Indigenous Group Demands Square Enix Remove Final Fantasy 14 Costume From Sale

The Saami Council, an organization representing indigenous people from Finland, Russia, Norway, and Sweden, is calling on Square Enix to “immediately remove” Final Fantasy XIV’s Northern Attire cosmetic set from the game, claiming the items as Sámi cultural property.

The Northern Attire set consists of boots, gloves, tunic, bottoms, and a hat for Square Enix’s popular MMORPG that can currently be purchased from its in-game shop for $18. Square Enix describes the item set as sporting “gorgeous, traditional embroidery hand-stitched by professional artisans,” and says players can use it to “weather the winter in comfort and style.”

The Saami Council has taken issue with the set, which looks to be heavily inspired by traditional Sámi clothing but without the council’s consent, and is demanding it be removed from the game.

“Our cultural property rights are not theoretical,” Áslat Holmberg, president of the Saami Council, says in a press release. “They are protected and protectable under intellectual property laws, which are generally harmonised throughout the world. Square Enix, as a media company, is highly aware of intellectual property laws and has no excuse for this blatant violation of Sámi cultural property.”

The press release goes on to list the council’s agreement with Walt Disney Animation Studios, due to the appearance of Sámi-inspired clothing and culture in Frozen 2, as an example of an existing partnership the council has with media companies.

Final Fantasy XIV’s cosmetic set is “particularly damaging,” the council states, because it believes Sámi clothing traditions “are not merely aesthetic.”

“By creating this product, Square Enix has allowed their 41 million players to dress up as Sámi people, clothe themselves in the Sámi identity without our consent, and contribute to the erosion of our culture.

“While the gaming industry has become more open, welcoming, and sensitive to the needs of non-majority gamers, specifically in terms of alternative lifestyles, gender identities, and support of women gamers, the Saami Council is disappointed that Square Enix did not even lightly consider the rights of the Sámi people in relation to this product.”

Square Enix has not yet commented on the situation, but the Saami Council states that it hopes the situation will “advance the discussion of the rights of indigenous people to their cultural properties.”