The Sámi in The Sámi Sámi The in Finland in

Jouni Näkkälä in theSámiHomelandspheres oflanguageandculture. Since 1996,theSámihave hadconstitutional self-government when dealingwiththeauthorities. There isalsoalaw regarding to usetheSámilanguage theright develop theirown language, culture andtraditionallivelihoods. They have, asanindigenouspeople, to maintainand theright The into statusoftheSámiwaswritten theconstitutionin1995. political institutions. status, someoralloftheirown social, economic, culturaland themselves asindigenousandretain, irrespectiveoftheirlegal establishment ofpresent identify andifthey state boundaries belongs, atthetimeofconquestorcolonisation country inhabited thecountry, orageographical region to whichthe areindigenous ifthey descendedfrom thepopulationswhich Union. Peoples are inindependentcountries regarded as The Sámiare theonlyindigenous peopleoftheEuropean timated to livinginNorway. beover 75,000,withthemajority nications intheSámilanguage. The total Sámipopulation ises challenges for and commu theprovision ofeducation, services them now live outsidetheSámiHomeland, new which brings There are about9000 SámiinFinland. More than60percentof forarea SámiintheHomeland. reserved theSkolt withinthe Act, tion ofvillageadministration,undertheSkolt byis elected theSámi. Sámi alsomaintaintheirtradi The Skolt is managed byThis the self-government Sámi Parliament, which - - - is to combinethesetraditionallivelihoods with crafts. Today, acommonway aliving to make nature’sgathering handi- productsandmaking herding, fishing, hunting, small-scaleagriculture, Traditional Sámilivelihoods includereindeer- Livelihoods first languageisSámi. guage orhasatleastoneparent orgrandparent whose Sámiashisorherfirstlan- that thispersonhaslearnt person whoconsidershim-orherself aSámi,provided Sámi language. According to thedefinition,aSámiis ontheSámiParliamentAct andis mainlybasedonthe Finland,In thedefinitionofaSámiislaiddown in the livelihoods, butmany have job. amodern oftheSámiareSome engagedintraditional a traditionalway oflife. of aliving,merely butratherpart aboutmaking considerable culturalsignificance. They are not ofturnoverin terms andworkforce butare of occupationsplay asmallroleNature-based andservices. tourism The sÁMi hoMeLAND sÁMi The ing district in the municipality ofSodankylä. inthemunicipality ing district aswell astheLappireindeer-herd-and Utsjoki covers themunicipalitiesofEnontekiö, Inari islegallydefinedand

Minna Saastamoinen Antti Saraja now ontheRussiansideofborder. intheirown areas.partly Their oldhomes were Finland andNellim, inthe regions ofSevettijärvi After World War Sámiwere II,the Skolt settledin

Riina Nurminen History ture delivered to themthrough theseasons. Wild , fur basis oftheSámiway oflife. The Sámiusedto live onwhatna- thepast,adiverse economyIn ofhunting and fishingwasthe Finland.population inSouthern of Finnish settlers, theSámibecameassimilated into theFinnish habited thewholeofwhatisnow Finland. Under thepressure the exception ofthesouthandsouth-west coast,theSámiin- andfromtic Ocean Central Scandinavia to the White Sea. With century, theSámiregion stretched fromLadogato theArc- Lake At itsheight,from thebeginning erato the11th oftheChristian in livelihoods andculture. languagesaround distinct 2000BCduetocame two differences people wasformed whentheSámilanguageandFinnish be- last iceage, approximately 10,000years ago. Ethnically, theSámi regions ofFennoscandia theendof after northern shortly The Sámiare descendants ofthepeoplewhofirstinhabited the whole of Northern Fennoscandia.whole ofNorthern formed siidas, which together covering formed the anetwork washighlyorganised:The Families Sámisociety and clans reindeer-herding for thousandsofyears. an annualcycle. The Sámihave probablysmall-scale practised andgathering, following picking included bird hunting, berry sources aliving. oflivelihoodprofitable Other meansofmaking and fishwere soldasfaraway asCentral Europe andprovided a Museovirasto

Divided by borders From the 16th century onwards, the Sámi society was increasingly THE Sámiráđđi is a caught up in drastic changes caused by outsiders. The Nordic coun- liaison body between the Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Russian Sámi. It tries started to take control of the land of the Sámi by religious was established in 1956 for the purpose converting, supporting settlement and replacing the Sámi way of of maintaining the interests of the Sámi administration with a Nordic administrative system. Along with the as one people and promoting cohesion across borders. The highest organ, the Sámi establishment of present state boundaries, the Sámi area was gra­ Conference, meets every four years. dually divided up. When settlement increased in the 19th century, the Nordic states launched a conscious assimilation policy which THE SÁMI PARLIAMENT Sámediggi is responsible for the planning and enforce- favoured the interests of the dominant population. The Sámi start- ment of Sámi self-government, provided ed to lose their own language and culture. by the Finnish Constitution, in the spheres of language and culture. It leads the politi- cal activities, represents the Sámi in na- The EMERGENCE OF SÁMI CO-OPERATION tional and international contexts and deals The ethnic and national awakening of the Sámi started in the late with issues relating to the Sámi language 19th century, from and , leading to the establish- and culture as well as the position of the Sámi as an indigenous people. The 21 ment of the first local Sámi associations and newspapers. As the members, and 4 vice members, are elected grip of the dominant populations tightened, making the living con- from among the Sámi every four years. ditions worse and worse for the Sámi, they started to see the neces- In Finland, in 1996, the Sámi Parliament sity for national co-operation. As a result, the first joint meeting of replaced the Sámi Delegation, which had the southern and northern Sámi was held in Trondheim, Norway, in been established in 1973. The Norwegian 1917. After World War II, co-operation was extended across borders. Sámi Parliament was established in 1989, and the Swedish one in 1993. In 1953, the first Sámi Conference, which took place in Jokkmokk, Sweden, focused on the rights of the Sámi to natural resources and THE SÁMI PARLIAMENTARY COUNCIL their own language. The conference brought together Sámi rep- Sámi parlamentáralaš ráđđi, established in 2000, is a liaison body between the Finnish, resentatives from three countries and it was agreed that a Saami Norwegian and Swedish Sámi parliaments. Council would be set up. A real renaissance of the Sámi culture took It has 21 members. place in the late 1960s. It boosted the development of , media, literature, theatre, education, research as well as a number of institutions established by the Sámi themselves. Harri Nurminen within theUraliclanguagefamily, to theBaltic- languages ofEurope andare mostclosely related, The Sámilanguagesbelongto theindigenous Language Sámi The mi anofficiallanguage. of1992,revisedLanguage Act in2004, made Sá thembackto life.languages andbring The Sámi measures theSámi have to preserve beentaken of inthe1960s,the ethnicawakening avariety to speaktheiroriginal language.their ability Since of thedominantlanguages, many Sámihave lost ish andthree Sámilanguages. Underthepressure inFinlandpality withfour officiallanguages:Finn theonlymunici ers, mostofwhomlive inInari, both languageshave approximately 300 speak inFinlandSámi isspoken Finland, andinRussia.In exclusively Sámi isspoken inFinland.Inari Skolt people. by approximately Sámiisspoken 2000 North Finland, oftheselanguages.widely spoken In Sámiisthemost andSweden, North Norway With approximately inFinland, 20,000speakers Sámi. SámiandSkolt Sámi,Inari guages: North Finland,In there areofthree speakers Sámilan . inFinland,Sámi isspoken and Sweden, Norway Finnic languages(suchasFinnish andEstonian). - - - - - The Sámi Language Martti Rikkonen

eDUCATioN iN The sÁMi LANGUAGe Outside the Sámi Homeland, education in and on the School teaching in the Sámi language dates back to Sámi language is scarce, but on the increase. Online the early years of the comprehensive school system. teaching is one of the methods used. Teaching mate- It was first provided in the mid-1970s for pupils in Uts- rials in the Sámi language are planned and funded by joki and Inari. According to the law, Sámi-speaking the Education Board of the Sámi Parliament. pupils living in the Sámi Homeland have the right to receive most of their primary education in the Sámi The Sámi Educational Centre Sámi oahpa hus guovd- language. The Sámi language can be the teaching dáš, founded to serve the Sámi Homeland and local language for the school, or pupils must be able to businesses, is the only institution in Finland provid- study it as their mother tongue or as an elective sub- ing vocational education in the Sámi language. The ject. All primary and lower secondary schools within Sámi language can be studied at three universities: the Sámi Homeland provide education in the Sámi , Helsinki and . The Giellagas Institute of language. Students leaving lower secondary educa- the University of Oulu has special responsibility for tion have been able to include a North Sámi or Inari developing the Sámi language, culture and research Sámi exam in their Matriculation Examination since nationwide. the 1990s, and Skolt Sámi has been a further option since 2005. Utsjoki

The Sámi have the right to use the 6 , without prior request, Inari 7 9 10 when dealing with any state or munici- Enontekiö pal authorities or enterprises within the 8 Sámi Homeland. The authorities have 5 Sodankylä the obligation to ensure that these lin- guistic rights are secured in practice. In Utsjoki, the only municipality in Finland 1. Southern Sámi 6. Inari Sámi with the Sámi as a majority, Sámi and 4 2. Ume Sámi 7. Skolt Sámi Finnish have nearly equal status. 3 3. Pite Sámi 8. Akkala Sámi 4. Lule Sámi 9. Kildin Sámi 2 5. North Sámi 10. Ter Sámi

1 Art resources. The aesthetichastraditio nally been prudentuse ofnatural nomadic lifestyle, making DUoDJi – hANDiCrAFTs sÁMi always gohandinhand. andpracticality beauty and folklore. forThere art’s but sake, isnoart hasitsroots intraditionalSámi lifestyle Sámi art reflect the include horn, bone,include horn, wood, tin,leatherandfabric. for everyone. practically skill Traditional materials manufacture ofwhichusedto beanessential originate objects,the from ancienteveryday made by hand. The shapes, andcolours patterns clothes, tools, huntingequipmentandornaments subordinate to the practical.Duodjiincludes Genuine Sámi handicrafts carry thejointNordic carry Sámihandicrafts Genuine such astheFinnish SámiDuodjiry. and administered by nationalduodji associations, duodji label, whichisowned by theSaamiCouncil

Harri Nurminen Handicrafts continue to play an important role The visUAL ArTs oF The sÁMi have in the culture and livelihood of the Sámi. In re- come a long way from the times of ancient rock cent decades, there has been a shift of empha- paintings thousands of years ago, when the Sámi sis towards art products, and these products are picture of the world was small enough to be pre- unique in the way they are made and shaped. served on a piece of reindeer skin stretched over a shamanic drum. Today’s artists combine their The sÁMi CosTUMe is the most prominent roots with influences from the dominant popula- of the national symbols of the Sámi. It carries the tions and from Western institutions. Modern and history of the Sámi people and is an important traditional elements go hand in hand. part of the national identity. The pieces of cloth- ing included in the costume, as well as the way it is adorned, indicate which part of the Homeland the bearer comes from and even reveal his or her clan and marital status.

In Finland, there are five main versions of the Sá- mi costume: Teno, Inari, Enontekiö, Vuotso and the Skolt Sámi. The use of the Sámi costume re- mains unbroken. The costume has previously been used as day-to-day clothing, but it is now worn mainly on special occasions. In Norway and Sweden, only the Sámi use Sámi costumes, while in Finland (imitations of) the cos- tumes have also been used as, for exam- ple, tourist paraphernalia, obscuring the link to the Sámi national identity.

Gollegákti, Outi Pieski 2006. portant forum forportant Sámifilms. eachJanuary, isthemostim- held inInari night), sKÁbMAGovAT year. every of May sic Festival, inthelast week isheldinInari iDJA, iJAhis the Indigenous Peoples theIndigenous Film Festival the Indigenous Peoples theIndigenous Mu-

(Reflections oftheendless (Reflections

Siida Sámi Museum 3-5 fingerholesmadeofstems ofGarden Angelica instrumentsincludethe contexts. Other The runedrum,or the Sámilanguage. techno, ethnoanddanceto hymns andchildren’s songssungin trends. Today, you canhearanything from pop, rock, rap, heavy, to reflectmodern the1960s, themusicofSámi started In are ofdyingoutcompletely. atrisk Sámiandthe of theInari traditionalforms ofSámimusicincludethe mobiles. Other and places, andtoday even for suchasATVs objects andsnow- tures; are lyrics lessimportant. Yoiks are alsomadefor animals reflect theessenceofthispersonby meansofmelodyandges- non-personal. Apersonalyoik istiedto apersonandismeantto Sámi culture. There are mainformspersonaland two ofyoik: rhythmics, improvisation, acappellaandstrong linkto the original useoftones andunrecognisable words, of richness Sámiform ofsong. ditional North Typical features includean MUsiC sÁMi tijärvi andNellim. tijärvi alive bytradition iskept dancegroups in the regions ofSevet- Sámiisthequadrille, whichisofRussianorigin. of theSkolt The tion wasbrokenontheintroductionofChristianity. The dance was involved ofbears, burial for intheritual example, thetradi- for Sámiare Only theSkolt known ica), andshakers. is best known for or yoiking, isbestknown goavddis , was originally used by shamans in ritual , wasoriginally usedby shamansinritual leu´dd of the Skolt Sámi,bothofwhich oftheSkolt DANCe fádnonjurgganas traditions. If dance traditions. If luohti, (Angelica archangel-

, aflute with the tra- livđe literature Media The first books in the Sámi language, two reli- The most important communication channel gious works, were printed in Sweden in 1619. for the Sámi is Sámi Radio. Finland’s national The first works of fiction by Sámi writers were broadcaster started supplying Sámi-language published in the 1910s. news on a regular basis in October 1947. The radio station is an important source of infor- The beginning of the 1970s saw a major mation and also culture. It supports, for exam- breakthrough and increase in the amount of ple, the spread and adoption of new words Sámi literature. Sámi writers, who had been and expressions relating to modern life and deprived of their native language, identity society. and culture during their years at school, start- ed to describe their collective experience, at Ođđasat, TV news in the Sámi language, was the same time developing forms of expres- introduced at the beginning of 2002, and Sá- sion in the Sámi language. mi-language programmes for children have been shown since autumn 2007. The TV pro- Kirsti Paltto’s first book, Let Our Reindeer Graze Free (Guhtoset dearvan min bohccot) was shortlisted grammes, co-produced with the Finnish Sámi for the Finlandia Prize in 1986. The Sun, My Father Radio, the Norwegian NRK Sámi Radio and the (Beaivi, áhčážan, 1988), a collection of epic poems Swedish SVT Sápmi, are also available to view by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, was awarded the Nordic Council’s Literature Prize in 1991. on the Internet.

Sámi film came to prominence in 1987 Sápmelaš was the first Sámi-language maga- with the Pathfinder (Ofelaš), a film directed by zine to be published in Finland. From 1935 to Nils Gaup which was nominated for an Oscar. 2002, it was written in North Sámi. The Inari A “new wave” of Sámi films and directors was Sámi Language Association has published a experienced at the beginning of the 2000s, journal called Anarâš since 1987. In addition, partly due to increased provision of education the Sámi in Finland have access to North Sámi in film-making in the north. publications from Norway.

Harri Nurminen allánaddet almmi vuostá; čearuin čorut čilggiin, čohkat lahka, jávrri seabbá jávri duohkin, duoddar leabbá Duottar sabmá Sámieatnan: suolggai vuolde Dávggaid Guhkkin davvin Lapland. www.siida.finature ofNorthern information abouttheSámiculture andthe provides and thevisitor experiences withnew meeting placeandanexhibitioncentre. Siida its culturalandnature exhibitions, it isbotha LaplandNature Centre.and theNorthern With siiDA in Inari is the home of the Sámi Museum isthehomeofSámiMuseum inInari

Harri Nurminen when the northern and southern Sámicametogether across andsouthern their when thenorthern Sámi NationalDay The Sámihave ofwhichisthe eleven flagdays, themostimportant the 15thSámiConference in1992. inHelsinki Conference inÅre in1986. The melodyoftheanthemwasapproved at theflagandnationalanthemwereBoth approved atthe 13thSámi sun. The circles represent thesun(red) andthemoon(blue). theSámiassonsanddaughters ofthe describing (Páiven párneh) the shaman’s drum and thepoem Astrid Båhl. Sámi artist The motifwasderivedfrom FLAG sÁMi The Sørlie. composer Arne ofParliament,first SámiMember andthemusicisby theNorwegian national anthemoftheSámi. The words were by written IsakSaba,the FAMiLy sÁMi The oF soNG The Graphic design Studio Borga. Front cover images Harri Nurminen, Martti Rikkonen. Graphic design StudioBorga. Rikkonen. Front Martti Nurminen, cover imagesHarri Sámi Parliament Publications 2008. Translation 2008. Oy. Multidoc Kalevaprint | www.samediggi.fiFI-99870 Inari –Sametinget Saamelaiskäräjät The SámiParliament may alsobeflown unofficiallyonspecialoccasions. national borders for theirfirstmeetingin Trondheim, Norway. The flag by thesouthSámiAndersFjellner, Sámi leavga Sámi Sámi álbmotbeaivi Sámi was designed by the Sons oftheSun Sons on6February. This isthedate Sámi sogalávlla Sámi istheofficial

Siida Sámi Museum