Sweden

What I’m learning: basically anything about 19th century Scandinavia! We’re following the love story of a Sámi reindeer herders and the daughter of a Lutheran minister (a “settler,” I believe?). The Sámi are a group of people who inhabit the northern reaches of modern-day Sweden, Finland, Norway, and parts of Russia, with a culture of reindeer herding to provide meat, fur, and transportation. Reindeer in this society are the key resource— asking someone how large their herd is compared to asking them how much money they have. We learn that ~20 reindeer is the minimal number to sustain a livelihood.