Lihkku beivviin! February 6 is Sámi National Day.

Feb 5
7 min read

Updated: Feb 11

Sámi National Day is a communal day recognizing the culture, history, and rights of the Sámi, the Indigenous people of the northern regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.

The Sámi are descended from nomadic peoples who have lived in northern Scandinavia for thousands of years. Sámi country, known as Sápmi, stretches across northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia’s Kola Peninsula. There is no official census, but the Sámi population is estimated at around 80,000 people, with more than half living in Norway.

The First Sámi Assembly: February 6, 1917

Sámi National Day commemorates the first Sámi assembly, held on February 6, 1917, in Trondheim, Norway. Leading up to the assembly, Sámi people felt that their culture and livelihoods were under threat. Sámi from across the Nordic countries came together to discuss shared challenges that crossed national borders and to work toward common solutions.

The assembly was initiated by Elsa Laula Renberg, a Sámi politician, activist, and writer from Sweden who worked to organize Sámi communities into a political force. Around 150 people attended, with key issues including reindeer herding and the demand for a separate Sámi school system.

Elsa Laula Renberg (Helgeland Museum) — **Elsa Laula Renberg** (Helgeland Museum)

A Distinct and Rich Cultural Heritage

The Sámi are often associated with reindeer herding, music, food, and traditional handicrafts known as duodji.

During the nomadic period, Sámi families moved with their reindeer and carried only what was necessary. Objects were designed for function and portability, using materials drawn from the natural environment, including birch bark, roots, skins, and reindeer antlers.

Duodji remains an important part of Sámi identity and daily life, with traditions passed down through generations.

The gákti, the traditional Sámi garment, is one of the most recognizable expressions of Sámi culture. Like the Norwegian bunad, it varies by region. Its colors and details carry information about place, family, and tradition. Historically made from reindeer skin, gákti today are more commonly made from wool, cotton, or silk.

Reindeer: A Central Part of the Sámi Culture

There are more than 200,000 reindeer in Norway, and the animal has long been central to Sámi life. Until recently, reindeer herding formed the economic foundation of many Sámi communities. While nomadic herding has largely ended, herders continue to tend reindeer while families live in permanent homes.

The Sámi tradition emphasizes full use of the animal. Meat is used for food, skins for clothing and footwear, and antlers for tools and decorative objects.

A reindeer crossing the road — A photo I took on a visit to Tromsø in 2019. We were driving around a bend, and suddenly there it was.

Reindeer also plays a central role in Sámi cuisine. It is prepared in many ways, but one of the best-known dishes is bidos, a stew made with slow-cooked reindeer meat, carrots, and potatoes. Reindeer meat is widely available in Norway, though it remains an occasional treat due to cost.

I’ve been fortunate to eat reindeer a few times, including on Sámi National Day a few years ago, when we prepared bidos at a mountain lodge where I was working, and offered it as a special dish for guests.

To learn more about bidos, see this post from North Wild Kitchen.

Bidos | Hakkesetstølen Fjellstugu | Geilo, Norway — *Bidos* | Hakkesetstølen Fjellstugu | Geilo, Norway

Traditional Sámi Song

Sámi culture includes many distinct forms of expression. Joik (or yoik), one of the oldest living song traditions in Europe, remains an important cultural practice. Joik follows a circular worldview, often described as having “no beginning, no end.” Rather than being about something, a joik seeks to embody a person, animal, or place.

Ursula Länsman of the Finnish Sámi group Angelit explains:

A joik is not merely a description; it attempts to capture its subject in its entirety. It is not about something; it is that something. It does not begin and it does not end. A joik does not need words. Its narrative lies in its power.

For three summers, I volunteered at a week-long fjellyoga (mountain yoga) camp in Hallingdal. One year, a Sámi woman from Finnmark attended. After dinner one evening, she offered a joik to the group. The room fell quiet, and it was clear how much care and pride she brought to offering this part of her culture.

It’s an experience I still think about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_gnoljjBW8

Righting the Wrongs of the Past

Alongside these cultural traditions, Sámi history in Norway also includes a long period of state-led assimilation and erasure.

In recent decades, Sámi culture and political life have become more visible in Norway. For centuries before that, the Sámi and the dominant peoples of Scandinavia had relatively little contact. Sámi communities lived primarily in the far north, while Scandinavian populations were concentrated along southern coastal regions.

Beginning in the 19th century, Norwegian and Swedish authorities increasingly viewed the Sámi as “backward” and in need of being “civilized.” Scandinavian languages were imposed as the only acceptable languages of the state, and Sámi language and culture were restricted or banned in many settings, particularly in schools.

The strongest pressure occurred between roughly 1900 and 1940, when Norway invested considerable resources in policies aimed at erasing Sámi culture. These policies, known as “Norwegianization,” marginalized Sámi identity and reshaped social structures, offering Sámi a place in the Norwegian nation only if they abandoned what was considered “Sámi.”

After World War II, pressure eased somewhat, and Sámi were formally included in postwar Norway, which emphasized diversity and tolerance. Greater autonomy followed, but the damage from earlier policies remained.

In 1997, King Harald V issued an official apology on behalf of the Norwegian state for the forced Norwegianization of the Sámi people. The apology marked a formal acknowledgment of harm by the state and remains an important reference point in Norway’s ongoing relationship with Sámi communities.

Norli bookstore | Bergen, Norway | February 2026 | See book titles in 'Further Reading/Resources' at the end.

Finnmark Today: A Recent Royal Visit

Finnmark remains one of the regions in Norway with the strongest Sámi presence. At the end of January 2026, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, the granddaughter of King Harald V and future Queen of Norway, chose Finnmark for her first official solo visit within the country.

See additional photos from the visit on the Norwegian Royal Family's scandal-free Instagram account.

Coming a generation after her grandfather’s public apology to the Sámi people, the visit drew attention both for its location and for its focus on everyday life in the region.

During the visit, she stayed in a traditional shepherd’s hut and spent time with a local family, learning firsthand about reindeer herding. She also visited local schools and the Sámi Parliament, meeting with community members and learning more about daily life in the region.

As part of the visit, she took part in everyday activities that reflect the realities of life in Finnmark. She traveled by snowmobile across the winter landscape and visited a local school whose transportation route is made up entirely of dog sleds. The route is the only one of its kind in Norway and reflects the practical ingenuity required to navigate life in such a remote environment.

While traveling near the Russian border, she met with students and received briefings from local police and a border patrol unit from the Armed Forces about their day-to-day responsibilities.

At the Sámi Parliament, the independent, democratically elected body representing the Sámi people, she delivered a speech emphasizing the importance of recognizing and protecting Indigenous communities. Speaking about her studies abroad, she noted similarities between Norway and Australia:

“Despite the many differences between Australia and Norway, we also share important similarities. One of them is that both countries have Indigenous populations. Indigenous peoples around the world have much in common, and unfortunately, they have endured a great deal of hardship throughout history.”

Looking to the Future

In the twenty-first century, Sámi culture continues to adapt to modern life. While no Sámi communities live entirely traditional lives today, interest in joik, duodji, and Sámi languages remains strong. Sámi theaters, literature, media, and broadcasting increasingly use Sámi languages in public and contemporary settings.

Although the effects of Norwegianization are still visible, meaningful changes continue to take place. Sámi National Day is one visible reminder of that ongoing work, both cultural and political.

The Sami Flag (Nordic Co-operation - info about the flag, including downloadable versions)

Literature & Memoir

(Fiction and narrative nonfiction exploring Sámi identity, memory, and resistance)

In Norwegian & Swedish

Sameproblemet by Kathrine Nedrejord
Skam by Ann-Helén Laestadius
Folk som sår i snø by Tina Harnesk
Dra ikke til havet by Elin Anna Labba

Together, these works explore identity, shame, resilience, and intergenerational memory, while engaging with the historical realities of assimilation and displacement.

Available in English