Åsa Larsson Blind (born 29 August 1980) is a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

Sámi The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, Ru ...

politician who as of March 2021 serves as vice president of the

Saami Council The Saami Council ( se, Sámiráđđi; smj, Sámeráde; sma, Saemienraerie; smn, Sämirääđi; sms, Sääʹmsuåvtõs; sjd, Са̄мь Соббар; sje, Sámerárre) is a voluntary, non-governmental organization of the Sámi people made u ...

Political life

She grew up in a Sámi family that cares for

reindeer Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 sub ...

. She has studied at the

University of Umeå A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

and holds a master's degree in human resource management. Larsson Blind joined the Saami Council in 2008 as a representative of (SSR, the National Union of the Swedish Sámi People). In 2011, she was elected vice president of the council and in February 2017 was elected president. Her term as president ended in February 2021 and she was again elected vice president. In her time with the Saami Council, Larsson Blind also served from 2011 to 2015, on the board of the

Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples Secretariat The Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat (IPS) is a secretariat for the six international indigenous organizations affiliated with the eight-nation Arctic Council. The IPS does not represent indigenous peoples or their organizations, bu ...

. In 2019, she became the first woman elected to lead the SSR.

Personal life

Born to a family of

reindeer herders Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

, Larsson Blind is originally from in

Västerbotten Västerbotten (), known in English as West Bothnia or Westrobothnia, is a province (''landskap'') in the north of Sweden, bordering Ångermanland, Lapland, North Bothnia, and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is known for the cheese named after the p ...

, Sweden, but lives in Övre Soppero in

Norrbotten Norrbotten (), known in English as North Bothnia, is a Swedish province (''landskap'') in northernmost Sweden. It borders south to Västerbotten, west to Swedish Lapland, and east to Finland. Administration The traditional provinces of Swe ...

. She holds a master's degree in human resources management from the

References

External links

* 1980 births Living people Swedish Sámi politicians Umeå University alumni People from Västerbotten People from Norrbotten Swedish women activists 21st-century Swedish women politicians {{Sweden-politician-stub