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Wikipedia

Sámi peoples

The Sámi (/ˈsɑːmi/ SAH-mee; also spelled Sami or Saami) are the traditionally Sámi-speaking peoples inhabiting the region of Sápmi, which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Kola Peninsula in Russia. The region of Sápmi was formerly known as Lapland, and the Sámi have historically been known in English as Lapps or Laplanders, but these terms are regarded as offensive by the Sámi, who prefer the area's name in their own languages, e.g. Northern Sámi Sápmi.[8][9] Their traditional languages are the Sámi languages, which are classified as a branch of the Uralic language family.

Sámi
Sámit (Northern Sámi)
Saemieh (Southern Sámi)
Sáme (Lule and Pite Sámi)
Sämmiliih (Inari Sámi)
Säʹmmla (Skolt Sámi)
Са̄мь (Kildin Sámi)
Sámi outside lavvu, c. 1910
Total population
Estimated 80,000[1]
Regions with significant populations
Sápmi 63,831–107,341
 Norway37,890–60,000[a][2][3]
 Sweden14,600–36,000[3]
 Finland9,350[4]
 Russia1,991[5]
 United States480 (first ancestry)
945 (first and second)[6]
 Ukraine136 (2001)[7]
Languages
Sámi languages (Akkala, Inari, Kildin, Kemi, Lule, Northern, Pite, Skolt, Ter, Southern, Ume)
Russian, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish
Religion
Sámi Shamanism
Christianity (Lutheranism (including Laestadianism), Eastern Orthodoxy)

Traditionally, the Sámi have pursued a variety of livelihoods, including coastal fishing, fur trapping, and sheep herding. Their best-known means of livelihood is semi-nomadic reindeer herding. As of 2007 about 10% of the Sámi were connected to reindeer herding, which provides them with meat, fur, and transportation; around 2,800 Sámi people were actively involved in reindeer herding on a full-time basis in Norway.[10] For traditional, environmental, cultural, and political reasons, reindeer herding is legally reserved for only Sámi in some regions of the Nordic countries.[11]

Etymologies

 
A Sámi depicted in art, painting by François-Auguste Biard

Sámi

Speakers of Northern Sámi refer to themselves as Sámit (the Sámis) or Sápmelaš (of Sámi kin), the word Sápmi being inflected into various grammatical forms. Other Sámi languages use cognate words. As of around 2014, the current consensus among specialists was that the word Sámi was borrowed from the Proto-Baltic word *žēmē, meaning 'land' (cognate with Slavic zemlja (земля), of the same meaning).[12][13][14]

The word Sámi has at least one cognate word in Finnish: Proto-Baltic *žēmē was also borrowed into Proto-Finnic, as *šämä. This word became modern Finnish Häme (Finnish for the region of Tavastia; the second ä of *šämä is still found in the adjective hämäläinen). The Finnish word for Finland, Suomi, is also thought probably to derive ultimately from Proto-Baltic *žēmē, though the precise route is debated and proposals usually involve complex processes of borrowing and reborrowing. Suomi and its adjectival form suomalainen must come from *sōme-/sōma-. In one proposal, this Finnish word comes from a Proto-Germanic word *sōma-, itself from Proto-Baltic *sāma-, in turn borrowed from Proto-Finnic *šämä, which was borrowed from *žēmē.[12]

The Sámi institutions—notably the parliaments, radio and TV stations, theatres, etc.—all use the term Sámi, including when addressing outsiders in Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, or English. In Norwegian and Swedish, the Sámi are today referred to by the localized form Same.

Finn

The first probable historical mention of the Sámi, naming them Fenni, was by Tacitus, about AD 98.[15] Variants of Finn or Fenni were in wide use in ancient times, judging from the names Fenni and Φίννοι (Phinnoi) in classical Roman and Greek works. Finn (or variants, such as skridfinn, 'striding Finn') was the name originally used by Norse speakers (and their proto-Norse speaking ancestors) to refer to the Sámi, as attested in the Icelandic Eddas and Norse sagas (11th to 14th centuries).

The etymology is somewhat uncertain,[16] but the consensus seems to be that it is related to Old Norse finna, from proto-Germanic *finþanan ('to find'), the logic being that the Sámi, as hunter-gatherers "found" their food, rather than grew it.[12][17] This etymology has superseded older speculations that the word might be related to fen.[18]

As Old Norse gradually developed into the separate Scandinavian languages, Swedes apparently took to using Finn to refer to inhabitants of what is now Finland, while the Sámi came to be called Lapps. In Norway, however, Sámi were still called Finns at least until the modern era (reflected in toponyms like Finnmark, Finnsnes, Finnfjord and Finnøy), and some northern Norwegians will still occasionally use Finn to refer to Sámi people, although the Sámi themselves now consider this to be an inappropriate term. Finnish immigrants to Northern Norway in the 18th and 19th centuries were referred to as Kvens to distinguish them from the Sámi "Finns". Ethnic Finns (suomalaiset) are a distinct group from Sámi.[19]

Lapp

 
Aleksander Lauréus's painting of the Sámi by the fire

The word Lapp can be traced to Old Swedish lapper, Icelandic lappir (plural) perhaps of Finnish origin;[20] compare Finnish lappalainen "Lapp", Lappi "Lapland" (possibly meaning "wilderness in the north"), the original meaning being unknown.[21][20][22] It is unknown how the word Lapp came into the Norse language, but one of the first written mentions of the term is in the Gesta Danorum by the twelfth-century Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, who referred to 'the two Lappias', although he still referred to the Sámi as (Skrid-)Finns.[23][24] In fact, Saxo never explicitly connects the Sámi with the "two Laplands". The term "Lapp" was popularized and became the standard terminology by the work of Johannes Schefferus, Acta Lapponica (1673).

The Sámi are often known in other languages by the exonyms Lap, Lapp, or Laplanders, although these are considered derogatory terms by some,[25][26][27] while others accept at least the name Lappland.[28] Variants of the name Lapp were originally used in Sweden and Finland and, through Swedish, adopted by many major European languages: English: Lapps; German, Dutch: Lappen; French: Lapons; Greek: Λάπωνες (Lápōnes); Hungarian: lappok; Italian: Lapponi; Polish: Lapończycy; Portuguese: Lapões; Spanish: Lapones; Romanian: laponi; Turkish: Lapon. In Russian the corresponding term is лопари́ (lopari) and in Ukrainian лопарі́ (lopari).

In Finland and Sweden, Lapp is common in place names, such as Lappi (Satakunta), Lappeenranta (South Karelia) and Lapinlahti (North Savo) in Finland; and Lapp (Stockholm County), Lappe (Södermanland) and Lappabo (Småland) in Sweden. As already mentioned, Finn is a common element in Norwegian (particularly Northern Norwegian) place names, whereas Lapp is exceedingly rare.

Terminological issues in Finnish are somewhat different. Finns living in Finnish Lapland generally call themselves lappilainen, whereas the similar word for the Sámi people is lappalainen. This can be confusing for foreign visitors because of the similar lives Finns and Sámi people live today in Lapland. Lappalainen is also a common family name in Finland. In Finnish, saamelainen is the most commonly used word nowadays, especially in official contexts.

History

 
Spread of the Sámi people at present[image reference needed]
 
A Sámi family in Norway around 1900

The western Uralic languages are believed to have spread from the original Proto-Uralic homeland along the Volga, which is the longest river in Europe.[29] The speakers of Finnic and Sámi languages have their roots in the middle and upper Volga region in the Corded Ware culture. These groups presumably started to move to the northwest from the homeland of the early Uralic peoples in the second and third quarters of the 2nd millennium BC. On their journey, they used the ancient river routes of northern Russia. Some of these peoples, who may have originally spoken the same western Uralic language, stopped and stayed in the regions between Karelia, Ladoga and Lake Ilmen, and even further to the east and to the southeast. The groups of these peoples that ended up in the Finnish Lakeland from 1600 to 1500 BC later "became" the Sámi.[29] The Sámi people arrived in their current homeland some time after the beginning of the Common Era.[30]

The Sámi language first developed on the southern side of Lake Onega and Lake Ladoga and spread from there. When the speakers of this language extended to the area of modern-day Finland, they encountered groups of peoples who spoke a number of smaller ancient languages (Paleo-Laplandic languages), which later became extinct. However, these languages left traces in the Sámi language (Pre-Finnic substrate). As the language spread further, it became segmented into dialects.[31] The geographical distribution of the Sámi has evolved over the course of history. From the Bronze Age, the Sámi occupied the area along the coast of Finnmark and the Kola Peninsula.[32] This coincides with the arrival of the Siberian genome to Estonia and Finland, which may correspond with the introduction of the Finno-Ugric languages in the region.[32][33]

Petroglyphs and archeological findings such as settlements, dating from about 10,000 BC can be found in Lapland and Finnmark, although these have not been demonstrated to be related to the Sámi people.[34] These hunter-gatherers of the late Paleolithic and early Mesolithic were named Komsa by the researchers.

Relationship between the Sámi and the Scandinavians

The Sámi have a complex relationship with the Scandinavians (known as Norse people in the medieval era), the dominant peoples of Scandinavia, who speak Scandinavian languages and who founded and thus dominated the kingdoms of Norway and Sweden in which most Sámi people live. While the Sámi have lived in Fennoscandia for around 3,500 years, Sámi settlement of Scandinavia does not predate Norse/Scandinavian settlement of Scandinavia, as sometimes popularly assumed. The migration of Germanic-speaking peoples to Southern Scandinavia happened independently and separate from the later Sámi migrations into the northern regions.[35] For centuries, the Sámi and the Scandinavians had relatively little contact; the Sámi primarily lived in the inland of northern Fennoscandia, while Scandinavians lived in southern Scandinavia and gradually colonised the Norwegian coast; from the 18th and especially the 19th century, the governments of Norway and Sweden started to assert sovereignty more aggressively in the north, and targeted the Sámi with Scandinavization policies aimed at forced assimilation from the 19th century.

Before the era of forced Scandinavization policies, the Norwegian and Swedish authorities had largely ignored the Sámi and did not interfere much in their way of life. While Norwegians moved north to gradually colonise the coast of modern-day Troms og Finnmark to engage in an export-driven fisheries industry prior to the 19th century, they showed little interest in the harsh and non-arable inland populated by reindeer-herding Sámi. Unlike the Norwegians on the coast who were strongly dependent on their trade with the south, the Sámi in the inland lived off the land. From the 19th century Norwegian and Swedish authorities started to regard the Sámi as a "backward" and "primitive" people in need of being "civilized", imposing the Scandinavian languages as the only valid languages of the kingdoms and effectively banning Sámi language and culture in many contexts, particularly schools.[36][37]

Southern limits of Sámi settlement in the past

 
A Sámi man and child in Finnmark, Norway, c. 1900

How far south the Sámi extended in the past has been debated among historians and archeologists for many years. The Norwegian historian Yngvar Nielsen, commissioned by the Norwegian government in 1889 to determine this question in order to settle contemporary questions of Sámi land rights, concluded that the Sámi had lived no farther south than Lierne in Nord-Trøndelag county until around 1500, when they started moving south, reaching the area around Lake Femund in the 18th century.[38] This hypothesis is still accepted among many historians, but has been the subject of scholarly debate in the 21st century. In recent years, several archaeological finds indicate a Sámi presence in southern Norway in the Middle Ages, and in southern Sweden,[39] including finds in Lesja, in Vang, in Valdres and in Hol and Ål in Hallingdal.[40] Proponents of the Sámi interpretations of these finds assume a mixed population of Norse and Sámi people in the mountainous areas of southern Norway in the Middle Ages.[41]

Origins of the Norwegian Sea Sámi

 
Three Sámi women

Bubonic plague

 
Sámi people in Norway, 1928

Until the arrival of bubonic plague in northern Norway in 1349, the Sámi and the Norwegians occupied very separate economic niches.[42] The Sámi hunted reindeer and fished for their livelihood. The Norwegians, who were concentrated on the outer islands and near the mouths of the fjords, had access to the major European trade routes so that, in addition to marginal farming in the Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark counties, they were able to establish commerce, trading fish for products from the south.[43] According to old Nordic texts, the Sea Sámi and the Mountain Sámi are two classes of the same people and not two different ethnic groups, as had been erroneously believed.[44]

This socioeconomic balance greatly changed when bubonic plague came to northern Norway in December 1349. The Norwegians were closely connected to the greater European trade routes, along which the plague traveled; consequently, they were infected and died at a far higher rate than Sámi in the interior. Of all the states in the region, Norway suffered the most from this plague.[45] Depending on the parish, 60 to 76 percent of northern Norwegian farms were abandoned following the plague,[46] while land-rents, another measure of population, dropped to 9–28% of pre-plague levels.[47] Although the population of northern Norway is sparse compared to southern Europe, the disease spread just as fast. The spread of the plague-carrying flea (Xenopsylla cheopsis) from the south was facilitated by the transport of wooden barrels holding wheat, rye, or wool, where the fleas were able to live, and even reproduce, for several months at a time.[48] The Sámi lived on fish and reindeer meat, and did not eat wheat or rye. They lived in communities detached from the Norwegians; being only loosely connected to the European trade routes, they fared far better than the Norwegians.[49]

Fishing industry

 
A Sea Sámi man from Norway by Prince Roland Bonaparte in 1884
 
A Sea Sámi man from Norway by Prince Roland Bonaparte in 1884

Fishing has always been the main livelihood for the many Sámi living permanently in coastal areas.[50] Archeological research shows that the Sámi have lived along the coast and once lived much farther south in the past, and they were also involved in work other than reindeer herding (e.g., fishing, agriculture, iron work).[39] The fishing along the north Norwegian coast, especially in the Lofoten and Vesterålen islands, is quite productive, with a variety of fish; during medieval times, it was a major source of income for both the fishermen and the Norwegian monarchy.[51] With such massive population drops caused by the Black Death, the tax revenues from this industry greatly diminished. Because of the huge profits that could be had from these fisheries, the local authorities offered incentives to the Sámi—faced with their own population pressures—to settle on the newly vacant farms.[52] This started the economic division between the Sea Sámi (sjøsamene), who fished extensively off the coast, and the Mountain Sámi (fjellsamene, innlandssamene), who continued to hunt reindeer and small-game animals. They later herded reindeer.

Even as late as the early 18th century, there were many Sámi who were still settling on these farms left abandoned from the 1350s.[53][54] After many years of continuous migration, these Sea Sámi became far more numerous than the reindeer-herding mountain Sámi, who today only make up 10% of all Sámi. In contemporary times, there are also ongoing consultations between the Government of Norway and the Sámi Parliament regarding the right of the coastal Sámi to fish in the seas on the basis of historical use and international law.[55] State regulation of sea fisheries underwent drastic change in the late 1980s. The regulation linked quotas to vessels and not to fishers. These newly calculated quotas were distributed free of charge to larger vessels on the basis of the amount of the catch in previous years, resulting in small vessels in Sámi districts falling outside the new quota system to a large degree.[50][56]

Mountain Sámi

As the Sea Sámi settled along Norway's fjords and inland waterways, pursuing a combination of farming, cattle raising, trapping and fishing, the minority Mountain Sámi continued to hunt wild reindeer. Around 1500, they started to tame these animals into herding groups, becoming the well-known reindeer nomads, often portrayed by outsiders as following the traditional Sámi lifestyle. The Mountain Sámi had to pay taxes to three states, Norway, Sweden and Russia, as they crossed each border while following the annual reindeer migrations; this caused much resentment over the years.[57] Between 1635 and 1659, the Swedish crown forced Swedish conscripts and Sámi cart drivers to work in the Nasa silver mine, causing many Sámis to emigrate from the area to avoid forced labour. As a result, the population of Pite- and Lule-speaking Sámi decreased greatly.[57]

Post-1800s

 
Sámi family in 1936

For long periods of time, the Sámi lifestyle thrived because of its adaptation to the Arctic environment. Indeed, throughout the 18th century, as Norwegians of Northern Norway suffered from low fish prices and consequent depopulation, the Sámi cultural element was strengthened, since the Sámi were mostly independent of supplies from Southern Norway.

During the 19th century, the pressure of Christianization of the Sámi increased, with some Sámi adopting Laestadianism. With the introduction of seven compulsory years of school in 1889, the Sámi language and traditional way of life came increasingly under pressure from forced cultural normalization. Strong economic development of the north also ensued, giving Norwegian culture and language higher status.[citation needed]

On the Swedish and Finnish sides, the authorities were less militant, although the Sámi language was forbidden in schools and strong economic development in the north led to weakened cultural and economic status for the Sámi. From 1913 to 1920, the Swedish race-segregation political movement created a race-based biological institute that collected research material from living people and graves. Throughout history, Swedish settlers were encouraged to move to the northern regions through incentives such as land and water rights, tax allowances, and military exemptions.[58]

The strongest pressure took place from around 1900 to 1940, when Norway invested considerable money and effort to assimilate Sámi culture. Anyone who wanted to buy or lease state lands for agriculture in Finnmark had to prove knowledge of the Norwegian language and had to register with a Norwegian name. This partly caused the dislocation of Sámi people in the 1920s, which increased the gap between local Sámi groups (something still present today) that sometimes has the character of an internal Sámi ethnic conflict. Another example of forced displacement occurred between 1919 and 1920 in Norway and Sweden.[59] This has been the topic of a recent work of journalism by Sámi author Elin Anna Labba, translated into English in 2023 under the title The Rocks Will Echo Our Sorrow: The Forced Displacement of the Northern Sámi.

In 1913, the Norwegian parliament passed a bill on "native act land" to allocate the best and most useful lands to Norwegian settlers. Another factor was the scorched earth policy conducted by the German army, resulting in heavy war destruction in northern Finland and northern Norway in 1944–45, destroying all existing houses, or kota, and visible traces of Sámi culture. After World War II, the pressure was relaxed, though the legacy was evident into recent times, such as the 1970s law limiting the size of any house Sámi people were allowed to build.[citation needed]

The controversy over the construction of the hydro-electric power station in Alta in 1979 brought Sámi rights onto the political agenda. In August 1986, the national anthem ("Sámi soga lávlla") and flag (Sámi flag) of the Sámi people were created. In 1989, the first Sámi parliament in Norway was elected. In 2005, the Finnmark Act was passed in the Norwegian parliament giving the Sámi parliament and the Finnmark Provincial council a joint responsibility of administering the land areas previously considered state property. These areas (96% of the provincial area), which have always been used primarily by the Sámi, now belong officially to the people of the province, whether Sámi or Norwegian, and not to the Norwegian state.

Contemporary issues

The indigenous Sámi population is a mostly urbanised demographic, but a substantial number live in villages in the high Arctic. The Sámi are still coping with the cultural consequences of language and culture loss caused by generations of Sámi children being taken to missionary and/or state-run boarding schools and the legacy of laws that were created to deny the Sámi rights (e.g., to their beliefs, language, land and to the practice of traditional livelihoods). The Sámi are experiencing cultural and environmental threats, including: oil exploration, mining, dam building, logging, climate change, military bombing ranges, tourism and commercial development.[60]

 
Vindelfjällen

Natural resource extraction

Sápmi is rich in precious metals, oil, and natural gas.[61] Mining activities and prospecting to extract these resources from the region often interfere with reindeer grazing and calving areas and other aspects of traditional Sámi life. Some active mining locations include ancient Sámi spaces that are designated as ecologically protected areas, such as the Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve.[62] The Sámi Parliament has opposed and rejected mining projects in the Finnmark area, and demanded that resources and mineral exploration benefit local Sámi communities and populations, as the proposed mines are in Sámi lands and will affect their ability to maintain their traditional livelihood.[63] In Kallak (Sámi: Gállok) a group of indigenous and non-indigenous activists protested against the UK-based mining company Beowulf which operated a drilling program in lands used for grazing reindeer during the winter.[64] There is often local opposition to new mining projects where environmental impacts are perceived to be very large, as very few plans for mine reclamation have been made. In Sweden, taxes on minerals are intentionally low in an effort to increase mineral exploration for economic benefit, though this policy is at the expense of Sámi populations. ILO Convention No. 169 would grant rights to the Sámi people to their land and give them power in matters that affect their future.[65]

In Russia's Kola Peninsula, vast areas have already been destroyed by mining and smelting activities, and further development is imminent. This includes oil and natural gas exploration in the Barents Sea. Oil spills affect fishing and the construction of roads. There is a gas pipeline that stretches across the Kola Peninsula, and power lines cut off access to reindeer calving grounds and sacred sites.[66][failed verification]

In northern Finland, there has been a longstanding dispute over the destruction of forests, which prevents reindeer from migrating between seasonal feeding grounds and destroys supplies of lichen that grow on the upper branches of older trees. This lichen is the reindeer's only source of sustenance during the winter months, when snow is deep. The logging has been under the control of the state-run forest system.[67] Greenpeace, reindeer herders, and Sámi organisations carried out a historic joint campaign, and in 2010, Sámi reindeer herders won some time as a result of these court cases. Industrial logging has now been pushed back from the most important forest areas either permanently or for the next 20 years, though there are still threats, such as mining and construction plans of holiday resorts on the protected shorelines of Lake Inari.[68]

Land rights

 
Suorvajaure near Piteå

The Swedish government has allowed the world's largest onshore wind farm to be built in Piteå, in the Arctic region where the Eastern Kikkejaure village has its winter reindeer pastures. The wind farm will consist of more than 1,000 wind turbines and an extensive road infrastructure, which means that the feasibility of using the area for winter grazing in practice is impossible. Sweden has received strong international criticism, including by the UN Racial Discrimination Committee and the Human Rights Committee, that Sweden violates Sámi landrättigheter (land rights), including by not regulating industry. In Norway some Sámi politicians (for example—Aili Keskitalo) suggest giving the Sámi Parliament a special veto right on planned mining projects.[69]

Government authorities and NATO have built bombing-practice ranges in Sámi areas in northern Norway and Sweden. These regions have served as reindeer calving and summer grounds for thousands of years, and contain many ancient Sámi sacred sites.[70][71]

Water rights

State regulation of sea fisheries underwent drastic change in the late 1980s. The regulation linked quotas to vessels and not to fishers. These newly calculated quotas were distributed free of cost to larger vessels on the basis of the amount of the catch in previous years, resulting in small vessels in Sámi districts falling outside the new quota system to a large degree.

The Sámi recently stopped a water-prospecting venture that threatened to turn an ancient sacred site and natural spring called Suttesaja into a large-scale water-bottling plant for the world market—without notification or consultation with the local Sámi people, who make up 70 percent of the population. The Finnish National Board of Antiquities has registered the area as a heritage site of cultural and historical significance, and the stream itself is part of the Deatnu/Tana watershed, which is home to Europe's largest salmon river, an important source of Sámi livelihood.[72]

In Norway, government plans for the construction of a hydroelectric power plant in the Alta river in Finnmark in northern Norway led to a political controversy and the rallying of the Sámi popular movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a result, the opposition in the Alta controversy brought attention to not only environmental issues but also the issue of Sámi rights.

Climate change and the environment

 
Sámi man from Norway

Reindeer have major cultural and economic significance for indigenous peoples of the North. The human-ecological systems in the North, like reindeer pastoralism, are sensitive to change, perhaps more than in virtually any other region of the globe, due in part to the variability of the Arctic climate and ecosystem and the characteristic ways of life of indigenous Arctic peoples.[73]

The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster caused nuclear fallout in the sensitive Arctic ecosystems and poisoned fish, meat[74] and berries. Lichens and mosses are two of the main forms of vegetation in the Arctic and are highly susceptible to airborne pollutants and heavy metals. Since many do not have roots, they absorb nutrients, and toxic compounds, through their leaves. The lichens accumulated airborne radiation, and 73,000 reindeer had to be killed as "unfit" for human consumption in Sweden alone. The government promised Sámi indemnification, which was not acted upon by government.

Radioactive wastes and spent nuclear fuel have been stored in the waters off the Kola Peninsula, including locations that are only "two kilometers" from places where Sámi live. There are a minimum of five "dumps" where spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive waste are being deposited in the Kola Peninsula, often with little concern for the surrounding environment or population.[75]

Tourism

The tourism industry in Finland has been criticized for turning Sámi culture into a marketing tool by promoting opportunities to experience "authentic" Sámi ceremonies and lifestyle. At many tourist locales, non-Sámi dress in inaccurate replicas of Sámi traditional clothing, and gift shops sell crude reproductions of Sámi handicraft. One popular "ceremony", crossing the Arctic Circle, actually has no significance in Sámi spirituality. To some Sámi, this is an insulting display of cultural exploitation.[76]

Discrimination against the Sámi

The Sámi have for centuries, even today, been the subject of discrimination and abuse by the dominant cultures in the nations they have historically inhabited.[77] They have never been a single community in a single region of Sápmi, which until recently was considered only a cultural region.[78]

Norway has been criticized internationally for the politics of Norwegianization of and discrimination against the Sámi.[79] On 8 April 2011, recommendations from the UN Racial Discrimination Committee were delivered to Norway, addressing many issues related to the legacy of Norwegianization policies, including the need for more Sámi language education, interpreters, and cultural support. One committee recommendation was that discrimination against someone based upon their language be added to Article 1 of the Norwegian Discrimination and Accessibility Act.[80] A new present status report was to have been ready by the end of 2012.[81] In 2018, The Storting commissioned The Truth and Reconciliation Commission to lay the foundation for recognition of the experiences of the Sámi subject to Norwegianization and the subsequent consequences.

Sweden has faced similar criticism for its Swedification policies, which began in the 1800s and lasted until the 1970s.[82] In 2020, Sweden funded the establishment of an independent truth commission to examine and document past abuse of Sámi by the Swedish state.[83] In 2021, the Church of Sweden made a formal apology to Sweden's Sámi population for its role in forced conversions and Swedification efforts, outlining a multiyear reconciliation plan.[84]

In Finland, where Sámi children, like all Finnish children, are entitled to day care and language instruction in their own language, the Finnish government has denied funding for these rights in most of the country, including in Rovaniemi, the largest municipality in Finnish Lapland. Sámi activists have pushed for nationwide application of these basic rights.[85][obsolete source] The city of Rovaniemi offers day care and preschool education in the Sámi language, and then as basic education first as supplementary native language education starting from the first grade and as a voluntary subject on its own starting from the fourth grade.[86][87]

As in the other countries claiming sovereignty over Sámi lands, Sámi activists' efforts in Finland in the 20th century achieved limited government recognition of the Sámis' rights as a recognized minority, but the Finnish government has maintained its legally enforced premise that the Sámi must prove their land ownership, an idea incompatible with and antithetical to the traditional reindeer-herding Sámi way of life. This has effectively allowed the Finnish government to take without compensation, motivated by economic gain, land occupied by the Sámi for centuries.[88] Non-Sámi Finns began to move to Lapland in the 1550s.[89]

Official Sámi policies

Norway

 
Sámi Parliament of Norway

The Sámi have been recognized as an indigenous people in Norway (1990 according to ILO convention 169 as described below), and therefore, according to international law, the Sámi people in Norway are entitled special protection and rights. The legal foundation of the Sámi policy is:[90]

The constitutional amendment states: "It is the responsibility of the authorities of the State to create conditions enabling the Sámi people to preserve and develop its language, culture and way of life." This provides a legal and political protection of the Sámi language, culture and society. In addition the "amendment implies a legal, political and moral obligation for Norwegian authorities to create an environment conducive to the Sámis themselves influencing on the development of the Sámi community".[91]

The Sámi Act provides special rights for the Sámi people:[91]

  • "... the Sámis shall have their own national Sámi Parliament elected by and amongst the Sámis" (Chapter 1–2).
  • The Sámi people shall decide the area of activity of the Norwegian Sámi Parliament.
  • The Sámi and Norwegian languages have equal standing in Norway (section 15; Chapter 3 contains details with regards to the use of the Sámi language).
 
Mountain landscape in Kvalsund near Hammerfest

The Norwegian Sámi Parliament also elects 50% of the members to the board of the Finnmark Estate, which controls 95% of the land in the county of Finnmark.

In addition, the Sámi have special rights to reindeer husbandry. In 2007, the Norwegian Parliament passed the new Reindeer Herding Act acknowledging siida as the basic institution regarding land rights, organization, and daily herding management.[60]

Norway has also accepted international conventions, declarations and agreements applicable to the Sámi as a minority and indigenous people including:[92]

  • The International Covenant on Civil and Political Right (1966). Article 27 protects minorities, and indigenous peoples, against discrimination: "In those states in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities, shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or use their own language."
  • ILO Convention No. 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries (1989). The convention states that rights for the indigenous peoples to land and natural resources are recognized as central for their material and cultural survival. In addition, indigenous peoples should be entitled to exercise control over, and manage, their own institutions, ways of life and economic development in order to maintain and develop their identities, languages and religions, within the framework of the states in which they live.
  • The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965).
  • The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).
  • The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979).
  • The Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (1995).
  • The Council of Europe's Charter for Regional and Minority Languages (1992).
  • The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007).[93]

Sweden

 
Sámi Parliament in Sweden

Sweden recognised the existence of the "Sámi nation" in 1989, but the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, C169 has not been adopted. The Sametingslag was established as the Swedish Sámi Parliament on 1 January 1993. In 1998, Sweden formally apologized for the wrongs committed against the Sámi.

Sámi is one of five national minority languages recognized by Swedish law.[94] The Compulsory School Ordinance states that Sámi pupils are entitled to be taught in their native language; however, a municipality is only obliged to arrange mother-tongue teaching in Sámi if a suitable teacher is available and the pupil has a basic knowledge of Sámi.[95]

In 2010, after 15 years of negotiation, Laponiatjuottjudus, an association with Sámi majority control, will govern the UNESCO World Heritage Site Laponia. The reindeer-herding law will apply in the area as well.[96]

Finland

 
Land near Ylläs

The act establishing the Finnish Sámi Parliament (Finnish: Saamelaiskäräjät) was passed on 9 November 1973. Sámi people have had very little representation in Finnish national politics. In fact, in 2007, Janne Seurujärvi, a Finnish Centre Party representative, became the first Sámi ever to be elected to the Finnish Parliament.[97]

 
Finnish Lapland. The three northernmost municipalities Utsjoki, Inari and Enontekiö and part of Sodankylä are officially considered the Sámi area.

Finland ratified the 1966 U.N. Covenant on Civil and Political Rights though several cases have been brought before the U.N. Human Rights Committee. Of those, 36 cases involved a determination of the rights of individual Sámi in Finland and Sweden. The committee decisions clarify that Sámi are members of a minority within the meaning of Article 27 and that deprivation or erosion of their rights to practice traditional activities that are an essential element of their culture do come within the scope of Article 27.[98] Finland recognized the Sámi as a "people" in 1995, but has yet to ratify ILO Convention 169 Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples.

Sámi in Finland have had access to Sámi language instruction in some schools since the 1970s, and language rights were established in 1992. There are three Sámi languages spoken in Finland: North Sámi, Skolt Sámi and Inari Sámi. Of these languages, Inari Sámi, which is spoken by about 350 speakers, is the only one that is used entirely within the borders of Finland, mainly in the municipality of Inari.

The case of J. Lansman versus Finland concerned a challenge by Sámi reindeer herders in northern Finland to the Finnish Central Forestry Board's plans to approve logging and construction of roads in an area used by the herdsmen as winter pasture and spring calving grounds.[99] Finland has denied any aboriginal rights or land rights to the Sámi people;[100] in Finland, non-Sámi can herd reindeer.

Russia

 
Kildin Sami Map (green). СААМИ is "Sámi" in Cyrillic
 
National Culture Centre in Lovozero

The 1822 Statute of Administration of Non-Russians in Siberia asserted state ownership over all the land in Siberia and then "granted" possessory rights to the natives.[99][101] Governance of indigenous groups, and especially collection of taxes from them, necessitated protection of indigenous peoples against exploitation by traders and settlers.[99] During the Soviet era, the inhabitants of the Kola tundra were forcibly relocated to kolkhoz'es (collective communities) by the state;[102] most Sámi were settled at Lujávri (Lovozero).

The 1993 Constitution, Article 69 states, "The Russian Federation guarantees the rights of small indigenous peoples in accordance with the generally accepted principles and standards of international law and international treaties of the Russian Federation."[99][103] For the first time in Russia, the rights of indigenous minorities were established in the 1993 Constitution.[99]

The Russian Federation ratified the 1966 U.N. Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Section 2 explicitly forbids depriving a people of "its own means of subsistence." The Russian Duma (parliament) has adopted partial measures to implement it.[99] The Russian Federation lists distinct indigenous peoples as having special rights and protections under the Constitution and federal laws and decrees.[99][104] These rights are linked to the category known since Soviet times as the malochislennye narody ("small-numbered peoples"), a term that is often translated as "indigenous minorities", which include Arctic peoples such as the Sámi, Nenets, Evenki, and Chukchi.[99]

In April 1999, the Russian Duma passed a law that guarantees socio-economic and cultural development to all indigenous minorities, protecting traditional living places and acknowledging some form of limited ownership of territories that have traditionally been used for hunting, herding, fishing, and gathering activities. The law, however, does not anticipate the transfer of title in fee simply to indigenous minorities. The law does not recognize development rights, some proprietary rights including compensation for damage to the property, and limited exclusionary rights. It is not clear, however, whether protection of nature in the traditional places of inhabitation implies a right to exclude conflicting uses that are destructive to nature or whether they have the right to veto development.[99]

 
Khibiny massif, Kola Peninsula

The Russian Federation's Land Code reinforces the rights of numerically small peoples ("indigenous minorities") to use places they inhabit and to continue traditional economic activities without being charged rent.[99][104] Such lands cannot be allocated for unrelated activities (which might include oil, gas, and mineral development or tourism) without the consent of the indigenous peoples. Furthermore, indigenous minorities and ethnic groups are allowed to use environmentally protected lands and lands set aside as nature preserves to engage in their traditional modes of land use.[99]

Regional law, Code of the Murmansk Oblast, calls on the organs of state power of the oblast to facilitate the native peoples of the Kola North, specifically naming the Sámi, "in realization of their rights for preservation and development of their native language, national culture, traditions and customs." The third section of Article 21 states: "In historically established areas of habitation, Sámi enjoy the rights for traditional use of nature and [traditional] activities."[99]

Throughout the Russian North, indigenous and local people have difficulties with exercising control over resources upon which they and their ancestors have depended for centuries. The failure to protect indigenous ways, however, stems not from inadequacy of the written law, but rather from the failure to implement existing laws. Violations of the rights of indigenous peoples continue, and oil, gas, and mineral development and other activities, (mining, timber cutting, commercial fishing, and tourism) that bring foreign currency into the Russian economy.[99] The life ways and economy of indigenous peoples of the Russian North are based upon reindeer herding, fishing, terrestrial and sea mammal hunting, and trapping. Many groups in the Russian Arctic are semi-nomadic, moving seasonally to different hunting and fishing camps. These groups depend upon different types of environment at differing times of the year, rather than upon exploiting a single commodity to exhaustion.[99][105] Throughout northwestern Siberia, oil and gas development has disturbed pastureland and undermined the ability of indigenous peoples to continue hunting, fishing, trapping, and herding activities. Roads constructed in connection with oil and gas exploration and development destroy and degrade pastureland,[106] ancestral burial grounds, and sacred sites and increase hunting by oil workers on the territory used by indigenous peoples.[107]

 
Krasnoshchelye village on the Ponoi River

In the Sámi homeland on the Kola Peninsula in northwestern Russia, regional authorities closed a fifty-mile (eighty-kilometer) stretch of the Ponoi River (and other rivers) to local fishing and granted exclusive fishing rights to a commercial company offering catch-and-release fishing to sport fishers largely from abroad.[108] This deprived the local Sámi (see Article 21 of the Code of the Murmansk Oblast) of food for their families and community and of their traditional economic livelihood. Thus, closing the fishery to locals may have violated the test articulated by the U.N. Human Rights Committee and disregarded the Land Code, other legislative acts, and the 1992 Presidential decree. Sámi are not only forbidden to fish in the eighty-kilometer stretch leased to the Ponoi River Company but are also required by regional laws to pay for licenses to catch a limited number of fish outside the lease area. Residents of remote communities have neither the power nor the resources to demand enforcement of their rights. Here and elsewhere in the circumpolar north, the failure to apply laws for the protection of indigenous peoples leads to "criminalization" of local indigenous populations who cannot survive without "poaching" resources that should be accessible to them legally.[99]

Although indigenous leaders in Russia have occasionally asserted indigenous rights to land and resources, to date there has been no serious or sustained discussion of indigenous group rights to ownership of land.[99] Russia has not adopted the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, C169.

Nordic Sámi Convention

On 16 November 2005 in Helsinki, a group of experts, led by former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Norway Professor Carsten Smith, submitted a proposal for a Nordic Sámi Convention to the annual joint meeting of the ministers responsible for Sámi affairs in Finland, Norway and Sweden and the presidents of the three Sámi Parliaments from the respective countries. This convention recognizes the Sámi as one indigenous people residing across national borders in all three countries. A set of minimum standards is proposed for the rights of developing the Sámi language and culture and rights to land and water, livelihoods and society.[109] The convention has not yet been ratified in the Nordic countries.[110]

Culture

To make up for past suppression, the authorities of Norway, Sweden and Finland now make an effort to build up Sámi cultural institutions and promote Sámi culture and language.

Duodji (craft)

 
Sámi knives
 
Beaded belt, knife, and antler needlecase
 
Sámi woman from Sweden

Duodji, the Sámi handicraft, originates from the time when the Sámis were self-supporting nomads, believing therefore that an object should first and foremost serve a purpose rather than being primarily decorative. Men mostly use wood, bone, and antlers to make items such as antler-handled scrimshawed Sámi knives, drums, and guksi (burl cups). Women used leather and roots to make items such as gákti (clothing), and birch- and spruce-root woven baskets.

Clothing

 
Sámi hats

Gákti are the traditional clothing worn by the Sámi people. The gákti is worn both in ceremonial contexts and while working, particularly when herding reindeer.

Traditionally, the gákti was made from reindeer leather and sinews, but nowadays, it is more common to use wool, cotton, or silk. Women's gákti typically consist of a dress, a fringed shawl that is fastened with 1–3 silver brooches, and boots/shoes made of reindeer fur or leather. Sámi boots (or nutukas) can have pointed or curled toes and often have band-woven ankle wraps. Eastern Sámi boots have a rounded toe on reindeer-fur boots, lined with felt and with beaded details. There are different gákti for women and men; men's gákti have a shorter "jacket-skirt" than a women's long dress. Traditional gákti are most commonly in variations of red, blue, green, white, medium-brown tanned leather, or reindeer fur. In winter, there is the addition of a reindeer fur coat and leggings, and sometimes a poncho (luhkka) and rope/lasso.

The colours, patterns and the jewellery of the gákti indicate where a person is from, if a person is single or married, and sometimes can even be specific to their family. The collar, sleeves and hem usually have appliqués in the form of geometric shapes. Some regions have ribbonwork, others have tin embroidery, and some Eastern Sámi have beading on clothing or collar. Hats vary by sex, season, and region. They can be wool, leather, or fur. They can be embroidered, or in the East, they are more like a beaded cloth crown with a shawl. Some traditional shamanic headgear had animal hides, plaits, and feathers, particularly in East Sápmi.

The gákti can be worn with a belt; these are sometimes band-woven belts, woven, or beaded. Leather belts can have scrimshawed antler buttons, silver concho-like buttons, tassels, or brass/copper details such as rings. Belts can also have beaded leather pouches, antler needle cases, accessories for a fire, copper rings, amulets, and often a carved and/or scrimshawed antler-handled knife. Some Eastern Sámi also have a hooded jumper (малиц) from reindeer skins with wool inside and above the knee boots.

Media and literature

 
Johan Turi's illustration of reindeer herding from his 1910 book Muitalus sámiid birra (An Account of the Sámi), the first book published in a Sámi language
  • There are short daily news bulletins in Northern Sámi on national TV in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Children's television shows in Sámi are also frequently made. There is also a radio station for Northern Sámi, which has some news programs in the other Sámi languages.
  • A single daily newspaper is published in Northern Sámi, Ávvir,[111] along with a few magazines.
  • There is a Sámi theatre, Beaivvaš, in Kautokeino on the Norwegian side, as well as in Kiruna on the Swedish side. Both tour the entire Sámi area with drama written by Sámi authors or international translations.
  • A number of novels and poetry collections are published every year in Northern Sámi, and sometimes in the other Sámi languages as well. The largest Sámi publishing house is Davvi Girji.
  • The first secular book published in a Sámi language was Johan Turi's Muitalus sámiid birra (An Account of the Sámi), released in 1910 with text in Northern Sámi and Danish.[112]
  • In 2023 Sámi author Ann-Helén Laestadius wrote "Stolen" a novel of the Sámi in Sweden.[113]

Music

 
Sara Marielle Gaup at Riddu Riđđu

A characteristic feature of Sámi musical tradition is the singing of joik. Joiks are song-chants and are traditionally sung a cappella, usually sung slowly and deep in the throat with apparent emotional content of sorrow or anger. Joiks can be dedicated to animals and birds in nature, special people or special occasions, and they can be joyous, sad or melancholic. They often are based on syllablic improvisation. In recent years, musical instruments frequently accompany joiks. The only traditional Sámi instruments that were sometimes used to accompany joik are the "fadno" flute (made from reed-like Angelica archangelica stems) and hand drums (frame drums and bowl drums).

Education

  • Education with Sámi as the first language is available in all four countries, and also outside the Sámi area.
  • Sámi University College is located in Kautokeino. Sámi language is studied in several universities in all countries, most notably the University of Tromsø, which considers Sámi a mother tongue, not a foreign language.

Festivals

  • Numerous Sámi festivals throughout the Sápmi area celebrate different aspects of the Sámi culture. The best known on the Norwegian side is Riddu Riđđu, though there are others, such as Ijahis Idja [fi] in Inari. Among the most festive are the Easter festivals taking place in Kautokeino and Karasjok before the springtime reindeer migration to the coast. These festivals combine traditional culture with modern phenomena such as snowmobile races. They celebrated the new year known as Ođđajagemánnu.[114] Shamanic culture is celebrated at the Isogaisa Festival in Tennevoll, Norway.[115]

Visual arts

In addition to Duodji (Sámi handicraft), there is a developing area of contemporary Sámi visual art. Galleries such as Sámi Dáiddaguovddáš (Sami Center for Contemporary Art)[116] are being established.

Dance

Unlike many other Indigenous peoples, traditional dance is generally not a visible manifestation of Sámi identity. This has led to a common misconception that Sámi, at least in western Sápmi, have no traditional dance culture.[117]

The Sámi modern dance company Kompani Nomad looked to old descriptions of shamanistic rituals and behaviors to identify "lost" Sámi dances and reimagine them through contemporary dance.[118][119] An example is the lihkadus (ecstasy dance) described in sources from the 16th and 17th centuries, but which was adapted by Swedish–Sámi priest Lars Levi Laestadius, who brought it and other Sámi traditions into the Church of Sweden as part of the Laestadianism movement.[120]

Partner and group dancing have been a part of Skolt Sámi culture and among Sámi on the Kola Peninsula since at least the second half of the 1800s.[121] These square dances, couple dances, circle dances, and singing games are influenced by Karelian and Northern Russian dance cultures, likely under the influence of Russian traders, military service under the tsar, and the Russian Orthodox Church.[117] This eastern Sápmi dance tradition has been more continuous and has been adapted by modern Sámi dance companies such as Johtti Kompani.[122]

Reindeer husbandry

 
Reindeer herding
 
Building in Ljungris, owned by the Sámi community and used especially for reindeer calf marking in the summer

Reindeer husbandry has been and still is an important aspect of Sámi culture. Traditionally the Sámi lived and worked in reindeer herding groups called siidat, which consist of several families and their herds. Members of the siida helped each other with the management and husbandry of the herds.[123] During the years of forced assimilation, the areas in which reindeer herding was an important livelihood were among the few where the Sámi culture and language survived.

Today in Norway and Sweden, reindeer husbandry is legally protected as an exclusive Sámi livelihood, such that only persons of Sámi descent with a linkage to a reindeer herding family can own, and hence make a living off, reindeer. Presently, about 2,800 people are engaged in reindeer herding in Norway.[10] In Finland, reindeer husbandry is not exclusive and is also practiced to a limited degree by ethnic Finns. Legally, it is restricted to EU/EEA nationals resident in the area. In the north (Lapland), it plays a major role in the local economy, while its economic impact is lesser in the southern parts of the area (Province of Oulu).

Among the reindeer herders in Sámi villages, the women usually have a higher level of formal education in the area.[124]

Games

The Sámi have traditionally played both card games and board games, but few Sámi games have survived, because Christian missionaries and Laestadianists considered such games sinful.[125] Only the rules of three Sámi board games have been preserved into modern times. Sáhkku is a running-fight board game where each player controls a set of soldiers (referred to as "women" and "men") that race across a board in a loop, attempting to eliminate the other player's soldiers. The game is related to South Scandinavian daldøs, Arabian tâb and Indian tablan.[126] Sáhkku differs from these games in several respects, most notably the addition of a piece – "the king" – that changes gameplay radically. Tablut is a pure strategy game in the tafl family. The game features "Swedes" and a "Swedish king" whose goal is to escape, and an army of "Muscovites" whose goal is to capture the king. Tablut is the only tafl game where a relatively intact set of rules have survived into our time. Hence, all modern versions of tafl (commonly called "Hnefatafl" and marketed exclusively as "Norse" or "Viking" games) are based on the Sámi game of tablut.[127] Dablot Prejjesne is a game related to alquerque which differs from most such games (e.g. draughts) by having pieces of three different ranks. The game's two sides are referred to as "Sámi" (king, prince, warriors) and "Finlenders" (landowners, landowner's son, farmers).[128]

Cultural region

Sápmi is located in Northern Europe, includes the northern parts of Fennoscandia and spans four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Non-Sámi and many regional maps have often called this same region Lapland as there is considerable regional overlap between Sápmi and the provinces of Lappland in Sweden and Lapland in Finland. Much of Sápmi falls outside of those provinces. Despite the terms use in tourism, Lapland can be either misleading or offensive, or both, to Sámi, depending on the context and where this word is used.[8] Among the Sámi people, Sápmi is strictly used and acceptable.

Extent

 
Sámi people in Härjedalen (1790–1800), far south in the Sápmi area
 
Laponian area in Sápmi, UNESCO World Heritage Site

There is no official geographic definition for the boundaries of Sápmi. However, the following counties and provinces are usually included:

The municipalities of Gällivare, Jokkmokk and Arjeplog in Swedish Lappland were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 as a "Laponian Area".

The Sámi Domicile Area in Finland consists of the municipalities of Enontekiö, Utsjoki and Inari as well as a part of the municipality of Sodankylä.[129] About 3,000 of Finland's about 10,000 people speak Sámi as their mother tongue.[130] Today, a considerable part of the Finnish Sámi live outside the Sápmi region, for example in Helsinki there is a relatively large and active Sámi minority.[131] According to the Sámi Parliament, the Sámi live in 230 municipalities out of a total of 336 municipalities in Finland.[132] 75% of Sámi under the age of 10 live outside the Sápmi region.[133]

Important Sámi towns

 
Kanevka, Ponoy River, Russia's Lovozersky District

The following towns and villages have a significant Sámi population or host Sámi institutions (Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish or Russian name in parentheses):

  • Aanaar, Anár, or Aanar (Inari), is the location of the Finnish Sámi Parliament, Sajos Sámi Cultural Centre, SAKK – Saamelaisalueen koulutuskeskus [fi] (Sámi Education Institute), Anarâškielâ servi (Inari Sámi Language Association), and the Inari Sámi Siida Museum.
  • Aarborte (Hattfjelldal) is a southern Sámi center with a Southern Sámi-language school and a Sámi culture center.
  • Árjepluovve (Arjeplog) is the Pite Saami center in Sweden.
  • Deatnu (Tana) has a significant Sámi population.
  • Divtasvuodna (Tysfjord) is a center for the Lule-Sámi population. The Árran Lule-Sámi center is located here.
  • Gáivuotna (Kåfjord, Troms) is an important center for the Sea-Sámi culture. Each summer the Riddu Riđđu festival is held in Gáivuotna. The municipality has a Sámi-language center and hosts the Ája Sámi Center. The opposition against Sámi language and culture revitalization in Gáivuotna was infamous in the late 1990s and included Sámi-language road signs being shot to pieces repeatedly.[134]
  • Giron (Kiruna), proposed seat of the Swedish Sámi Parliament.
  • Guovdageaidnu (Kautokeino) is perhaps the cultural capital of the Sámi. About 90% of the population speaks Sámi. Several Sámi institutions are located in Kautokeino including: Beaivváš Sámi Theatre, a Sámi secondary school and reindeer-herding School, the Sámi University College, the Nordic Sámi Research Institute, the Sámi Language Board, the Resource Centre for the Rights of Indigenous People, and the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry. In addition, several Sámi media are located in Kautokeino including the Sámi-language Áššu newspaper, and the DAT Sámi publishing house and record company. Kautokeino also hosts the, which includes the Sámi Grand Prix 2010 (Sámi Musicfestival) and the Reindeer Racing World Cup. The Kautokeino rebellion in 1852 is one of the few Sámi rebellions against the Norwegian government's oppression against the Sámi.
  • Iänudâh, or Eanodat (Enontekiö).
  • Jiellevárri, or Váhčir (Gällivare)
 
Ájtte Museum of the Sámi people, Jokkmokk
 
Log cabin in Utsjoki
  • Jåhkåmåhkke (Jokkmokk) holds a Sámi market on the first weekend of every February and has a Sámi school for language and traditional knowledge called Samij Åhpadusguovdásj.
  • Kárášjohka (Karasjok) is the seat of the Norwegian Sámi Parliament. Other important Sámi institutions are located in Kárášjohka, including NRK Sámi Radio, the Sámi Collections museum, the Sámi Art Centre, the Sámi Specialist Library, the Mid-Finnmark legal office, a child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic – one of few on a national level approved for providing full specialist training. Other significant institutions include a Sámi Specialist Medical Centre, and the Sámi Health Research Institute.[135] In addition, the Sápmi cultural park is in the township, and the Sámi-language Min Áigi newspaper is published here.
  • Leavdnja (Lakselv) in Porsáŋgu (Porsanger) municipality is the location of the Finnmark Estate and the Ságat Sámi newspaper. The Finnmarkseiendommen organization owns and manages about 95% of the land in Finnmark, and 50% of its board members are elected by the Norwegian Sámi Parliament.
  • Луя̄ввьр (Lovozero)
  • Staare (Östersund) is the center for the Southern Sámi people living in Sweden. It is the site for Gaaltije – centre for South Sámi culture – a living source of knowledge for South Sámi culture, history and business. Staare also hosts the Sámi Information Centre and one of the offices to the Sámi Parliament in Sweden.
  • Njauddâm is the center for the Skolt Sámi of Norway, which have their own museum Äʹvv in the town.
  • Ohcejohka (Utsjoki).
  • Snåase (Snåsa) is a center for the Southern Sámi language and the only municipality in Norway where Southern Sámi is an official language. The Saemien Sijte Southern Sámi museum is located in Snåase.
  • Unjárga (Nesseby) is an important center for the Sea Sámi culture. It is also the site for the Várjjat Sámi Museum and the Norwegian Sámi Parliament's department of culture and environment. The first Sámi to be elected into the Norwegian Parliament, Isak Saba, was born there.
  • Árviesjávrrie (Arvidsjaur). New settlers from the south of Sweden did not arrive until the second half of the 18th century. Because of that, Sámi tradition and culture has been well preserved. Sámi people living in the south of Norrbotten, Sweden, use the city for Reindeer herding during the summer. During winter they move the Reindeers to the coast, to Piteå.

Demographics

 
Sámi child, 1923
 
Sámi family at spring celebration

In the geographical area of Sápmi, the Sámi are a small population. According to some, the estimated total Sámi population is about 70,000.[b] One problem when attempting to count the population of the Sámi is that there are few common criteria of what "being a Sámi" constitutes. In addition, there are several Sámi languages and additional dialects, and there are several areas in Sapmi where few of the Sámi speak their native language due to the forced cultural assimilation, but still consider themselves Sámi. Other identity markers are kinship (which can be said to, at some level or other, be of high importance for all Sámi), the geographical region of Sápmi where their family came from, and/or protecting or preserving certain aspects of Sámi culture.[136]

All the Nordic Sámi Parliaments have included as the "core" criterion for registering as a Sámi the identity in itself—one must declare that one truly considers oneself a Sámi. Objective criteria vary, but are generally related to kinship and/or language.

Still, due to the cultural assimilation of the Sámi people that had occurred in the four countries over the centuries, population estimates are difficult to measure precisely.[137] The population has been estimated to be between 80,000 and 135,000[138][139] across the whole Nordic region, including urban areas such as Oslo, Norway, traditionally considered outside Sápmi. The Norwegian state recognizes any Norwegian as Sámi if he or she has one great-grandparent whose home language was Sámi, but there is not, and has never been, any registration of the home language spoken by Norwegian people.

Roughly half of all Sámi live in Norway, but many live in Sweden, with smaller groups living in the far north of Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. The Sámi in Russia were forced by the Soviet authorities to relocate to a collective called Lovozero/Lujávri, in the central part of the Kola Peninsula.

Language

 
E.W. Borg alphabet book, published in 1859 in Finnish-Inari Sámi

There is no single Sámi language, but a group of ten distinct Sámi languages. Six of these languages have their own written standards. The Sámi languages are relatively closely related, but not mutually intelligible; for instance, speakers of Southern Sámi cannot understand Northern Sámi. Especially earlier, these distinct languages were referred to as "dialects", but today, this is considered misleading due to the deep differences between the varieties. Most Sámi languages are spoken in several countries, because linguistic borders do not correspond to national borders.

All Sámi languages are at some degree of endangerment, ranging from what UNESCO defines as "definitely endangered" to "extinct".[140] This is due in part to historic laws prohibiting the use of Sámi languages in schools and at home in Sweden and Norway. Sámi languages, and Sámi song-chants, called joiks, were illegal in Norway from 1773 until 1958. Then, access to Sámi instruction as part of schooling was not available until 1988. Special residential schools that would assimilate the Sámi into the dominant culture were established. These were originally run by missionaries, but later, controlled by the government. For example, in Russia, Sámi children were taken away when aged 1–2 and returned when aged 15–17 with no knowledge of their language and traditional communities. Not all Sámi viewed the schools negatively, and not all of the schools were brutal. However, being taken from home and prohibited from speaking Sámi has resulted in cultural alienation, loss of language, and lowered self-esteem.[141]

The Sámi languages belong to the Uralic language family, linguistically related to Finnish, Estonian, and Hungarian. Due to prolonged contact and import of items foreign to Sámi culture from neighboring Scandinavians, there are a number of Germanic loanwords in Sámi, particularly for "urban" objects. The majority of the Sámi now speak the majority languages of the countries they live in, i.e., Swedish, Russian, Finnish and Norwegian. Efforts are being made to further the use of Sámi languages among Sámi and persons of Sámi origin. Despite these changes, the legacy of cultural repression still exists. Many older Sámi still refuse to speak Sámi. In addition, Sámi parents still feel alienated from schools and hence do not participate as much as they could in shaping school curricula and policy.[142]

In Norway, the name of the language is samisk, and the name of the people is Same; in Finland, the name of the language is spelled saame and the name of the people saamelainen.

American scientist Michael E. Krauss published in 1997 an estimate of Sámi population and their languages.[143][144]

Group Population Language group Language Speakers (1997)[143] % Speakers (2010)[140] Status[140] Most important territory Other traditional territories
Northern Sámi 42 500 Western Sámi languages Northern Sámi language 21 700 51% 30,000 definitely endangered Norway Sweden, Finland
Lule Sámi 8 000 Western Sámi languages Lule Sámi language 2 300 29% 650[145] severely endangered Sweden Norway
Pite Sámi 2 000 Western Sámi languages Pite Sámi language 60 3% 20 critically endangered Sweden Norway
Southern Sámi 1 200 Western Sámi languages Southern Sámi language 600 50% 500 severely endangered Sweden Norway
Ume Sámi 1 000 Western Sámi languages Ume Sámi language 50 5% 20 critically endangered Sweden Norway
Skolt Sámi 1 000 Eastern Sámi languages Skolt Sámi language 430 43% 300 severely endangered Finland Russia, Norway
Kildin Sámi 1 000 Eastern Sámi languages Kildin Sámi language 650 65% 787 severely endangered Russia
Inari Sámi 900 Eastern Sámi languages Inari Sámi language 300 33% 400 severely endangered Finland
Ter Sámi 400 Eastern Sámi languages Ter Sámi language 8 2% 2 critically endangered Russia
Akkala Sámi 100 Eastern Sámi languages Akkala Sámi language 7 7% 0 extinct Russia
 
Geographic distribution of the Sámi languages:
  1. Southern Sámi
  2. Ume Sámi
  3. Pite Sámi
  4. Lule Sámi
  5. Northern Sámi
  6. Skolt Sámi
  7. Inari Sámi
  8. Kildin Sámi
  9. Ter Sámi
Darkened area represents municipalities that recognize Sámi as an official language.
 
This map shows the geographic distribution of Sámi languages and offers some additional information, such as number of native Sámi speakers and locations of the Sámi parliaments.[146]

Kemi Sámi language became extinct in the 19th century.

Many Sámi do not speak any of the Sámi languages any more due to historical assimilation policies, so the number of Sámi living in each area is much higher.[147]

Division by geography

Sápmi is traditionally divided into:

  • Eastern Sápmi (Inari, Skolt, Akkala, Kildin and Teri Sámi in Kola peninsula (Russia) and Inari (Finland, formerly also in eastern Norway)
  • Northern Sápmi (Northern, Lule and Pite Sámi in most of northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland)
  • Southern Sápmi (Ume and Southern Sámi in central parts of Sweden and Norway)

It should also be noted that many Sámi now live outside Sápmi, in large cities such as Oslo in Norway.

Division by occupation

A division often used in Northern Sámi is based on occupation and the area of living. This division is also used in many historical texts:[148]

  • Reindeer Sámi or Mountain Sámi (in Northern Sámi boazosapmelash or badjeolmmosh). Previously nomadic Sámi living as reindeer herders. Now most have a permanent residence in the Sámi core areas. Some 10% of Sámi practice reindeer herding, which is seen as a fundamental part of a Sámi culture and, in some parts of the Nordic countries, can be practiced by Sámis only.
  • Sea Sámi (in Northern Sámi mearasapmelash). These lived traditionally by combining fishing and small-scale farming. Today, often used for all Sámi from the coast regardless of their occupation.
  • Forest Sámi who traditionally lived by combining fishing in inland rivers and lakes with small-scale reindeer-herding.
  • City Sámi who are now probably the largest group of Sámi.

Division by country

 
Sámi traditional presentation in Lovozero, Kola Peninsula, Russia

According to the Norwegian Sámi Parliament, the Sámi population of Norway is 40,000. If all people who speak Sámi or have a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent who speaks or spoke Sámi are included, the number reaches 70,000. As of 2021, 20,545 people were registered to vote in the election for the Sámi Parliament in Norway.[149] The bulk of the Sámi live in Finnmark and Northern Troms, but there are also Sámi populations in Southern Troms, Nordland and Trøndelag. Due to recent migration, it has also been claimed that Oslo is the municipality with the largest Sámi population.[150] The Sámi are in a majority only in the municipalities of Guovdageaidnu–Kautokeino, Kárášjohka–Karasjok, Porsáŋgu–Porsanger, Deatnu–Tana and Unjárga–Nesseby in Finnmark, and Gáivuotna–Kåfjord in Northern Troms. This area is also known as the Sámi core area, and Sámi and Norwegian are co-equal administrative languages here.

According to the Swedish Sámi Parliament, estimates of the size of the Sámi population of Sweden ranges from 20,000 to 40,000.[151] As of 2021, 9,226 people were registered to vote in elections to the Swedish Sámi Parliament.[152]

According to the Finnish Population Registry Center and the Finnish Sámi Parliament, the Sámi population living in Finland was 10,753 in 2019.[153] As of 31 December 2021, only 2,023 people were registered as speaking a Sámi language as their mother tongue.[154]

According to the 2010 All-Russia Census, the Sámi population of Russia was 1,771.

Sámi diaspora outside of Sápmi

 
Reindeer in Alaska

There are an estimated 30,000 people living in North America who are either Sámi, or descendants of Sámi.[155] Most have settled in areas that are known to have Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish immigrants. Some of these concentrated areas are Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Illinois, California, Washington, Utah and Alaska; and throughout Canada, including Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Northern Ontario, and the Canadian territories of the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut.

Descendants of these Sámi immigrants typically know little of their heritage because their ancestors purposely hid their indigenous culture to avoid discrimination from the dominating Scandinavian or Nordic culture. Some of these Sámi are part of a diaspora that moved to North America in order to escape assimilation policies in their home countries. There were also several Sámi families that were brought to North America with herds of reindeer by the U.S. and Canadian governments as part of the "Reindeer Project" designed to teach the Inuit about reindeer herding.[156] There is a long history of Sámi in Alaska.

Some of these Sámi immigrants and descendants of immigrants are members of the Sami Siida of North America.

Organization

Sápmi demonstrates a distinct semi-national identity that transcends the borders between Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. There is no movement for sovereign state, but they do seek greater autonomy in respective nation states.[157]

Sámi Parliaments

 
Sven-Roald Nystø, Aili Keskitalo and Ole Henrik Magga, the three first presidents of the Sámi Parliament of Norway

The Sámi Parliaments (Sámediggi in Northern Sámi, Sämitigge in Inari Sámi, Sää'mte'ǧǧ in Skolt Sámi) founded in Finland (1973), Norway (1989) and Sweden (1993) are the representative bodies for peoples of Sámi heritage. Russia has not recognized the Sámi as a minority and, as a result, recognizes no Sámi parliament, even if the Sámi people there have formed an unrecognised Sámi Parliament of Russia. There is no single, unified Sámi parliament that spans across the Nordic countries. Rather, each of the aforementioned three countries has set up its own separate legislatures for Sámi people, even though the three Sámi Parliaments often work together on cross-border issues. In all three countries, they act as an institution of cultural autonomy for the indigenous Sámi people. The parliaments have very weak political influence, far from autonomy. They are formally public authorities, ruled by the Scandinavian governments, but have democratically elected parliamentarians, whose mission is to work for the Sámi people and culture. Candidates' election promises often get into conflict with the institutions' submission under their governments, but as authorities, they have some influence over the government.

Norwegian organizations

The main organisations for Sámi representation in Norway are the siidas. They cover northern and central Norway.

Swedish organizations

The main organisations for Sámi representation in Sweden are the siidas. They cover northern and central Sweden.

Finnish organizations

In contrast to Norway and Sweden, in Finland, a siida (paliskunta in Finnish) is a reindeer-herding corporation that is not restricted by ethnicity. There are indeed some ethnic Finns who practice reindeer herding, and in principle, all residents of the reindeer herding area (most of Finnish Lapland and parts of Oulu province) who are citizens of EEA countries,[158] i.e., the European Union and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, are allowed to join a paliskunta.

Russian organizations

In 2010, the Sámi Council supported the establishment of a cultural center in Russia for Arctic peoples. The Center for Northern Peoples aims to promote artistic and cultural cooperation between the Arctic peoples of Russia and the Nordic countries, with particular focus on indigenous peoples and minorities.[159]

Border conflicts

 
Land rights for grazing reindeer

Sápmi, the Sámi traditional lands, cross four national borders. Traditional summer and winter pastures sometimes lie on different sides of the borders of the nation-states. In addition to that, there is a border drawn for modern-day Sápmi. Some state that the rights (for reindeer herding and, in some parts, even for fishing and hunting) include not only modern Sápmi but areas that are beyond today's Sápmi that reflect older territories. Today's "borders" originate from the 14th to 16th centuries when land-owning conflicts occurred. The establishment of more stable dwelling places and larger towns originates from the 16th century and was performed for strategic defence and economic reasons, both by peoples from Sámi groups themselves and more southern immigrants.

Owning land within the borders or being a member of a siida (Sámi corporation) gives rights. A different law enacted in Sweden in the mid-1990s gave the right to anyone to fish and hunt in the region, something that was met with skepticism and anger amongst the siidas.

Court proceedings have been common throughout history, and the aim from the Sámi viewpoint is to reclaim territories used earlier in history. Due to a major defeat in 1996, one siida has introduced a sponsorship "Reindeer Godfather" concept to raise funds for further battles in courts. These "internal conflicts" are usually conflicts between non-Sámi land owners and reindeer owners. Cases question the Sámi ancient rights to reindeer pastures. In 2010, Sweden was criticized for its relations with the Sámi in the Universal Periodic Review conducted by the Working Group of the Human Rights Council.[160]

The question whether the fjeld's territory is owned by the governments (crown land) or by the Sámi population is not answered.[161]

From an indigenous perspective, people "belong to the land", the land does not belong to people, but this does not mean that hunters, herders, and fishing people do not know where the borders of their territories are located as well as those of their neighbors.[99]

Sámi identity symbols

Although the Sámi have considered themselves to be one people throughout history,[162] the idea of Sápmi, a Sámi nation, first gained acceptance among the Sámi in the 1970s, and even later among the majority population.[163] During the 1980s and 1990s, a Sámi flag was created, a Sámi anthem was written, and the date of a national day was established.

The Sámi Flag

 
Sámi flag

The Sámi flag was inaugurated during the Sámi Conference in Åre, Sweden, on 15 August 1986.[164] It was the result of a competition for which many suggestions were entered. The winning design was submitted by the artist Astrid Båhl from Skibotn, Norway.[165]

The motif (shown right) was derived from the shaman's drum and the poem "Päiven Pārne'" ("Sons of the Sun") by the South Sámi Anders Fjellner describing the Sámi as sons and daughters of the sun. The flag has the Sámi colours, red, green, yellow and blue, and the circle represents the sun (red) and the moon (blue).

The Sámi People's Day

The Sámi National Day falls on 6 February as this date was when the first Sámi congress was held in 1917 in Trondheim, Norway. This congress was the first time that Norwegian and Swedish Sámi came together across their national borders to work together to find solutions for common problems. The resolution for celebrating on 6 February was passed in 1992 at the 15th Sámi congress in Helsinki. Since 1993, Norway, Sweden and Finland have recognized 6 February as Sámi National Day.

"Song of the Sámi People"

"Sámi soga lávlla" ("Song of the Sámi People", lit.'Song of the Sámi Family') was originally a poem written by Isak Saba that was published in the newspaper Saǥai Muittalægje for the first time on 1 April 1906. In August 1986, it became the Sámi anthem. Arne Sørli set the poem to music, which was then approved at the 15th Sámi Conference in Helsinki in 1992. "Sámi soga lávlla" has been translated into all of the Sámi languages.

Religion

 
Copper etching (1767) by O.H. von Lode showing a noaidi with his meavrresgárri drum

Many Sámi people continued to practice their religion up until the 18th century.[166] Most Sámi today belong to the state-run Lutheran churches of Norway, Sweden and Finland. Some Sámi in Russia belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, and similarly, some Skolt Sámi resettled in Finland are also part of an Eastern Orthodox congregation, with an additional small population in Norway.

Indigenous Sámi religion

Indigenous[167] Sámi religion is a type of polytheism. (See Sámi deities.) There is some diversity due to the wide area that is Sápmi, allowing for the evolution of variations in beliefs and practices between tribes. The beliefs are closely connected to the land, animism, and the supernatural. Sámi spirituality is often characterized by pantheism, a strong emphasis on the importance of personal spirituality and its interconnectivity with one's own daily life, and a deep connection between the natural and spiritual "worlds".[168] Among other roles, the Noaidi, or Sámi shaman, enables ritual communication with the supernatural[169] through the use of tools such as drums, Joik, Fadno, chants, sacred objects, and fly agaric.[170][171] Some practices within the Sámi religion include natural sacred sites such as mountains, springs, land formations, Sieidi, as well as human-made ones such as petroglyphs and labyrinths.[172]

Sámi cosmology divides the universe into three worlds. The upper world is related to the South, warmth, life, and the color white. It is also the dwelling of the gods. The middle world is like the Norse Midgard, it is the dwelling of humans and it is associated with the color red. The third world is the underworld and it is associated with the color black, it represents the north, the cold and it is inhabited by otters, loons, and seals and mythical animals.[173]

Sámi religion shares some elements with Norse mythology, possibly from early contacts with trading Vikings (or vice versa). They were the last worshippers of Thor, as late as the 18th century according to contemporary ethnographers. Through a mainly French initiative from Joseph Paul Gaimard as part of his La Recherche Expedition, Lars Levi Læstadius began research on Sámi mythology. His work resulted in Fragments of Lappish Mythology, since by his own admission, they contained only a small percentage of what had existed. The fragments were termed Theory of Gods, Theory of Sacrifice, Theory of Prophecy, or short reports about rumorous Sami magic and Sami sagas. Generally, he claims to have filtered out the Norse influence and derived common elements between the South, North, and Eastern Sámi groups.[citation needed] The mythology has common elements with other indigenous religions as well—such as those of indigenous peoples in Siberia and North America.

Christian mission

 
A sermon at the 2004 Samiske kirkedager

The term Sámi religion usually refers to the traditional religion, practiced by most Sámi until approximately the 18th century. Christianity was introduced by Roman Catholic missionaries as early as the 13th century. Increased pressure came after the Protestant Reformation, and rune drums were burned or sent to museums abroad. In this period, many Sámi practiced their traditional religion at home, while going to church on Sunday. Since the Sámi were considered to possess "witchcraft" powers, they were often accused of sorcery during the 17th century and were the subjects of witchcraft trials and burnings.[174]

In Norway, a major effort to convert the Sámi was made around 1720, when Thomas von Westen, the "Apostle of the Sámi", burned drums, burned sacred objects, and converted people.[175] Out of the estimated thousands of drums before this period, only about 70 are known to remain today, scattered in museums around Europe.[170] Sacred sites were destroyed, such as sieidi (stones in natural or human-built formations), álda and sáivu (sacred hills), springs, caves and other natural formations where offerings were made.

In the far east of the Sámi area, the Russian monk Trifon converted the Sámi in the 16th century. Today, St. George's chapel in Neiden, Norway (1565), testifies to this effort.

Laestadius

 
Noaidi drum

Around 1840 Swedish Sámi Lutheran pastor and administrator Lars Levi Laestadius initiated among the Sámi a puritanical pietist movement emphasizing complete abstinence from alcohol. This movement is still very dominant in Sámi-speaking areas. Laestadius spoke many languages, and he became fluent and preached in Finnish and Northern Sámi in addition to his native Southern Sámi and Swedish,[176] the language he used for scholarly publications.[175]

Two great challenges Laestadius had faced since his early days as a church minister were the indifference of his Sámi parishioners, who had been forced by the Swedish government to convert from their shamanistic religion to Lutheranism, and the misery caused them by alcoholism. The spiritual understanding Laestadius acquired and shared in his new sermons "filled with vivid metaphors from the lives of the Sámi that they could understand, ... about a God who cared about the lives of the people" had a profound positive effect on both problems. One account from a Sámi cultural perspective recalls a new desire among the Sámi to learn to read and a "bustle and energy in the church, with people confessing their sins, crying and praying for forgiveness ... [Alcohol abuse] and the theft of [the Sámis'] reindeer diminished, which had a positive influence on the Sámi's relationships, finances and family life."[177]

Neo-shamanism and traditional healing

Today there are a number of Sámi who seek to return to the traditional Pagan values of their ancestors. There are also some Sámi who claim to be noaidi and offer their services through newspaper advertisements, in New Age arrangements, or for tourist groups. While they practice a religion based on that of their ancestors, widespread anti-pagan prejudice has caused these shamans to be generally not viewed as part of an unbroken Sámi religious tradition.[citation needed] Traditional Sámi beliefs are composed of three intertwining elements: animism, shamanism, and polytheism. Sámi animism is manifested in the Sámi's belief that all significant natural objects (such as animals, plants, rocks, etc.) possess a soul; and from a polytheistic perspective, traditional Sámi beliefs include a multitude of spirits.[175] Many contemporary practitioners are compared to practitioners of neo-paganism, as a number of neopagan religions likewise combine elements of ancient pagan religions with more recent revisions or innovations, but others feel they are attempting to revive or reconstruct indigenous Sámi religions as found in historic, folkloric sources and oral traditions.

In 2012, County Governor of Troms approved Shamanic Association of Tromsø as a new religion.[178]

A very different religious idea is represented by the numerous "wise men" and "wise women" found throughout the Sámi area. They often offer to heal the sick through rituals and traditional medicines and may also combine traditional elements, such as older Sámi teachings, with newer monotheistic inventions that Christian missionaries taught their ancestors, such as readings from the Bible.

Genetic studies

 
Sámi mother with her children

Anthropologists have been studying the Sámi people for hundreds of years for their assumed physical and cultural differences from the rest of the Europeans. Recent genetic studies have indicated that the two most frequent maternal lineages of the Sámi people are the haplogroups V (Neolithic in Europe and not found in Finland 1500 years ago[179]) and U5b (ancient in Europe).[180] Y-chromosome haplogroup N-VL29 makes up 20%, came from Siberia 3500 years ago. Y-chromosome N-Z1936 makes up similarly about 20%, and likely came from Siberia with the Sámi language, but slightly later than N-VL29. This tallies with archeological evidence suggesting that several different cultural groups made their way to the core area of Sámi from 8000 to 6000 BC,[181] presumably including some of the ancestors of present-day Sámi.

The Sámi have been found to be genetically unrelated to people of the Pitted Ware culture.[c] The Pitted Ware culture are in turn genetically continuous with the original Scandinavian Hunter-Gatherers.[d]

History of scientific research carried out on the Sámi

 
Ad for an 1893/1894 ethnological exposition of Sámi in Hamburg-Saint Paul

The genetic makeup of Sámi people has been extensively studied for as long as such research has been in existence. Ethnographic photography of the Sámi began with the invention of the camera in the 19th century.[184] This continued on into the 1920s and 1930s, when Sámi were photographed naked and anatomically measured by scientists, with the help of the local police—sometimes at gunpoint—to collect data that would justify their own racial theories.[185] Thus, there is a degree of distrust by some in the Sámi community towards genetic research.[185]

Sámi graves were plundered to provide research materials,[186][187][188] of which their remains and artifacts from this period from across Sápmi can still be found in various state collections.[95][188][189][190] In the late 19th century, colonial fascination with Arctic peoples led to human beings exhibited in human zoos. Sámi people were exhibited with their traditional lavvu tents, weapons, and sleds, beside a group of reindeer at Tierpark Hagenbeck[191] and other zoos across the globe.

Notable people of Sámi descent

Science

Explorers and adventurers

  • Samuel Balto (1861–1921), Arctic explorer—one of the first people to cross Greenland on skis (together with Fridtjof Nansen)—and gold miner. The very famous dog Balto was named after Samuel Balto.
  • Lars Monsen (1963–present) adventurer, explorer, journalist and author.[194]

Literature

 
Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, a Sámi writer, musician and artist from Finland

Music

 
Agnete Johnsen

Film and theatre

 
Nils Gaup, a Sámi film director from Norway

Politics and society

  • Lars Levi Laestadius (1800–61), religious reformer, botanist and ethnologist.[201]
  • Ole Henrik Magga (1947–present), politician. The first President of the Norwegian Sámi Parliament (NSR) and first Chairman of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
  • Helga Pedersen (1973–present) politician. The first Sámi member of Government (Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Norwegian Labour Party).[202]
  • Elsa Laula Renberg (1877–1931), politician and activist. Organized the first international Sámi conference and wrote a rhetorically powerful pamphlet of resistance to colonization.[203]
  • Isak Mikal Saba (1875–1925), politician and writer. Was the first Sámi parliamentarian (Norwegian Labour Party) and wrote the Sámi national anthem.
  • Janne Seurujärvi (1975–present), politician. The first Sámi member of Parliament of Finland.
  • Irja Seurujärvi-Kari (born 1947), politician and academic; member of the Finnish Sámi Parliament.
  • Laila Susanne Vars (1976–present), former vice-president of the Sámi Parliament in Norway, first Sámi woman with a PhD in law, member of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), rector of the Sámi University of Applied Sciences.

Visual arts

Sports

 
Anja Pärson a Sámi skier from Sweden
 
Börje Salming, a retired ice hockey defenceman

Other

See also

Sámi culture

Sámi films

  • The White Reindeer (Valkoinen peura) (1952), a Finnish horror drama film set in Finnish Lapland, among the Sámi people.
  • Pathfinder (Ofelaš) (1988), film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film; filmed in Norway featuring Sámi actors speaking in Sámi
  • Give Us Our Skeletons, a 1999 documentary about the scientific racism and racial classification movement carried out on the Sámi
  • The Cuckoo (Kukushka) (2002), film set during World War II with a Sámi woman as one of the main characters
  • Last Yoik in Saami Forests? (2007), made for the United Nations, a documentary about land rights disputes in Finnish Lapland[209]
  • The Sami (Saamelainen) (2007), a Mushkeg Media documentary about the state of aboriginal languages[210]
  • Wolf (2008), an examination of how the traditions of the Sámi villagers in northern Sweden are confronted with modern-day society[211]
  • Herdswoman (2008), a documentary about land rights disputes in reindeer grazing areas[212]
  • The Kautokeino Rebellion (2008), feature film that concerns the ethnic-religious Sámi revolt in Guovdageaidnu of 1852
  • Magic Mushrooms and Reindeer: Weird Nature (2009), short video on the use of Amanita muscaria mushrooms by the Sámi people and their reindeer, produced by the BBC[213]
  • Suddenly Sami (2009), in which the filmmaker finds out that her mother has been hiding her Arctic indigenous Sámi heritage from her[214]
  • Midnight Sun (2016), crime series which revolves around Sámi culture and conflicts of Sámi culture with modern Swedish society[215]
  • Sami Blood (2016), a movie chronicling the life of a Sámi girl taken into a Swedish boarding school to be forcibly assimilated as a Swede[216]
  • Frozen (2013), features a major character named Kristoff who wears clothing resembling Sámi attire and has a pet reindeer.
  • Frozen II (2019), features the forest tribe known as the Northuldra, which is based on the Sámi people, and the theme song Vuelie, written by Norwegian joiker Frode Fjellheim and performed by Norwegian female choral group Cantus, is based on Sámi music. There is a North Sámi dubbing of the film.[217][218]
  • Klaus (2019), animated film about "a postman stationed in a town to the North who befriends a reclusive toy-maker" featuring Sámi characters
  • Jeʹvida (2023), the first feature-length film in the Skolt Sámi language.[219]
  • Stolen (2024), a Netflix adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ann-Helén Laestadius[220][221]

Notes

  1. ^ In Norway, there is no clear legal definition of who is Sámi. Therefore, exact numbers are not possible.
  2. ^ According to the Swedish Sámi parliament.
  3. ^ "Population continuity between the PWC and modern Saami can be rejected under all assumed ancestral population size combinations."[182]
  4. ^ "Our data support that the Neolithic PWC foragers are largely genetically continuous to SHG."[183]

References

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Sources

Further reading

Sámi books

External links

  •   Media related to Sami people at Wikimedia Commons
  •   Sámi peoples travel guide from Wikivoyage
  • Saami Council
  • Sámi peoples at Curlie
  • Encyclopaedia of Saami Culture

sámi, peoples, other, uses, sami, samis, redirects, here, politician, george, samis, hockey, player, phil, samis, samis, land, company, samis, foundation, israel, sámi, ɑː, also, spelled, sami, saami, traditionally, sámi, speaking, peoples, inhabiting, region,. For other uses see Sami Samis redirects here For the politician see George Samis For the ice hockey player see Phil Samis For the Samis Land Company or the Samis Foundation see Sam Israel The Sami ˈ s ɑː m i SAH mee also spelled Sami or Saami are the traditionally Sami speaking peoples inhabiting the region of Sapmi which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway Sweden Finland and of the Kola Peninsula in Russia The region of Sapmi was formerly known as Lapland and the Sami have historically been known in English as Lapps or Laplanders but these terms are regarded as offensive by the Sami who prefer the area s name in their own languages e g Northern Sami Sapmi 8 9 Their traditional languages are the Sami languages which are classified as a branch of the Uralic language family SamiSamit Northern Sami Saemieh Southern Sami Same Lule and Pite Sami Sammiliih Inari Sami Saʹmmla Skolt Sami Sa m Kildin Sami Sami flagSami outside lavvu c 1910Total populationEstimated 80 000 1 Regions with significant populationsSapmi 63 831 107 341 Norway37 890 60 000 a 2 3 Sweden14 600 36 000 3 Finland9 350 4 Russia1 991 5 United States480 first ancestry 945 first and second 6 Ukraine136 2001 7 LanguagesSami languages Akkala Inari Kildin Kemi Lule Northern Pite Skolt Ter Southern Ume Russian Norwegian Swedish FinnishReligionSami Shamanism Christianity Lutheranism including Laestadianism Eastern Orthodoxy Traditionally the Sami have pursued a variety of livelihoods including coastal fishing fur trapping and sheep herding Their best known means of livelihood is semi nomadic reindeer herding As of 2007 update about 10 of the Sami were connected to reindeer herding which provides them with meat fur and transportation around 2 800 Sami people were actively involved in reindeer herding on a full time basis in Norway 10 For traditional environmental cultural and political reasons reindeer herding is legally reserved for only Sami in some regions of the Nordic countries 11 Contents 1 Etymologies 1 1 Sami 1 2 Finn 1 3 Lapp 2 History 2 1 Relationship between the Sami and the Scandinavians 2 2 Southern limits of Sami settlement in the past 2 3 Origins of the Norwegian Sea Sami 2 3 1 Bubonic plague 2 3 2 Fishing industry 2 3 3 Mountain Sami 2 4 Post 1800s 2 5 Contemporary issues 2 5 1 Natural resource extraction 2 5 2 Land rights 2 5 3 Water rights 2 5 4 Climate change and the environment 2 5 5 Tourism 3 Discrimination against the Sami 4 Official Sami policies 4 1 Norway 4 2 Sweden 4 3 Finland 4 4 Russia 4 5 Nordic Sami Convention 5 Culture 5 1 Duodji craft 5 2 Clothing 5 3 Media and literature 5 4 Music 5 5 Education 5 6 Festivals 5 7 Visual arts 5 8 Dance 5 9 Reindeer husbandry 5 10 Games 6 Cultural region 6 1 Extent 6 2 Important Sami towns 7 Demographics 7 1 Language 7 2 Division by geography 7 3 Division by occupation 7 4 Division by country 7 5 Sami diaspora outside of Sapmi 8 Organization 8 1 Sami Parliaments 8 2 Norwegian organizations 8 3 Swedish organizations 8 4 Finnish organizations 8 5 Russian organizations 8 6 Border conflicts 9 Sami identity symbols 9 1 The Sami Flag 9 2 The Sami People s Day 9 3 Song of the Sami People 10 Religion 10 1 Indigenous Sami religion 10 2 Christian mission 10 3 Laestadius 10 4 Neo shamanism and traditional healing 11 Genetic studies 11 1 History of scientific research carried out on the Sami 12 Notable people of Sami descent 12 1 Science 12 2 Explorers and adventurers 12 3 Literature 12 4 Music 12 5 Film and theatre 12 6 Politics and society 12 7 Visual arts 12 8 Sports 12 9 Other 13 See also 13 1 Sami culture 13 2 Sami films 14 Notes 14 1 References 15 Sources 16 Further reading 16 1 Sami books 17 External linksEtymologiesFurther information Sapmi nbsp A Sami depicted in art painting by Francois Auguste BiardSami Speakers of Northern Sami refer to themselves as Samit the Samis or Sapmelas of Sami kin the word Sapmi being inflected into various grammatical forms Other Sami languages use cognate words As of around 2014 the current consensus among specialists was that the word Sami was borrowed from the Proto Baltic word zeme meaning land cognate with Slavic zemlja zemlya of the same meaning 12 13 14 The word Sami has at least one cognate word in Finnish Proto Baltic zeme was also borrowed into Proto Finnic as sama This word became modern Finnish Hame Finnish for the region of Tavastia the second a of sama is still found in the adjective hamalainen The Finnish word for Finland Suomi is also thought probably to derive ultimately from Proto Baltic zeme though the precise route is debated and proposals usually involve complex processes of borrowing and reborrowing Suomi and its adjectival form suomalainen must come from sōme sōma In one proposal this Finnish word comes from a Proto Germanic word sōma itself from Proto Baltic sama in turn borrowed from Proto Finnic sama which was borrowed from zeme 12 The Sami institutions notably the parliaments radio and TV stations theatres etc all use the term Sami including when addressing outsiders in Norwegian Swedish Finnish or English In Norwegian and Swedish the Sami are today referred to by the localized form Same Finn The first probable historical mention of the Sami naming them Fenni was by Tacitus about AD 98 15 Variants of Finn or Fenni were in wide use in ancient times judging from the names Fenni and Finnoi Phinnoi in classical Roman and Greek works Finn or variants such as skridfinn striding Finn was the name originally used by Norse speakers and their proto Norse speaking ancestors to refer to the Sami as attested in the Icelandic Eddas and Norse sagas 11th to 14th centuries The etymology is somewhat uncertain 16 but the consensus seems to be that it is related to Old Norse finna from proto Germanic finthanan to find the logic being that the Sami as hunter gatherers found their food rather than grew it 12 17 This etymology has superseded older speculations that the word might be related to fen 18 As Old Norse gradually developed into the separate Scandinavian languages Swedes apparently took to using Finn to refer to inhabitants of what is now Finland while the Sami came to be called Lapps In Norway however Sami were still called Finns at least until the modern era reflected in toponyms like Finnmark Finnsnes Finnfjord and Finnoy and some northern Norwegians will still occasionally use Finn to refer to Sami people although the Sami themselves now consider this to be an inappropriate term Finnish immigrants to Northern Norway in the 18th and 19th centuries were referred to as Kvens to distinguish them from the Sami Finns Ethnic Finns suomalaiset are a distinct group from Sami 19 Lapp nbsp Aleksander Laureus s painting of the Sami by the fireThe word Lapp can be traced to Old Swedish lapper Icelandic lappir plural perhaps of Finnish origin 20 compare Finnish lappalainen Lapp Lappi Lapland possibly meaning wilderness in the north the original meaning being unknown 21 20 22 It is unknown how the word Lapp came into the Norse language but one of the first written mentions of the term is in the Gesta Danorum by the twelfth century Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus who referred to the two Lappias although he still referred to the Sami as Skrid Finn s 23 24 In fact Saxo never explicitly connects the Sami with the two Laplands The term Lapp was popularized and became the standard terminology by the work of Johannes Schefferus Acta Lapponica 1673 The Sami are often known in other languages by the exonyms Lap Lapp or Laplanders although these are considered derogatory terms by some 25 26 27 while others accept at least the name Lappland 28 Variants of the name Lapp were originally used in Sweden and Finland and through Swedish adopted by many major European languages English Lapps German Dutch Lappen French Lapons Greek Lapwnes Lapōnes Hungarian lappok Italian Lapponi Polish Laponczycy Portuguese Lapoes Spanish Lapones Romanian laponi Turkish Lapon In Russian the corresponding term is lopari lopari and in Ukrainian lopari lopari In Finland and Sweden Lapp is common in place names such as Lappi Satakunta Lappeenranta South Karelia and Lapinlahti North Savo in Finland and Lapp Stockholm County Lappe Sodermanland and Lappabo Smaland in Sweden As already mentioned Finn is a common element in Norwegian particularly Northern Norwegian place names whereas Lapp is exceedingly rare Terminological issues in Finnish are somewhat different Finns living in Finnish Lapland generally call themselves lappilainen whereas the similar word for the Sami people is lappalainen This can be confusing for foreign visitors because of the similar lives Finns and Sami people live today in Lapland Lappalainen is also a common family name in Finland In Finnish saamelainen is the most commonly used word nowadays especially in official contexts HistoryMain article Sami history nbsp Spread of the Sami people at present image reference needed nbsp A Sami family in Norway around 1900The western Uralic languages are believed to have spread from the original Proto Uralic homeland along the Volga which is the longest river in Europe 29 The speakers of Finnic and Sami languages have their roots in the middle and upper Volga region in the Corded Ware culture These groups presumably started to move to the northwest from the homeland of the early Uralic peoples in the second and third quarters of the 2nd millennium BC On their journey they used the ancient river routes of northern Russia Some of these peoples who may have originally spoken the same western Uralic language stopped and stayed in the regions between Karelia Ladoga and Lake Ilmen and even further to the east and to the southeast The groups of these peoples that ended up in the Finnish Lakeland from 1600 to 1500 BC later became the Sami 29 The Sami people arrived in their current homeland some time after the beginning of the Common Era 30 The Sami language first developed on the southern side of Lake Onega and Lake Ladoga and spread from there When the speakers of this language extended to the area of modern day Finland they encountered groups of peoples who spoke a number of smaller ancient languages Paleo Laplandic languages which later became extinct However these languages left traces in the Sami language Pre Finnic substrate As the language spread further it became segmented into dialects 31 The geographical distribution of the Sami has evolved over the course of history From the Bronze Age the Sami occupied the area along the coast of Finnmark and the Kola Peninsula 32 This coincides with the arrival of the Siberian genome to Estonia and Finland which may correspond with the introduction of the Finno Ugric languages in the region 32 33 Petroglyphs and archeological findings such as settlements dating from about 10 000 BC can be found in Lapland and Finnmark although these have not been demonstrated to be related to the Sami people 34 These hunter gatherers of the late Paleolithic and early Mesolithic were named Komsa by the researchers Relationship between the Sami and the Scandinavians The Sami have a complex relationship with the Scandinavians known as Norse people in the medieval era the dominant peoples of Scandinavia who speak Scandinavian languages and who founded and thus dominated the kingdoms of Norway and Sweden in which most Sami people live While the Sami have lived in Fennoscandia for around 3 500 years Sami settlement of Scandinavia does not predate Norse Scandinavian settlement of Scandinavia as sometimes popularly assumed The migration of Germanic speaking peoples to Southern Scandinavia happened independently and separate from the later Sami migrations into the northern regions 35 For centuries the Sami and the Scandinavians had relatively little contact the Sami primarily lived in the inland of northern Fennoscandia while Scandinavians lived in southern Scandinavia and gradually colonised the Norwegian coast from the 18th and especially the 19th century the governments of Norway and Sweden started to assert sovereignty more aggressively in the north and targeted the Sami with Scandinavization policies aimed at forced assimilation from the 19th century Before the era of forced Scandinavization policies the Norwegian and Swedish authorities had largely ignored the Sami and did not interfere much in their way of life While Norwegians moved north to gradually colonise the coast of modern day Troms og Finnmark to engage in an export driven fisheries industry prior to the 19th century they showed little interest in the harsh and non arable inland populated by reindeer herding Sami Unlike the Norwegians on the coast who were strongly dependent on their trade with the south the Sami in the inland lived off the land From the 19th century Norwegian and Swedish authorities started to regard the Sami as a backward and primitive people in need of being civilized imposing the Scandinavian languages as the only valid languages of the kingdoms and effectively banning Sami language and culture in many contexts particularly schools 36 37 Southern limits of Sami settlement in the past nbsp A Sami man and child in Finnmark Norway c 1900How far south the Sami extended in the past has been debated among historians and archeologists for many years The Norwegian historian Yngvar Nielsen commissioned by the Norwegian government in 1889 to determine this question in order to settle contemporary questions of Sami land rights concluded that the Sami had lived no farther south than Lierne in Nord Trondelag county until around 1500 when they started moving south reaching the area around Lake Femund in the 18th century 38 This hypothesis is still accepted among many historians but has been the subject of scholarly debate in the 21st century In recent years several archaeological finds indicate a Sami presence in southern Norway in the Middle Ages and in southern Sweden 39 including finds in Lesja in Vang in Valdres and in Hol and Al in Hallingdal 40 Proponents of the Sami interpretations of these finds assume a mixed population of Norse and Sami people in the mountainous areas of southern Norway in the Middle Ages 41 Origins of the Norwegian Sea Sami nbsp Three Sami womenBubonic plague nbsp Sami people in Norway 1928Until the arrival of bubonic plague in northern Norway in 1349 the Sami and the Norwegians occupied very separate economic niches 42 The Sami hunted reindeer and fished for their livelihood The Norwegians who were concentrated on the outer islands and near the mouths of the fjords had access to the major European trade routes so that in addition to marginal farming in the Nordland Troms and Finnmark counties they were able to establish commerce trading fish for products from the south 43 According to old Nordic texts the Sea Sami and the Mountain Sami are two classes of the same people and not two different ethnic groups as had been erroneously believed 44 This socioeconomic balance greatly changed when bubonic plague came to northern Norway in December 1349 The Norwegians were closely connected to the greater European trade routes along which the plague traveled consequently they were infected and died at a far higher rate than Sami in the interior Of all the states in the region Norway suffered the most from this plague 45 Depending on the parish 60 to 76 percent of northern Norwegian farms were abandoned following the plague 46 while land rents another measure of population dropped to 9 28 of pre plague levels 47 Although the population of northern Norway is sparse compared to southern Europe the disease spread just as fast The spread of the plague carrying flea Xenopsylla cheopsis from the south was facilitated by the transport of wooden barrels holding wheat rye or wool where the fleas were able to live and even reproduce for several months at a time 48 The Sami lived on fish and reindeer meat and did not eat wheat or rye They lived in communities detached from the Norwegians being only loosely connected to the European trade routes they fared far better than the Norwegians 49 Fishing industry nbsp A Sea Sami man from Norway by Prince Roland Bonaparte in 1884 nbsp A Sea Sami man from Norway by Prince Roland Bonaparte in 1884Fishing has always been the main livelihood for the many Sami living permanently in coastal areas 50 Archeological research shows that the Sami have lived along the coast and once lived much farther south in the past and they were also involved in work other than reindeer herding e g fishing agriculture iron work 39 The fishing along the north Norwegian coast especially in the Lofoten and Vesteralen islands is quite productive with a variety of fish during medieval times it was a major source of income for both the fishermen and the Norwegian monarchy 51 With such massive population drops caused by the Black Death the tax revenues from this industry greatly diminished Because of the huge profits that could be had from these fisheries the local authorities offered incentives to the Sami faced with their own population pressures to settle on the newly vacant farms 52 This started the economic division between the Sea Sami sjosamene who fished extensively off the coast and the Mountain Sami fjellsamene innlandssamene who continued to hunt reindeer and small game animals They later herded reindeer Even as late as the early 18th century there were many Sami who were still settling on these farms left abandoned from the 1350s 53 54 After many years of continuous migration these Sea Sami became far more numerous than the reindeer herding mountain Sami who today only make up 10 of all Sami In contemporary times there are also ongoing consultations between the Government of Norway and the Sami Parliament regarding the right of the coastal Sami to fish in the seas on the basis of historical use and international law 55 State regulation of sea fisheries underwent drastic change in the late 1980s The regulation linked quotas to vessels and not to fishers These newly calculated quotas were distributed free of charge to larger vessels on the basis of the amount of the catch in previous years resulting in small vessels in Sami districts falling outside the new quota system to a large degree 50 56 Mountain Sami As the Sea Sami settled along Norway s fjords and inland waterways pursuing a combination of farming cattle raising trapping and fishing the minority Mountain Sami continued to hunt wild reindeer Around 1500 they started to tame these animals into herding groups becoming the well known reindeer nomads often portrayed by outsiders as following the traditional Sami lifestyle The Mountain Sami had to pay taxes to three states Norway Sweden and Russia as they crossed each border while following the annual reindeer migrations this caused much resentment over the years 57 Between 1635 and 1659 the Swedish crown forced Swedish conscripts and Sami cart drivers to work in the Nasa silver mine causing many Samis to emigrate from the area to avoid forced labour As a result the population of Pite and Lule speaking Sami decreased greatly 57 Post 1800s This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed August 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message nbsp Sami family in 1936For long periods of time the Sami lifestyle thrived because of its adaptation to the Arctic environment Indeed throughout the 18th century as Norwegians of Northern Norway suffered from low fish prices and consequent depopulation the Sami cultural element was strengthened since the Sami were mostly independent of supplies from Southern Norway During the 19th century the pressure of Christianization of the Sami increased with some Sami adopting Laestadianism With the introduction of seven compulsory years of school in 1889 the Sami language and traditional way of life came increasingly under pressure from forced cultural normalization Strong economic development of the north also ensued giving Norwegian culture and language higher status citation needed On the Swedish and Finnish sides the authorities were less militant although the Sami language was forbidden in schools and strong economic development in the north led to weakened cultural and economic status for the Sami From 1913 to 1920 the Swedish race segregation political movement created a race based biological institute that collected research material from living people and graves Throughout history Swedish settlers were encouraged to move to the northern regions through incentives such as land and water rights tax allowances and military exemptions 58 The strongest pressure took place from around 1900 to 1940 when Norway invested considerable money and effort to assimilate Sami culture Anyone who wanted to buy or lease state lands for agriculture in Finnmark had to prove knowledge of the Norwegian language and had to register with a Norwegian name This partly caused the dislocation of Sami people in the 1920s which increased the gap between local Sami groups something still present today that sometimes has the character of an internal Sami ethnic conflict Another example of forced displacement occurred between 1919 and 1920 in Norway and Sweden 59 This has been the topic of a recent work of journalism by Sami author Elin Anna Labba translated into English in 2023 under the title The Rocks Will Echo Our Sorrow The Forced Displacement of the Northern Sami In 1913 the Norwegian parliament passed a bill on native act land to allocate the best and most useful lands to Norwegian settlers Another factor was the scorched earth policy conducted by the German army resulting in heavy war destruction in northern Finland and northern Norway in 1944 45 destroying all existing houses or kota and visible traces of Sami culture After World War II the pressure was relaxed though the legacy was evident into recent times such as the 1970s law limiting the size of any house Sami people were allowed to build citation needed The controversy over the construction of the hydro electric power station in Alta in 1979 brought Sami rights onto the political agenda In August 1986 the national anthem Sami soga lavlla and flag Sami flag of the Sami people were created In 1989 the first Sami parliament in Norway was elected In 2005 the Finnmark Act was passed in the Norwegian parliament giving the Sami parliament and the Finnmark Provincial council a joint responsibility of administering the land areas previously considered state property These areas 96 of the provincial area which have always been used primarily by the Sami now belong officially to the people of the province whether Sami or Norwegian and not to the Norwegian state Contemporary issues The indigenous Sami population is a mostly urbanised demographic but a substantial number live in villages in the high Arctic The Sami are still coping with the cultural consequences of language and culture loss caused by generations of Sami children being taken to missionary and or state run boarding schools and the legacy of laws that were created to deny the Sami rights e g to their beliefs language land and to the practice of traditional livelihoods The Sami are experiencing cultural and environmental threats including oil exploration mining dam building logging climate change military bombing ranges tourism and commercial development 60 nbsp VindelfjallenNatural resource extraction Sapmi is rich in precious metals oil and natural gas 61 Mining activities and prospecting to extract these resources from the region often interfere with reindeer grazing and calving areas and other aspects of traditional Sami life Some active mining locations include ancient Sami spaces that are designated as ecologically protected areas such as the Vindelfjallen Nature Reserve 62 The Sami Parliament has opposed and rejected mining projects in the Finnmark area and demanded that resources and mineral exploration benefit local Sami communities and populations as the proposed mines are in Sami lands and will affect their ability to maintain their traditional livelihood 63 In Kallak Sami Gallok a group of indigenous and non indigenous activists protested against the UK based mining company Beowulf which operated a drilling program in lands used for grazing reindeer during the winter 64 There is often local opposition to new mining projects where environmental impacts are perceived to be very large as very few plans for mine reclamation have been made In Sweden taxes on minerals are intentionally low in an effort to increase mineral exploration for economic benefit though this policy is at the expense of Sami populations ILO Convention No 169 would grant rights to the Sami people to their land and give them power in matters that affect their future 65 In Russia s Kola Peninsula vast areas have already been destroyed by mining and smelting activities and further development is imminent This includes oil and natural gas exploration in the Barents Sea Oil spills affect fishing and the construction of roads There is a gas pipeline that stretches across the Kola Peninsula and power lines cut off access to reindeer calving grounds and sacred sites 66 failed verification In northern Finland there has been a longstanding dispute over the destruction of forests which prevents reindeer from migrating between seasonal feeding grounds and destroys supplies of lichen that grow on the upper branches of older trees This lichen is the reindeer s only source of sustenance during the winter months when snow is deep The logging has been under the control of the state run forest system 67 Greenpeace reindeer herders and Sami organisations carried out a historic joint campaign and in 2010 Sami reindeer herders won some time as a result of these court cases Industrial logging has now been pushed back from the most important forest areas either permanently or for the next 20 years though there are still threats such as mining and construction plans of holiday resorts on the protected shorelines of Lake Inari 68 Land rights nbsp Suorvajaure near PiteaThe Swedish government has allowed the world s largest onshore wind farm to be built in Pitea in the Arctic region where the Eastern Kikkejaure village has its winter reindeer pastures The wind farm will consist of more than 1 000 wind turbines and an extensive road infrastructure which means that the feasibility of using the area for winter grazing in practice is impossible Sweden has received strong international criticism including by the UN Racial Discrimination Committee and the Human Rights Committee that Sweden violates Sami landrattigheter land rights including by not regulating industry In Norway some Sami politicians for example Aili Keskitalo suggest giving the Sami Parliament a special veto right on planned mining projects 69 Government authorities and NATO have built bombing practice ranges in Sami areas in northern Norway and Sweden These regions have served as reindeer calving and summer grounds for thousands of years and contain many ancient Sami sacred sites 70 71 Water rights State regulation of sea fisheries underwent drastic change in the late 1980s The regulation linked quotas to vessels and not to fishers These newly calculated quotas were distributed free of cost to larger vessels on the basis of the amount of the catch in previous years resulting in small vessels in Sami districts falling outside the new quota system to a large degree The Sami recently stopped a water prospecting venture that threatened to turn an ancient sacred site and natural spring called Suttesaja into a large scale water bottling plant for the world market without notification or consultation with the local Sami people who make up 70 percent of the population The Finnish National Board of Antiquities has registered the area as a heritage site of cultural and historical significance and the stream itself is part of the Deatnu Tana watershed which is home to Europe s largest salmon river an important source of Sami livelihood 72 In Norway government plans for the construction of a hydroelectric power plant in the Alta river in Finnmark in northern Norway led to a political controversy and the rallying of the Sami popular movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s As a result the opposition in the Alta controversy brought attention to not only environmental issues but also the issue of Sami rights Climate change and the environment nbsp Sami man from NorwayReindeer have major cultural and economic significance for indigenous peoples of the North The human ecological systems in the North like reindeer pastoralism are sensitive to change perhaps more than in virtually any other region of the globe due in part to the variability of the Arctic climate and ecosystem and the characteristic ways of life of indigenous Arctic peoples 73 The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster caused nuclear fallout in the sensitive Arctic ecosystems and poisoned fish meat 74 and berries Lichens and mosses are two of the main forms of vegetation in the Arctic and are highly susceptible to airborne pollutants and heavy metals Since many do not have roots they absorb nutrients and toxic compounds through their leaves The lichens accumulated airborne radiation and 73 000 reindeer had to be killed as unfit for human consumption in Sweden alone The government promised Sami indemnification which was not acted upon by government Radioactive wastes and spent nuclear fuel have been stored in the waters off the Kola Peninsula including locations that are only two kilometers from places where Sami live There are a minimum of five dumps where spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive waste are being deposited in the Kola Peninsula often with little concern for the surrounding environment or population 75 Tourism The tourism industry in Finland has been criticized for turning Sami culture into a marketing tool by promoting opportunities to experience authentic Sami ceremonies and lifestyle At many tourist locales non Sami dress in inaccurate replicas of Sami traditional clothing and gift shops sell crude reproductions of Sami handicraft One popular ceremony crossing the Arctic Circle actually has no significance in Sami spirituality To some Sami this is an insulting display of cultural exploitation 76 Discrimination against the SamiThe Sami have for centuries even today been the subject of discrimination and abuse by the dominant cultures in the nations they have historically inhabited 77 They have never been a single community in a single region of Sapmi which until recently was considered only a cultural region 78 Norway has been criticized internationally for the politics of Norwegianization of and discrimination against the Sami 79 On 8 April 2011 recommendations from the UN Racial Discrimination Committee were delivered to Norway addressing many issues related to the legacy of Norwegianization policies including the need for more Sami language education interpreters and cultural support One committee recommendation was that discrimination against someone based upon their language be added to Article 1 of the Norwegian Discrimination and Accessibility Act 80 A new present status report was to have been ready by the end of 2012 81 In 2018 The Storting commissioned The Truth and Reconciliation Commission to lay the foundation for recognition of the experiences of the Sami subject to Norwegianization and the subsequent consequences Sweden has faced similar criticism for its Swedification policies which began in the 1800s and lasted until the 1970s 82 In 2020 Sweden funded the establishment of an independent truth commission to examine and document past abuse of Sami by the Swedish state 83 In 2021 the Church of Sweden made a formal apology to Sweden s Sami population for its role in forced conversions and Swedification efforts outlining a multiyear reconciliation plan 84 In Finland where Sami children like all Finnish children are entitled to day care and language instruction in their own language the Finnish government has denied funding for these rights in most of the country including in Rovaniemi the largest municipality in Finnish Lapland Sami activists have pushed for nationwide application of these basic rights 85 obsolete source The city of Rovaniemi offers day care and preschool education in the Sami language and then as basic education first as supplementary native language education starting from the first grade and as a voluntary subject on its own starting from the fourth grade 86 87 As in the other countries claiming sovereignty over Sami lands Sami activists efforts in Finland in the 20th century achieved limited government recognition of the Samis rights as a recognized minority but the Finnish government has maintained its legally enforced premise that the Sami must prove their land ownership an idea incompatible with and antithetical to the traditional reindeer herding Sami way of life This has effectively allowed the Finnish government to take without compensation motivated by economic gain land occupied by the Sami for centuries 88 Non Sami Finns began to move to Lapland in the 1550s 89 Official Sami policiesNorway nbsp Sami Parliament of NorwayThe Sami have been recognized as an indigenous people in Norway 1990 according to ILO convention 169 as described below and therefore according to international law the Sami people in Norway are entitled special protection and rights The legal foundation of the Sami policy is 90 Article 110a of the Norwegian Constitution The Sami Act 12 June 1987 No 56 91 The constitutional amendment states It is the responsibility of the authorities of the State to create conditions enabling the Sami people to preserve and develop its language culture and way of life This provides a legal and political protection of the Sami language culture and society In addition the amendment implies a legal political and moral obligation for Norwegian authorities to create an environment conducive to the Samis themselves influencing on the development of the Sami community 91 The Sami Act provides special rights for the Sami people 91 the Samis shall have their own national Sami Parliament elected by and amongst the Samis Chapter 1 2 The Sami people shall decide the area of activity of the Norwegian Sami Parliament The Sami and Norwegian languages have equal standing in Norway section 15 Chapter 3 contains details with regards to the use of the Sami language nbsp Mountain landscape in Kvalsund near HammerfestThe Norwegian Sami Parliament also elects 50 of the members to the board of the Finnmark Estate which controls 95 of the land in the county of Finnmark In addition the Sami have special rights to reindeer husbandry In 2007 the Norwegian Parliament passed the new Reindeer Herding Act acknowledging siida as the basic institution regarding land rights organization and daily herding management 60 Norway has also accepted international conventions declarations and agreements applicable to the Sami as a minority and indigenous people including 92 The International Covenant on Civil and Political Right 1966 Article 27 protects minorities and indigenous peoples against discrimination In those states in which ethnic religious or linguistic minorities exist persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right in community with the other members of their group to enjoy their own culture to profess and practice their own religion or use their own language ILO Convention No 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries 1989 The convention states that rights for the indigenous peoples to land and natural resources are recognized as central for their material and cultural survival In addition indigenous peoples should be entitled to exercise control over and manage their own institutions ways of life and economic development in order to maintain and develop their identities languages and religions within the framework of the states in which they live The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 1965 The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 1979 The Council of Europe s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities 1995 The Council of Europe s Charter for Regional and Minority Languages 1992 The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007 93 Sweden nbsp Sami Parliament in SwedenSweden recognised the existence of the Sami nation in 1989 but the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention C169 has not been adopted The Sametingslag was established as the Swedish Sami Parliament on 1 January 1993 In 1998 Sweden formally apologized for the wrongs committed against the Sami Sami is one of five national minority languages recognized by Swedish law 94 The Compulsory School Ordinance states that Sami pupils are entitled to be taught in their native language however a municipality is only obliged to arrange mother tongue teaching in Sami if a suitable teacher is available and the pupil has a basic knowledge of Sami 95 In 2010 after 15 years of negotiation Laponiatjuottjudus an association with Sami majority control will govern the UNESCO World Heritage Site Laponia The reindeer herding law will apply in the area as well 96 Finland nbsp Land near YllasThe act establishing the Finnish Sami Parliament Finnish Saamelaiskarajat was passed on 9 November 1973 Sami people have had very little representation in Finnish national politics In fact in 2007 Janne Seurujarvi a Finnish Centre Party representative became the first Sami ever to be elected to the Finnish Parliament 97 nbsp Finnish Lapland The three northernmost municipalities Utsjoki Inari and Enontekio and part of Sodankyla are officially considered the Sami area Finland ratified the 1966 U N Covenant on Civil and Political Rights though several cases have been brought before the U N Human Rights Committee Of those 36 cases involved a determination of the rights of individual Sami in Finland and Sweden The committee decisions clarify that Sami are members of a minority within the meaning of Article 27 and that deprivation or erosion of their rights to practice traditional activities that are an essential element of their culture do come within the scope of Article 27 98 Finland recognized the Sami as a people in 1995 but has yet to ratify ILO Convention 169 Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Sami in Finland have had access to Sami language instruction in some schools since the 1970s and language rights were established in 1992 There are three Sami languages spoken in Finland North Sami Skolt Sami and Inari Sami Of these languages Inari Sami which is spoken by about 350 speakers is the only one that is used entirely within the borders of Finland mainly in the municipality of Inari The case of J Lansman versus Finland concerned a challenge by Sami reindeer herders in northern Finland to the Finnish Central Forestry Board s plans to approve logging and construction of roads in an area used by the herdsmen as winter pasture and spring calving grounds 99 Finland has denied any aboriginal rights or land rights to the Sami people 100 in Finland non Sami can herd reindeer Russia nbsp Kildin Sami Map green SAAMI is Sami in Cyrillic nbsp National Culture Centre in LovozeroThe 1822 Statute of Administration of Non Russians in Siberia asserted state ownership over all the land in Siberia and then granted possessory rights to the natives 99 101 Governance of indigenous groups and especially collection of taxes from them necessitated protection of indigenous peoples against exploitation by traders and settlers 99 During the Soviet era the inhabitants of the Kola tundra were forcibly relocated to kolkhoz es collective communities by the state 102 most Sami were settled at Lujavri Lovozero The 1993 Constitution Article 69 states The Russian Federation guarantees the rights of small indigenous peoples in accordance with the generally accepted principles and standards of international law and international treaties of the Russian Federation 99 103 For the first time in Russia the rights of indigenous minorities were established in the 1993 Constitution 99 The Russian Federation ratified the 1966 U N Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Section 2 explicitly forbids depriving a people of its own means of subsistence The Russian Duma parliament has adopted partial measures to implement it 99 The Russian Federation lists distinct indigenous peoples as having special rights and protections under the Constitution and federal laws and decrees 99 104 These rights are linked to the category known since Soviet times as the malochislennye narody small numbered peoples a term that is often translated as indigenous minorities which include Arctic peoples such as the Sami Nenets Evenki and Chukchi 99 In April 1999 the Russian Duma passed a law that guarantees socio economic and cultural development to all indigenous minorities protecting traditional living places and acknowledging some form of limited ownership of territories that have traditionally been used for hunting herding fishing and gathering activities The law however does not anticipate the transfer of title in fee simply to indigenous minorities The law does not recognize development rights some proprietary rights including compensation for damage to the property and limited exclusionary rights It is not clear however whether protection of nature in the traditional places of inhabitation implies a right to exclude conflicting uses that are destructive to nature or whether they have the right to veto development 99 nbsp Khibiny massif Kola PeninsulaThe Russian Federation s Land Code reinforces the rights of numerically small peoples indigenous minorities to use places they inhabit and to continue traditional economic activities without being charged rent 99 104 Such lands cannot be allocated for unrelated activities which might include oil gas and mineral development or tourism without the consent of the indigenous peoples Furthermore indigenous minorities and ethnic groups are allowed to use environmentally protected lands and lands set aside as nature preserves to engage in their traditional modes of land use 99 Regional law Code of the Murmansk Oblast calls on the organs of state power of the oblast to facilitate the native peoples of the Kola North specifically naming the Sami in realization of their rights for preservation and development of their native language national culture traditions and customs The third section of Article 21 states In historically established areas of habitation Sami enjoy the rights for traditional use of nature and traditional activities 99 Throughout the Russian North indigenous and local people have difficulties with exercising control over resources upon which they and their ancestors have depended for centuries The failure to protect indigenous ways however stems not from inadequacy of the written law but rather from the failure to implement existing laws Violations of the rights of indigenous peoples continue and oil gas and mineral development and other activities mining timber cutting commercial fishing and tourism that bring foreign currency into the Russian economy 99 The life ways and economy of indigenous peoples of the Russian North are based upon reindeer herding fishing terrestrial and sea mammal hunting and trapping Many groups in the Russian Arctic are semi nomadic moving seasonally to different hunting and fishing camps These groups depend upon different types of environment at differing times of the year rather than upon exploiting a single commodity to exhaustion 99 105 Throughout northwestern Siberia oil and gas development has disturbed pastureland and undermined the ability of indigenous peoples to continue hunting fishing trapping and herding activities Roads constructed in connection with oil and gas exploration and development destroy and degrade pastureland 106 ancestral burial grounds and sacred sites and increase hunting by oil workers on the territory used by indigenous peoples 107 nbsp Krasnoshchelye village on the Ponoi RiverIn the Sami homeland on the Kola Peninsula in northwestern Russia regional authorities closed a fifty mile eighty kilometer stretch of the Ponoi River and other rivers to local fishing and granted exclusive fishing rights to a commercial company offering catch and release fishing to sport fishers largely from abroad 108 This deprived the local Sami see Article 21 of the Code of the Murmansk Oblast of food for their families and community and of their traditional economic livelihood Thus closing the fishery to locals may have violated the test articulated by the U N Human Rights Committee and disregarded the Land Code other legislative acts and the 1992 Presidential decree Sami are not only forbidden to fish in the eighty kilometer stretch leased to the Ponoi River Company but are also required by regional laws to pay for licenses to catch a limited number of fish outside the lease area Residents of remote communities have neither the power nor the resources to demand enforcement of their rights Here and elsewhere in the circumpolar north the failure to apply laws for the protection of indigenous peoples leads to criminalization of local indigenous populations who cannot survive without poaching resources that should be accessible to them legally 99 Although indigenous leaders in Russia have occasionally asserted indigenous rights to land and resources to date there has been no serious or sustained discussion of indigenous group rights to ownership of land 99 Russia has not adopted the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention C169 Nordic Sami Convention On 16 November 2005 in Helsinki a group of experts led by former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Norway Professor Carsten Smith submitted a proposal for a Nordic Sami Convention to the annual joint meeting of the ministers responsible for Sami affairs in Finland Norway and Sweden and the presidents of the three Sami Parliaments from the respective countries This convention recognizes the Sami as one indigenous people residing across national borders in all three countries A set of minimum standards is proposed for the rights of developing the Sami language and culture and rights to land and water livelihoods and society 109 The convention has not yet been ratified in the Nordic countries 110 CultureTo make up for past suppression the authorities of Norway Sweden and Finland now make an effort to build up Sami cultural institutions and promote Sami culture and language Duodji craft Main article Duodji nbsp Sami knives nbsp Beaded belt knife and antler needlecase nbsp Sami woman from SwedenDuodji the Sami handicraft originates from the time when the Samis were self supporting nomads believing therefore that an object should first and foremost serve a purpose rather than being primarily decorative Men mostly use wood bone and antlers to make items such as antler handled scrimshawed Sami knives drums and guksi burl cups Women used leather and roots to make items such as gakti clothing and birch and spruce root woven baskets Clothing Main article Gakti See also Four Winds hat Beaska Luhkka and Nutukas nbsp Sami hatsGakti are the traditional clothing worn by the Sami people The gakti is worn both in ceremonial contexts and while working particularly when herding reindeer Traditionally the gakti was made from reindeer leather and sinews but nowadays it is more common to use wool cotton or silk Women s gakti typically consist of a dress a fringed shawl that is fastened with 1 3 silver brooches and boots shoes made of reindeer fur or leather Sami boots or nutukas can have pointed or curled toes and often have band woven ankle wraps Eastern Sami boots have a rounded toe on reindeer fur boots lined with felt and with beaded details There are different gakti for women and men men s gakti have a shorter jacket skirt than a women s long dress Traditional gakti are most commonly in variations of red blue green white medium brown tanned leather or reindeer fur In winter there is the addition of a reindeer fur coat and leggings and sometimes a poncho luhkka and rope lasso The colours patterns and the jewellery of the gakti indicate where a person is from if a person is single or married and sometimes can even be specific to their family The collar sleeves and hem usually have appliques in the form of geometric shapes Some regions have ribbonwork others have tin embroidery and some Eastern Sami have beading on clothing or collar Hats vary by sex season and region They can be wool leather or fur They can be embroidered or in the East they are more like a beaded cloth crown with a shawl Some traditional shamanic headgear had animal hides plaits and feathers particularly in East Sapmi The gakti can be worn with a belt these are sometimes band woven belts woven or beaded Leather belts can have scrimshawed antler buttons silver concho like buttons tassels or brass copper details such as rings Belts can also have beaded leather pouches antler needle cases accessories for a fire copper rings amulets and often a carved and or scrimshawed antler handled knife Some Eastern Sami also have a hooded jumper malic from reindeer skins with wool inside and above the knee boots Media and literature Main article Sami media nbsp Johan Turi s illustration of reindeer herding from his 1910 book Muitalus samiid birra An Account of the Sami the first book published in a Sami languageThere are short daily news bulletins in Northern Sami on national TV in Norway Sweden and Finland Children s television shows in Sami are also frequently made There is also a radio station for Northern Sami which has some news programs in the other Sami languages A single daily newspaper is published in Northern Sami Avvir 111 along with a few magazines There is a Sami theatre Beaivvas in Kautokeino on the Norwegian side as well as in Kiruna on the Swedish side Both tour the entire Sami area with drama written by Sami authors or international translations A number of novels and poetry collections are published every year in Northern Sami and sometimes in the other Sami languages as well The largest Sami publishing house is Davvi Girji The first secular book published in a Sami language was Johan Turi s Muitalus samiid birra An Account of the Sami released in 1910 with text in Northern Sami and Danish 112 In 2023 Sami author Ann Helen Laestadius wrote Stolen a novel of the Sami in Sweden 113 Music Main article Sami music nbsp Sara Marielle Gaup at Riddu RiđđuA characteristic feature of Sami musical tradition is the singing of joik Joiks are song chants and are traditionally sung a cappella usually sung slowly and deep in the throat with apparent emotional content of sorrow or anger Joiks can be dedicated to animals and birds in nature special people or special occasions and they can be joyous sad or melancholic They often are based on syllablic improvisation In recent years musical instruments frequently accompany joiks The only traditional Sami instruments that were sometimes used to accompany joik are the fadno flute made from reed like Angelica archangelica stems and hand drums frame drums and bowl drums Education Education with Sami as the first language is available in all four countries and also outside the Sami area Sami University College is located in Kautokeino Sami language is studied in several universities in all countries most notably the University of Tromso which considers Sami a mother tongue not a foreign language Festivals Numerous Sami festivals throughout the Sapmi area celebrate different aspects of the Sami culture The best known on the Norwegian side is Riddu Riđđu though there are others such as Ijahis Idja fi in Inari Among the most festive are the Easter festivals taking place in Kautokeino and Karasjok before the springtime reindeer migration to the coast These festivals combine traditional culture with modern phenomena such as snowmobile races They celebrated the new year known as Ođđajagemannu 114 Shamanic culture is celebrated at the Isogaisa Festival in Tennevoll Norway 115 Visual arts In addition to Duodji Sami handicraft there is a developing area of contemporary Sami visual art Galleries such as Sami Daiddaguovddas Sami Center for Contemporary Art 116 are being established Dance Unlike many other Indigenous peoples traditional dance is generally not a visible manifestation of Sami identity This has led to a common misconception that Sami at least in western Sapmi have no traditional dance culture 117 The Sami modern dance company Kompani Nomad looked to old descriptions of shamanistic rituals and behaviors to identify lost Sami dances and reimagine them through contemporary dance 118 119 An example is the lihkadus ecstasy dance described in sources from the 16th and 17th centuries but which was adapted by Swedish Sami priest Lars Levi Laestadius who brought it and other Sami traditions into the Church of Sweden as part of the Laestadianism movement 120 Partner and group dancing have been a part of Skolt Sami culture and among Sami on the Kola Peninsula since at least the second half of the 1800s 121 These square dances couple dances circle dances and singing games are influenced by Karelian and Northern Russian dance cultures likely under the influence of Russian traders military service under the tsar and the Russian Orthodox Church 117 This eastern Sapmi dance tradition has been more continuous and has been adapted by modern Sami dance companies such as Johtti Kompani 122 Reindeer husbandry Main article Reindeer herding nbsp Reindeer herding nbsp Building in Ljungris owned by the Sami community and used especially for reindeer calf marking in the summerReindeer husbandry has been and still is an important aspect of Sami culture Traditionally the Sami lived and worked in reindeer herding groups called siidat which consist of several families and their herds Members of the siida helped each other with the management and husbandry of the herds 123 During the years of forced assimilation the areas in which reindeer herding was an important livelihood were among the few where the Sami culture and language survived Today in Norway and Sweden reindeer husbandry is legally protected as an exclusive Sami livelihood such that only persons of Sami descent with a linkage to a reindeer herding family can own and hence make a living off reindeer Presently about 2 800 people are engaged in reindeer herding in Norway 10 In Finland reindeer husbandry is not exclusive and is also practiced to a limited degree by ethnic Finns Legally it is restricted to EU EEA nationals resident in the area In the north Lapland it plays a major role in the local economy while its economic impact is lesser in the southern parts of the area Province of Oulu Among the reindeer herders in Sami villages the women usually have a higher level of formal education in the area 124 Games The Sami have traditionally played both card games and board games but few Sami games have survived because Christian missionaries and Laestadianists considered such games sinful 125 Only the rules of three Sami board games have been preserved into modern times Sahkku is a running fight board game where each player controls a set of soldiers referred to as women and men that race across a board in a loop attempting to eliminate the other player s soldiers The game is related to South Scandinavian daldos Arabian tab and Indian tablan 126 Sahkku differs from these games in several respects most notably the addition of a piece the king that changes gameplay radically Tablut is a pure strategy game in the tafl family The game features Swedes and a Swedish king whose goal is to escape and an army of Muscovites whose goal is to capture the king Tablut is the only tafl game where a relatively intact set of rules have survived into our time Hence all modern versions of tafl commonly called Hnefatafl and marketed exclusively as Norse or Viking games are based on the Sami game of tablut 127 Dablot Prejjesne is a game related to alquerque which differs from most such games e g draughts by having pieces of three different ranks The game s two sides are referred to as Sami king prince warriors and Finlenders landowners landowner s son farmers 128 Cultural regionMain article Sapmi Sapmi is located in Northern Europe includes the northern parts of Fennoscandia and spans four countries Norway Sweden Finland and Russia Non Sami and many regional maps have often called this same region Lapland as there is considerable regional overlap between Sapmi and the provinces of Lappland in Sweden and Lapland in Finland Much of Sapmi falls outside of those provinces Despite the terms use in tourism Lapland can be either misleading or offensive or both to Sami depending on the context and where this word is used 8 Among the Sami people Sapmi is strictly used and acceptable Extent nbsp Sami people in Harjedalen 1790 1800 far south in the Sapmi area nbsp Laponian area in Sapmi UNESCO World Heritage SiteThere is no official geographic definition for the boundaries of Sapmi However the following counties and provinces are usually included Finnmark county in Norway Jamtland county in Sweden Lapland region in Finland Murmansk oblast in Russia Nord Trondelag county in Norway Nordland county in Norway Norrbotten county in Sweden Troms county in Norway Vasterbotten county in SwedenThe municipalities of Gallivare Jokkmokk and Arjeplog in Swedish Lappland were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 as a Laponian Area The Sami Domicile Area in Finland consists of the municipalities of Enontekio Utsjoki and Inari as well as a part of the municipality of Sodankyla 129 About 3 000 of Finland s about 10 000 people speak Sami as their mother tongue 130 Today a considerable part of the Finnish Sami live outside the Sapmi region for example in Helsinki there is a relatively large and active Sami minority 131 According to the Sami Parliament the Sami live in 230 municipalities out of a total of 336 municipalities in Finland 132 75 of Sami under the age of 10 live outside the Sapmi region 133 Important Sami towns nbsp Kanevka Ponoy River Russia s Lovozersky DistrictThe following towns and villages have a significant Sami population or host Sami institutions Norwegian Swedish Finnish or Russian name in parentheses Aanaar Anar or Aanar Inari is the location of the Finnish Sami Parliament Sajos Sami Cultural Centre SAKK Saamelaisalueen koulutuskeskus fi Sami Education Institute Anaraskiela servi Inari Sami Language Association and the Inari Sami Siida Museum Aarborte Hattfjelldal is a southern Sami center with a Southern Sami language school and a Sami culture center Arjepluovve Arjeplog is the Pite Saami center in Sweden Deatnu Tana has a significant Sami population Divtasvuodna Tysfjord is a center for the Lule Sami population The Arran Lule Sami center is located here Gaivuotna Kafjord Troms is an important center for the Sea Sami culture Each summer the Riddu Riđđu festival is held in Gaivuotna The municipality has a Sami language center and hosts the Aja Sami Center The opposition against Sami language and culture revitalization in Gaivuotna was infamous in the late 1990s and included Sami language road signs being shot to pieces repeatedly 134 Giron Kiruna proposed seat of the Swedish Sami Parliament Guovdageaidnu Kautokeino is perhaps the cultural capital of the Sami About 90 of the population speaks Sami Several Sami institutions are located in Kautokeino including Beaivvas Sami Theatre a Sami secondary school and reindeer herding School the Sami University College the Nordic Sami Research Institute the Sami Language Board the Resource Centre for the Rights of Indigenous People and the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry In addition several Sami media are located in Kautokeino including the Sami language Assu newspaper and the DAT Sami publishing house and record company Kautokeino also hosts the which includes the Sami Grand Prix 2010 Sami Musicfestival and the Reindeer Racing World Cup The Kautokeino rebellion in 1852 is one of the few Sami rebellions against the Norwegian government s oppression against the Sami Ianudah or Eanodat Enontekio Jiellevarri or Vahcir Gallivare nbsp Ajtte Museum of the Sami people Jokkmokk nbsp Log cabin in UtsjokiJahkamahkke Jokkmokk holds a Sami market on the first weekend of every February and has a Sami school for language and traditional knowledge called Samij Ahpadusguovdasj Karasjohka Karasjok is the seat of the Norwegian Sami Parliament Other important Sami institutions are located in Karasjohka including NRK Sami Radio the Sami Collections museum the Sami Art Centre the Sami Specialist Library the Mid Finnmark legal office a child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic one of few on a national level approved for providing full specialist training Other significant institutions include a Sami Specialist Medical Centre and the Sami Health Research Institute 135 In addition the Sapmi cultural park is in the township and the Sami language Min Aigi newspaper is published here Leavdnja Lakselv in Porsaŋgu Porsanger municipality is the location of the Finnmark Estate and the Sagat Sami newspaper The Finnmarkseiendommen organization owns and manages about 95 of the land in Finnmark and 50 of its board members are elected by the Norwegian Sami Parliament Luya vvr Lovozero Staare Ostersund is the center for the Southern Sami people living in Sweden It is the site for Gaaltije centre for South Sami culture a living source of knowledge for South Sami culture history and business Staare also hosts the Sami Information Centre and one of the offices to the Sami Parliament in Sweden Njauddam is the center for the Skolt Sami of Norway which have their own museum Aʹvv in the town Ohcejohka Utsjoki Snaase Snasa is a center for the Southern Sami language and the only municipality in Norway where Southern Sami is an official language The Saemien Sijte Southern Sami museum is located in Snaase Unjarga Nesseby is an important center for the Sea Sami culture It is also the site for the Varjjat Sami Museum and the Norwegian Sami Parliament s department of culture and environment The first Sami to be elected into the Norwegian Parliament Isak Saba was born there Arviesjavrrie Arvidsjaur New settlers from the south of Sweden did not arrive until the second half of the 18th century Because of that Sami tradition and culture has been well preserved Sami people living in the south of Norrbotten Sweden use the city for Reindeer herding during the summer During winter they move the Reindeers to the coast to Pitea Demographics nbsp Sami child 1923 nbsp Sami family at spring celebrationIn the geographical area of Sapmi the Sami are a small population According to some the estimated total Sami population is about 70 000 b One problem when attempting to count the population of the Sami is that there are few common criteria of what being a Sami constitutes In addition there are several Sami languages and additional dialects and there are several areas in Sapmi where few of the Sami speak their native language due to the forced cultural assimilation but still consider themselves Sami Other identity markers are kinship which can be said to at some level or other be of high importance for all Sami the geographical region of Sapmi where their family came from and or protecting or preserving certain aspects of Sami culture 136 All the Nordic Sami Parliaments have included as the core criterion for registering as a Sami the identity in itself one must declare that one truly considers oneself a Sami Objective criteria vary but are generally related to kinship and or language Still due to the cultural assimilation of the Sami people that had occurred in the four countries over the centuries population estimates are difficult to measure precisely 137 The population has been estimated to be between 80 000 and 135 000 138 139 across the whole Nordic region including urban areas such as Oslo Norway traditionally considered outside Sapmi The Norwegian state recognizes any Norwegian as Sami if he or she has one great grandparent whose home language was Sami but there is not and has never been any registration of the home language spoken by Norwegian people Roughly half of all Sami live in Norway but many live in Sweden with smaller groups living in the far north of Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia The Sami in Russia were forced by the Soviet authorities to relocate to a collective called Lovozero Lujavri in the central part of the Kola Peninsula Language Main article Sami languages nbsp E W Borg alphabet book published in 1859 in Finnish Inari SamiThere is no single Sami language but a group of ten distinct Sami languages Six of these languages have their own written standards The Sami languages are relatively closely related but not mutually intelligible for instance speakers of Southern Sami cannot understand Northern Sami Especially earlier these distinct languages were referred to as dialects but today this is considered misleading due to the deep differences between the varieties Most Sami languages are spoken in several countries because linguistic borders do not correspond to national borders All Sami languages are at some degree of endangerment ranging from what UNESCO defines as definitely endangered to extinct 140 This is due in part to historic laws prohibiting the use of Sami languages in schools and at home in Sweden and Norway Sami languages and Sami song chants called joiks were illegal in Norway from 1773 until 1958 Then access to Sami instruction as part of schooling was not available until 1988 Special residential schools that would assimilate the Sami into the dominant culture were established These were originally run by missionaries but later controlled by the government For example in Russia Sami children were taken away when aged 1 2 and returned when aged 15 17 with no knowledge of their language and traditional communities Not all Sami viewed the schools negatively and not all of the schools were brutal However being taken from home and prohibited from speaking Sami has resulted in cultural alienation loss of language and lowered self esteem 141 The Sami languages belong to the Uralic language family linguistically related to Finnish Estonian and Hungarian Due to prolonged contact and import of items foreign to Sami culture from neighboring Scandinavians there are a number of Germanic loanwords in Sami particularly for urban objects The majority of the Sami now speak the majority languages of the countries they live in i e Swedish Russian Finnish and Norwegian Efforts are being made to further the use of Sami languages among Sami and persons of Sami origin Despite these changes the legacy of cultural repression still exists Many older Sami still refuse to speak Sami In addition Sami parents still feel alienated from schools and hence do not participate as much as they could in shaping school curricula and policy 142 In Norway the name of the language is samisk and the name of the people is Same in Finland the name of the language is spelled saame and the name of the people saamelainen American scientist Michael E Krauss published in 1997 an estimate of Sami population and their languages 143 144 Group Population Language group Language Speakers 1997 143 Speakers 2010 140 Status 140 Most important territory Other traditional territoriesNorthern Sami 42 500 Western Sami languages Northern Sami language 21 700 51 30 000 definitely endangered Norway Sweden FinlandLule Sami 8 000 Western Sami languages Lule Sami language 2 300 29 650 145 severely endangered Sweden NorwayPite Sami 2 000 Western Sami languages Pite Sami language 60 3 20 critically endangered Sweden NorwaySouthern Sami 1 200 Western Sami languages Southern Sami language 600 50 500 severely endangered Sweden NorwayUme Sami 1 000 Western Sami languages Ume Sami language 50 5 20 critically endangered Sweden NorwaySkolt Sami 1 000 Eastern Sami languages Skolt Sami language 430 43 300 severely endangered Finland Russia NorwayKildin Sami 1 000 Eastern Sami languages Kildin Sami language 650 65 787 severely endangered RussiaInari Sami 900 Eastern Sami languages Inari Sami language 300 33 400 severely endangered FinlandTer Sami 400 Eastern Sami languages Ter Sami language 8 2 2 critically endangered RussiaAkkala Sami 100 Eastern Sami languages Akkala Sami language 7 7 0 extinct Russia nbsp Geographic distribution of the Sami languages Southern SamiUme SamiPite SamiLule SamiNorthern SamiSkolt SamiInari SamiKildin SamiTer Sami Darkened area represents municipalities that recognize Sami as an official language nbsp This map shows the geographic distribution of Sami languages and offers some additional information such as number of native Sami speakers and locations of the Sami parliaments 146 Kemi Sami language became extinct in the 19th century Many Sami do not speak any of the Sami languages any more due to historical assimilation policies so the number of Sami living in each area is much higher 147 Division by geography Sapmi is traditionally divided into Eastern Sapmi Inari Skolt Akkala Kildin and Teri Sami in Kola peninsula Russia and Inari Finland formerly also in eastern Norway Northern Sapmi Northern Lule and Pite Sami in most of northern parts of Norway Sweden and Finland Southern Sapmi Ume and Southern Sami in central parts of Sweden and Norway It should also be noted that many Sami now live outside Sapmi in large cities such as Oslo in Norway Division by occupation A division often used in Northern Sami is based on occupation and the area of living This division is also used in many historical texts 148 Reindeer Sami or Mountain Sami in Northern Sami boazosapmelash or badjeolmmosh Previously nomadic Sami living as reindeer herders Now most have a permanent residence in the Sami core areas Some 10 of Sami practice reindeer herding which is seen as a fundamental part of a Sami culture and in some parts of the Nordic countries can be practiced by Samis only Sea Sami in Northern Sami mearasapmelash These lived traditionally by combining fishing and small scale farming Today often used for all Sami from the coast regardless of their occupation Forest Sami who traditionally lived by combining fishing in inland rivers and lakes with small scale reindeer herding City Sami who are now probably the largest group of Sami Division by country nbsp Sami traditional presentation in Lovozero Kola Peninsula RussiaAccording to the Norwegian Sami Parliament the Sami population of Norway is 40 000 If all people who speak Sami or have a parent grandparent or great grandparent who speaks or spoke Sami are included the number reaches 70 000 As of 2021 20 545 people were registered to vote in the election for the Sami Parliament in Norway 149 The bulk of the Sami live in Finnmark and Northern Troms but there are also Sami populations in Southern Troms Nordland and Trondelag Due to recent migration it has also been claimed that Oslo is the municipality with the largest Sami population 150 The Sami are in a majority only in the municipalities of Guovdageaidnu Kautokeino Karasjohka Karasjok Porsaŋgu Porsanger Deatnu Tana and Unjarga Nesseby in Finnmark and Gaivuotna Kafjord in Northern Troms This area is also known as the Sami core area and Sami and Norwegian are co equal administrative languages here According to the Swedish Sami Parliament estimates of the size of the Sami population of Sweden ranges from 20 000 to 40 000 151 As of 2021 9 226 people were registered to vote in elections to the Swedish Sami Parliament 152 According to the Finnish Population Registry Center and the Finnish Sami Parliament the Sami population living in Finland was 10 753 in 2019 153 As of 31 December 2021 only 2 023 people were registered as speaking a Sami language as their mother tongue 154 According to the 2010 All Russia Census the Sami population of Russia was 1 771 Sami diaspora outside of Sapmi nbsp Reindeer in AlaskaThere are an estimated 30 000 people living in North America who are either Sami or descendants of Sami 155 Most have settled in areas that are known to have Norwegian Swedish and Finnish immigrants Some of these concentrated areas are Minnesota North Dakota Iowa Wisconsin the Upper Peninsula of Michigan Illinois California Washington Utah and Alaska and throughout Canada including Saskatchewan Manitoba and Northern Ontario and the Canadian territories of the Northwest Territories Yukon and Nunavut Descendants of these Sami immigrants typically know little of their heritage because their ancestors purposely hid their indigenous culture to avoid discrimination from the dominating Scandinavian or Nordic culture Some of these Sami are part of a diaspora that moved to North America in order to escape assimilation policies in their home countries There were also several Sami families that were brought to North America with herds of reindeer by the U S and Canadian governments as part of the Reindeer Project designed to teach the Inuit about reindeer herding 156 There is a long history of Sami in Alaska Some of these Sami immigrants and descendants of immigrants are members of the Sami Siida of North America OrganizationSapmi demonstrates a distinct semi national identity that transcends the borders between Norway Sweden Finland and Russia There is no movement for sovereign state but they do seek greater autonomy in respective nation states 157 Sami Parliaments Main article Sami politics nbsp Sven Roald Nysto Aili Keskitalo and Ole Henrik Magga the three first presidents of the Sami Parliament of NorwayThe Sami Parliaments Samediggi in Northern Sami Samitigge in Inari Sami Saa mte ǧǧ in Skolt Sami founded in Finland 1973 Norway 1989 and Sweden 1993 are the representative bodies for peoples of Sami heritage Russia has not recognized the Sami as a minority and as a result recognizes no Sami parliament even if the Sami people there have formed an unrecognised Sami Parliament of Russia There is no single unified Sami parliament that spans across the Nordic countries Rather each of the aforementioned three countries has set up its own separate legislatures for Sami people even though the three Sami Parliaments often work together on cross border issues In all three countries they act as an institution of cultural autonomy for the indigenous Sami people The parliaments have very weak political influence far from autonomy They are formally public authorities ruled by the Scandinavian governments but have democratically elected parliamentarians whose mission is to work for the Sami people and culture Candidates election promises often get into conflict with the institutions submission under their governments but as authorities they have some influence over the government Norwegian organizations The main organisations for Sami representation in Norway are the siidas They cover northern and central Norway Swedish organizations The main organisations for Sami representation in Sweden are the siidas They cover northern and central Sweden Finnish organizations In contrast to Norway and Sweden in Finland a siida paliskunta in Finnish is a reindeer herding corporation that is not restricted by ethnicity There are indeed some ethnic Finns who practice reindeer herding and in principle all residents of the reindeer herding area most of Finnish Lapland and parts of Oulu province who are citizens of EEA countries 158 i e the European Union and Norway Iceland and Liechtenstein are allowed to join a paliskunta Russian organizations In 2010 the Sami Council supported the establishment of a cultural center in Russia for Arctic peoples The Center for Northern Peoples aims to promote artistic and cultural cooperation between the Arctic peoples of Russia and the Nordic countries with particular focus on indigenous peoples and minorities 159 Border conflicts nbsp Land rights for grazing reindeerSapmi the Sami traditional lands cross four national borders Traditional summer and winter pastures sometimes lie on different sides of the borders of the nation states In addition to that there is a border drawn for modern day Sapmi Some state that the rights for reindeer herding and in some parts even for fishing and hunting include not only modern Sapmi but areas that are beyond today s Sapmi that reflect older territories Today s borders originate from the 14th to 16th centuries when land owning conflicts occurred The establishment of more stable dwelling places and larger towns originates from the 16th century and was performed for strategic defence and economic reasons both by peoples from Sami groups themselves and more southern immigrants Owning land within the borders or being a member of a siida Sami corporation gives rights A different law enacted in Sweden in the mid 1990s gave the right to anyone to fish and hunt in the region something that was met with skepticism and anger amongst the siidas Court proceedings have been common throughout history and the aim from the Sami viewpoint is to reclaim territories used earlier in history Due to a major defeat in 1996 one siida has introduced a sponsorship Reindeer Godfather concept to raise funds for further battles in courts These internal conflicts are usually conflicts between non Sami land owners and reindeer owners Cases question the Sami ancient rights to reindeer pastures In 2010 Sweden was criticized for its relations with the Sami in the Universal Periodic Review conducted by the Working Group of the Human Rights Council 160 The question whether the fjeld s territory is owned by the governments crown land or by the Sami population is not answered 161 From an indigenous perspective people belong to the land the land does not belong to people but this does not mean that hunters herders and fishing people do not know where the borders of their territories are located as well as those of their neighbors 99 Sami identity symbolsAlthough the Sami have considered themselves to be one people throughout history 162 the idea of Sapmi a Sami nation first gained acceptance among the Sami in the 1970s and even later among the majority population 163 During the 1980s and 1990s a Sami flag was created a Sami anthem was written and the date of a national day was established The Sami Flag Main article Sami flag nbsp Sami flagThe Sami flag was inaugurated during the Sami Conference in Are Sweden on 15 August 1986 164 It was the result of a competition for which many suggestions were entered The winning design was submitted by the artist Astrid Bahl from Skibotn Norway 165 The motif shown right was derived from the shaman s drum and the poem Paiven Parne Sons of the Sun by the South Sami Anders Fjellner describing the Sami as sons and daughters of the sun The flag has the Sami colours red green yellow and blue and the circle represents the sun red and the moon blue The Sami People s Day Main article Sami National Day The Sami National Day falls on 6 February as this date was when the first Sami congress was held in 1917 in Trondheim Norway This congress was the first time that Norwegian and Swedish Sami came together across their national borders to work together to find solutions for common problems The resolution for celebrating on 6 February was passed in 1992 at the 15th Sami congress in Helsinki Since 1993 Norway Sweden and Finland have recognized 6 February as Sami National Day Song of the Sami People Main article Sami soga lavlla Sami soga lavlla Song of the Sami People lit Song of the Sami Family was originally a poem written by Isak Saba that was published in the newspaper Saǥai Muittalaegje for the first time on 1 April 1906 In August 1986 it became the Sami anthem Arne Sorli set the poem to music which was then approved at the 15th Sami Conference in Helsinki in 1992 Sami soga lavlla has been translated into all of the Sami languages ReligionMain article Sami shamanism nbsp Copper etching 1767 by O H von Lode showing a noaidi with his meavrresgarri drumMany Sami people continued to practice their religion up until the 18th century 166 Most Sami today belong to the state run Lutheran churches of Norway Sweden and Finland Some Sami in Russia belong to the Russian Orthodox Church and similarly some Skolt Sami resettled in Finland are also part of an Eastern Orthodox congregation with an additional small population in Norway Indigenous Sami religion Indigenous 167 Sami religion is a type of polytheism See Sami deities There is some diversity due to the wide area that is Sapmi allowing for the evolution of variations in beliefs and practices between tribes The beliefs are closely connected to the land animism and the supernatural Sami spirituality is often characterized by pantheism a strong emphasis on the importance of personal spirituality and its interconnectivity with one s own daily life and a deep connection between the natural and spiritual worlds 168 Among other roles the Noaidi or Sami shaman enables ritual communication with the supernatural 169 through the use of tools such as drums Joik Fadno chants sacred objects and fly agaric 170 171 Some practices within the Sami religion include natural sacred sites such as mountains springs land formations Sieidi as well as human made ones such as petroglyphs and labyrinths 172 Sami cosmology divides the universe into three worlds The upper world is related to the South warmth life and the color white It is also the dwelling of the gods The middle world is like the Norse Midgard it is the dwelling of humans and it is associated with the color red The third world is the underworld and it is associated with the color black it represents the north the cold and it is inhabited by otters loons and seals and mythical animals 173 Sami religion shares some elements with Norse mythology possibly from early contacts with trading Vikings or vice versa They were the last worshippers of Thor as late as the 18th century according to contemporary ethnographers Through a mainly French initiative from Joseph Paul Gaimard as part of his La Recherche Expedition Lars Levi Laestadius began research on Sami mythology His work resulted in Fragments of Lappish Mythology since by his own admission they contained only a small percentage of what had existed The fragments were termed Theory of Gods Theory of Sacrifice Theory of Prophecy or short reports about rumorous Sami magic and Sami sagas Generally he claims to have filtered out the Norse influence and derived common elements between the South North and Eastern Sami groups citation needed The mythology has common elements with other indigenous religions as well such as those of indigenous peoples in Siberia and North America Christian mission Main article Christianization of the Sami people nbsp A sermon at the 2004 Samiske kirkedagerThe term Sami religion usually refers to the traditional religion practiced by most Sami until approximately the 18th century Christianity was introduced by Roman Catholic missionaries as early as the 13th century Increased pressure came after the Protestant Reformation and rune drums were burned or sent to museums abroad In this period many Sami practiced their traditional religion at home while going to church on Sunday Since the Sami were considered to possess witchcraft powers they were often accused of sorcery during the 17th century and were the subjects of witchcraft trials and burnings 174 In Norway a major effort to convert the Sami was made around 1720 when Thomas von Westen the Apostle of the Sami burned drums burned sacred objects and converted people 175 Out of the estimated thousands of drums before this period only about 70 are known to remain today scattered in museums around Europe 170 Sacred sites were destroyed such as sieidi stones in natural or human built formations alda and saivu sacred hills springs caves and other natural formations where offerings were made In the far east of the Sami area the Russian monk Trifon converted the Sami in the 16th century Today St George s chapel in Neiden Norway 1565 testifies to this effort Laestadius Main articles Lars Levi Laestadius and Laestadianism nbsp Noaidi drumAround 1840 Swedish Sami Lutheran pastor and administrator Lars Levi Laestadius initiated among the Sami a puritanical pietist movement emphasizing complete abstinence from alcohol This movement is still very dominant in Sami speaking areas Laestadius spoke many languages and he became fluent and preached in Finnish and Northern Sami in addition to his native Southern Sami and Swedish 176 the language he used for scholarly publications 175 Two great challenges Laestadius had faced since his early days as a church minister were the indifference of his Sami parishioners who had been forced by the Swedish government to convert from their shamanistic religion to Lutheranism and the misery caused them by alcoholism The spiritual understanding Laestadius acquired and shared in his new sermons filled with vivid metaphors from the lives of the Sami that they could understand about a God who cared about the lives of the people had a profound positive effect on both problems One account from a Sami cultural perspective recalls a new desire among the Sami to learn to read and a bustle and energy in the church with people confessing their sins crying and praying for forgiveness Alcohol abuse and the theft of the Samis reindeer diminished which had a positive influence on the Sami s relationships finances and family life 177 Neo shamanism and traditional healing Today there are a number of Sami who seek to return to the traditional Pagan values of their ancestors There are also some Sami who claim to be noaidi and offer their services through newspaper advertisements in New Age arrangements or for tourist groups While they practice a religion based on that of their ancestors widespread anti pagan prejudice has caused these shamans to be generally not viewed as part of an unbroken Sami religious tradition citation needed Traditional Sami beliefs are composed of three intertwining elements animism shamanism and polytheism Sami animism is manifested in the Sami s belief that all significant natural objects such as animals plants rocks etc possess a soul and from a polytheistic perspective traditional Sami beliefs include a multitude of spirits 175 Many contemporary practitioners are compared to practitioners of neo paganism as a number of neopagan religions likewise combine elements of ancient pagan religions with more recent revisions or innovations but others feel they are attempting to revive or reconstruct indigenous Sami religions as found in historic folkloric sources and oral traditions In 2012 County Governor of Troms approved Shamanic Association of Tromso as a new religion 178 A very different religious idea is represented by the numerous wise men and wise women found throughout the Sami area They often offer to heal the sick through rituals and traditional medicines and may also combine traditional elements such as older Sami teachings with newer monotheistic inventions that Christian missionaries taught their ancestors such as readings from the Bible Genetic studiesMain article Genetic studies on Sami nbsp Sami mother with her childrenAnthropologists have been studying the Sami people for hundreds of years for their assumed physical and cultural differences from the rest of the Europeans Recent genetic studies have indicated that the two most frequent maternal lineages of the Sami people are the haplogroups V Neolithic in Europe and not found in Finland 1500 years ago 179 and U5b ancient in Europe 180 Y chromosome haplogroup N VL29 makes up 20 came from Siberia 3500 years ago Y chromosome N Z1936 makes up similarly about 20 and likely came from Siberia with the Sami language but slightly later than N VL29 This tallies with archeological evidence suggesting that several different cultural groups made their way to the core area of Sami from 8000 to 6000 BC 181 presumably including some of the ancestors of present day Sami The Sami have been found to be genetically unrelated to people of the Pitted Ware culture c The Pitted Ware culture are in turn genetically continuous with the original Scandinavian Hunter Gatherers d History of scientific research carried out on the Sami nbsp Ad for an 1893 1894 ethnological exposition of Sami in Hamburg Saint PaulThe genetic makeup of Sami people has been extensively studied for as long as such research has been in existence Ethnographic photography of the Sami began with the invention of the camera in the 19th century 184 This continued on into the 1920s and 1930s when Sami were photographed naked and anatomically measured by scientists with the help of the local police sometimes at gunpoint to collect data that would justify their own racial theories 185 Thus there is a degree of distrust by some in the Sami community towards genetic research 185 Sami graves were plundered to provide research materials 186 187 188 of which their remains and artifacts from this period from across Sapmi can still be found in various state collections 95 188 189 190 In the late 19th century colonial fascination with Arctic peoples led to human beings exhibited in human zoos Sami people were exhibited with their traditional lavvu tents weapons and sleds beside a group of reindeer at Tierpark Hagenbeck 191 and other zoos across the globe Notable people of Sami descentMain article List of Sami people Science Ante Aikio born 1977 in Northern Sami Luobbal Sammol Sammol Ante Finnish Sami linguist specializing in Uralic languages historical linguistics Sami languages and Sami prehistory at the Sami University of Applied Sciences in Kautokeino Norway Louise Backman 1926 2021 Born in Tarnaby Ume Sami speaker Professor emerita in Religious Studies She carried out several studies of pre Christian religion among the Sami and made contributions in the study of Sami sociology and language 192 193 Israel Ruong 1903 1986 Born in Arjeplog A Swedish Sami linguist politician and professor of Sami languages and culture at the University of Uppsala in Sweden Israel Ruong spoke Pite Sami as his mother tongue Ande Somby 1958 present Born in Buolbmat A University Researcher artist cofounder of DAT Explorers and adventurers Samuel Balto 1861 1921 Arctic explorer one of the first people to cross Greenland on skis together with Fridtjof Nansen and gold miner The very famous dog Balto was named after Samuel Balto Lars Monsen 1963 present adventurer explorer journalist and author 194 Literature nbsp Nils Aslak Valkeapaa a Sami writer musician and artist from FinlandElla Holm Bull 1929 2006 author musician schoolteacher Anders Fjellner 1795 1876 Protestant priest and poet Wrote down the mythological joik that inspired the Sami flag Ailo Gaup 1944 2014 an author and neo shaman who participated in founding the Beaivvas Sami Theatre Isak Mikal Saba 1875 1925 politician and writer Was the first Sami parliamentarian Norwegian Labour Party and wrote the Sami national anthem Olaus Sirma 1655 1719 the first Sami poet known by name Johan Turi 1854 1936 wrote first secular book in Sami 195 Nils Aslak Valkeapaa 1943 2001 musician poet and artist Music nbsp Agnete JohnsenAdjagas musical group The Blacksheeps punk rock band Mari Boine 1956 present musician Ane Brun singer and songwriter 196 Fred Buljo 1988 present rapper singer joik Member of KEiiNO and Duolva Duottar Frode Fjellheim joik musician Ingor Ante Ailo Gaup 1960 present actor composer and folk musician Jonne Jarvela 1974 present musician and songwriter Sofia Jannok 1982 present performer musician and radio host Agnete Johnsen 1994 present singer and songwriter Inga Juuso 1945 2014 singer and actress Gustav Kappfjell 1913 1999 Sami joiker and artist Also noted for being part of the resistance movement during WW2 Joni Mitchell 1943 present musician and painter 197 198 Mikkal Morottaja 1984 present rap musician 199 Jaco Pastorius 1951 1987 influential American jazz musician composer and electric bass player John Persen 1941 2014 composer Ulla Pirttijarvi 1971 present joik singer Roger Pontare 1951 present musician Wimme Saari 1959 present musician Ande Somby Sami musician and law professor Lisa Cecilia Thomasson Bosio or Lapp Lisa 1878 1932 singer Vajas musical group Niko Valkeapaa 1968 present musician and songwriter Nils Aslak Valkeapaa 1943 2001 musician poet and artist Film and theatre See also Beaivvas Sami Theatre nbsp Nils Gaup a Sami film director from NorwayMikkel Gaup actor Nils Gaup 1955 present film director Well known films include Ofelas Pathfinder which was nominated for an Academy Award and the 2008 film Kautokeino Opproret based on the Kautokeino Rebellion Jalmari Helander 1976 Finnish screenwriter and film director Lance Henriksen 1940 actor of Norwegian parentage his grandmother was Sami Anni Kristiina Juuso 1979 present actress Sara Margrethe Oskal born 1970 actress film director Lene Cecilia Sparrok 1997 Norwegian actress of Sami descent Elle Maija Tailfeathers Canadian filmmaker Indigenous rights activist and actress of Sami and Blackfoot heritage on her father s and mother s sides respectively 200 Works in multiple genres including experimental documentary drama and action 200 Onni Tommila 1999 Finnish actor Tommy Wirkola 1979 Norwegian filmmaker of Finnish Sami descent Renee Zellweger 1969 Oscar winning actress whose Norwegian mother is of partial Sami descent Politics and society Lars Levi Laestadius 1800 61 religious reformer botanist and ethnologist 201 Ole Henrik Magga 1947 present politician The first President of the Norwegian Sami Parliament NSR and first Chairman of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Helga Pedersen 1973 present politician The first Sami member of Government Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Norwegian Labour Party 202 Elsa Laula Renberg 1877 1931 politician and activist Organized the first international Sami conference and wrote a rhetorically powerful pamphlet of resistance to colonization 203 Isak Mikal Saba 1875 1925 politician and writer Was the first Sami parliamentarian Norwegian Labour Party and wrote the Sami national anthem Janne Seurujarvi 1975 present politician The first Sami member of Parliament of Finland Irja Seurujarvi Kari born 1947 politician and academic member of the Finnish Sami Parliament Laila Susanne Vars 1976 present former vice president of the Sami Parliament in Norway first Sami woman with a PhD in law member of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples EMRIP rector of the Sami University of Applied Sciences Visual arts Simen Johan 1973 present Visual Artist Born in Kirkenes Norway lives and works in New York City Hans Ragnar Mathisen no artist 204 Joni Mitchell 1943 present musician and painter Unconfirmed 197 198 Nils Aslak Valkeapaa 1943 2001 musician poet and artist Sports See also Sapmi national football team nbsp Anja Parson a Sami skier from Sweden nbsp Borje Salming a retired ice hockey defencemanAilo Gaup 1980 present a motorcross sportsman who invented the underflip John Halvorsen athletics Leo Komarov 1987 present Finnish ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs Born in Estonia and raised in Finland and is of Russian Sami parentage Anja Parson 1981 present and Jens Byggmark 1985 present alpine skiers 205 Morten Gamst Pedersen 1981 present Football player former player for Blackburn Rovers 206 Jon Ronningen wrestler Olympic gold medalist Lars Ronningen wrestler Borje Salming 1951 2022 legendary NHL defenseman member of Hockey Hall of Fame voted to the IIHF all century team Other Graan sv the single noble family of Sami descent Swedish nobility citation needed Svein Eirik Utsi no famous criminal See alsoEnvironmental racism in Europe Hamburg culture List of indigenous peoples Reindeer in Russia Sampo LappelillSami culture Fourth World Inari Indigenous small numbered peoples of the North Siberia and the Far East Knud Leem Sami cuisine Sapmi Park Located Karasjok Norway Sapmi Park 207 and visitor center presents the Sami culture and its history through exhibits and a special effect theater presentation entitled The Magic Theater 208 designed originally by award winning experience designer Bob Rogers designer and the design team BRC Imagination Arts 208 Ume Sami languageSami films The White Reindeer Valkoinen peura 1952 a Finnish horror drama film set in Finnish Lapland among the Sami people Pathfinder Ofelas 1988 film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film filmed in Norway featuring Sami actors speaking in Sami Give Us Our Skeletons a 1999 documentary about the scientific racism and racial classification movement carried out on the Sami The Cuckoo Kukushka 2002 film set during World War II with a Sami woman as one of the main characters Last Yoik in Saami Forests 2007 made for the United Nations a documentary about land rights disputes in Finnish Lapland 209 The Sami Saamelainen 2007 a Mushkeg Media documentary about the state of aboriginal languages 210 Wolf 2008 an examination of how the traditions of the Sami villagers in northern Sweden are confronted with modern day society 211 Herdswoman 2008 a documentary about land rights disputes in reindeer grazing areas 212 The Kautokeino Rebellion 2008 feature film that concerns the ethnic religious Sami revolt in Guovdageaidnu of 1852 Magic Mushrooms and Reindeer Weird Nature 2009 short video on the use of Amanita muscaria mushrooms by the Sami people and their reindeer produced by the BBC 213 Suddenly Sami 2009 in which the filmmaker finds out that her mother has been hiding her Arctic indigenous Sami heritage from her 214 Midnight Sun 2016 crime series which revolves around Sami culture and conflicts of Sami culture with modern Swedish society 215 Sami Blood 2016 a movie chronicling the life of a Sami girl taken into a Swedish boarding school to be forcibly assimilated as a Swede 216 Frozen 2013 features a major character named Kristoff who wears clothing resembling Sami attire and has a pet reindeer Frozen II 2019 features the forest tribe known as the Northuldra which is based on the Sami people and the theme song Vuelie written by Norwegian joiker Frode Fjellheim and performed by Norwegian female choral group Cantus is based on Sami music There is a North Sami dubbing of the film 217 218 Klaus 2019 animated film about a postman stationed in a town to the North who befriends a reclusive toy maker featuring Sami characters Jeʹvida 2023 the first feature length film in the Skolt Sami language 219 Stolen 2024 a Netflix adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ann Helen Laestadius 220 221 Notes In Norway there is no clear legal definition of who is Sami Therefore exact numbers are not possible According to the Swedish Sami parliament Population continuity between the PWC and modern Saami can be rejected under all assumed ancestral population size combinations 182 Our data support that the Neolithic PWC foragers are largely genetically continuous to SHG 183 References Sami people 14 December 2015 Sami in Sweden sweden se Archived from the original on 15 January 2021 Retrieved 29 July 2018 Focus on Sami in Norway Statistics Norway Archived from the original on 9 March 2012 a b Thomasson Lars Skold Peter Samer Nationalencyklopedin in Swedish Archived from the original on 11 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September 2023 Je vida in Finnish Rakkautta amp Anarkiaa Archived from the original on 20 October 2023 Retrieved 20 October 2023 Yossman K J 1 September 2022 Ann Helen Laestadius Novel Stolen Getting Netflix Adaptation Global Bulletin Variety Retrieved 9 December 2023 Goldbart Max 1 September 2022 Netflix Greenlights Film Adaptation Of Ann Helen Laestadius Novel Stolen Deadline Retrieved 9 December 2023 SourcesHansen Lars Ivar Olsen Bjornar 2014 Hunters in Transition An Outline of Early Sami History The Northern World North Europe and the Baltic c 400 1700 AD Peoples Economics and Cultures Vol 63 Leiden Brill ISBN 978 90 04 25254 7 Malmstrom Helena 24 September 2009 Ancient DNA Reveals Lack of Continuity between Neolithic Hunter Gatherers and Contemporary Scandinavians Current Biology Cell Press 19 20 1758 1762 doi 10 1016 j cub 2009 09 017 PMC 4275881 PMID 19781941 Mittnik Alisa 30 January 2018 The genetic prehistory of the Baltic Sea region Nature Communications Nature Research 16 1 442 Bibcode 2018NatCo 9 442M doi 10 1038 s41467 018 02825 9 PMC 5789860 PMID 29382937 Urbanczyk Przemyslaw 1992 Medieval Arctic Norway Institute of the History of Material Culture Polish Academy of Sciences Warsaw Semper ISBN 978 83 900213 0 0 Further readingPaine Robert 1957 Coast Lapp Society I Robert Paine 1926 2010 Paine Robert 1965 Coast Lapp Society II Sami books The Germania by Tacitus the chapter on Fenni Vigilant Ancestor A World of Secrets Whispered in My Ear by H D Rennerfeldt ISBN 978 1 62675 021 0 The Sami Peoples of the North A Social and Cultural History by Neil Kent ISBN 978 1 84904 257 4 The Sami People Traditions in Transitions by Veli Pekka Lehtola ISBN 978 1 889963 75 4 God Wears Many Skins Myth and Folklore of the Sami People by Jabez L Van Cleef ISBN 978 1 4382 2189 2 Liberating Sapmi Indigenous Resistance in Europe s Far North by Gabriel Kuhn ISBN 978 1 62963 712 9 External links nbsp Media related to Sami people at Wikimedia Commons nbsp Sami peoples travel guide from Wikivoyage Saami Council Sami peoples at Curlie Encyclopaedia of Saami Culture Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sami peoples amp oldid 1199965309, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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