised Sámi rights to continue traditional migratory reindeer herding across the newly established Norwegian–Swedish border. It also addressed citizenship, taxation, and other practical matters affecting Sámi communities living on both sides of the boundary.
When Finland passed to Russia, the codicil lost force along the Finland–Norway border, and its closure in 1852 disrupted Sámi winter grazing. Subsequent treaties in 1919 and 1972 restricted Swedish Sámi herding in Norway. The codicil nonetheless remains a foundational reference in debates over Sámi indigenous rights, and its archival custody was transferred to the Sámi Archives in Kautokeino in 2021.
Political Outcome
Sámi cross-border reindeer herding rights formalised; later eroded by border closures and bilateral treaties restricting herd numbers.
Sámi migratory herding practiced freely across an undefined border
Sámi rights codified but subject to state borders; progressively restricted through 19th–20th century treaties