2.3.7 The Sami Today
Description
This article is from the Nordic countries FAQ, by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson, with numerous contributions by others.
2.3.7 The Sami Today
For centuries the majority population has had a patronizing attitude
towards the Sami, which has affected cultural policy and politics.
This policy was abandoned after World War II. This phase was signalled
in 1948 in Norway by the official "Proposals for Sami School and
Educational Affairs" from the Coordinating Commission for the School
System. A definitive change did not come before 1963, however, when
the Norwegian parliament discussed the recommendations of the Sami
Committee of 1956. The official policy then adopted is expressed in
the Parliamentary Records for 1962-1963 as follows:
"The policy of the national state must be to give the Sami-speaking
population the opportunity to preserve its language and other
cultural customs on terms that accord with the expressed wishes of
the Sami themselves."
Later in 1980 the Norwegian government appointed two new commissions
with very extensive mandates: the Sami Rights Committee and the Sami
Cultural Committee. At the moment demands for clarification and
legalization of local rights in areas traditionally used by the Sami
are under consideration by the Sami Rights Committee. Since much of
this area has diversified use by different Sami and non-Sami groups,
it has been difficult to arrive at a just and nationwide solution.
The Nordic Sami Council was established in 1956 to promote cooperation
among the Sami in Finland, Norway and Sweden. The Council has twelve
members, four from each country. Both state authorities and the Nordic
Council have recognized the Sami Council as a legitimate spokesman for
the Sami and have met many of its demands.
The Sami have their own flag which was officially acknowledged in the
13th Nordic Sami Conference in 1986. The flag is designed by Astrid
Behl from Ivgubahta/Skibotn in Norway. The basic idea in the flag is a
symbol from a drum. The circle is a symbol of sun and moon - the sun
ring is red and the moon ring blue. The colours are also the colours
used in Sami costumes.
The Cultural Heritage Act, passed in 1978 in Norway, states that
everything which is more than 100 years old and related to the
cultural heritage of the Sami, is automatically protected by law
- this is to protect historic sites and monuments.
Sami as an elective language is taught in primary schools in several
places in Lapland. Special Sami high schools are located in
Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino and Kárásjohka/Karasjok. Sami language and
culture courses are taught at several universities in the Nordic
countries.
Modern Sami applied art has largely extended the development of
traditional Sami handicrafts such as horn- and wood-carving, basketry,
leather work, etc. Sami art appears at present to be undergoing an
important period of creativity - this applies to music as well. The
traditional Sami folk song, the joik, has won increasing recognition
and interest. The Norwegian Sami Singer Mari Boine Persen has won
international fame among world music fans, while in Finland e.g
Nils-Aslak Valkeapää (who sang joik in the opening ceremonies of
Lillehammer Olympics), Wimme Saari (who mixes joik with ambient techno
backgrounds) and the band Angelin Tytöt have gained acclaim. There are
five Sami newspapers, or newspapers intended for Sami readers, in the
three Nordic countries but the circulation figures for them are small.
The newspapers and magazines are dependent on state funds for their
existence. Radio programs are broadcast in all three countries, in
Kárásjohka/Karasjok (Norway), Giron/Kiruna (Sweden) and Anar/Inari
(Finland). Plans exist for the establishment of a Nordic-Sami
production center for radio and television programs, but the extent
and form of cooperation have not yet been agreed upon.
Because of growing Sami cultural consciousness and sympathetic
official minority policies, there is good cause for believing that the
Sami will survive as a viable ethnic and cultural group in
Scandinavia. The meaning of "Sami" will change as the way of life
itself changes. The Sami's own actions and self-conception will be
decisive in forming the future meaning of the term - or, as one Sami
scholar put it when asked about the Sami tradition:
"Tradition? As of when? Fifty years ago, a hundred years ago, or a
thousand years ago? We adapt our ways to fit the times."
_________________________________________________________________
Acknowledgments:
I would like to thank Jari Oksanen of Tromsø University and John Blood
<guovtta@winternet.com> of Sami Association of North America for their
help, opinions and references.
References:
Karl Nickul: Saamelaiset kansana ja kansalaisina, 1970
Mikko Korhonen: Johdatus lapin kielen historiaan, 1981 ISBN
951-717-248-6
Bjørn Aarseth: The Sami Past and Present, Norsk Folkemuseum, Oslo 1993
ISBN 82-90036-32-9
Johan Turi: Kertomus saamelaisista, 1979 ISBN 951-0-08410-7 (based on
Muittalus samid birra, 1910)
SANA Sami Association of North America
ODIN (Offentlig dokumentasjon og informasjon i Norge)
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