Sámi National Day is a communal day for celebrating the culture and heritage of the Sámi, the indigenous people of the high north regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.
Sámi are descended from nomadic people who inhabited northern Scandinavia for thousands of years. Sámi country – known as Sápmi – stretches across the northern part of Scandinavia and Russia’s Kola Peninsula. There is no census for the Sámi, but the population is estimated at around 80,000 people, with more than half living in Norway. There are about 50,000 Sámi in Norway, 20,000 in Sweden, 8,000 in Finland and 2,000 in Russia.
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 threatened. Sámi people from all Nordic countries came together for this historic gathering, to discuss common issues and challenges that went beyond their nation states’ borders, and to work together to find mutual solutions.
The assembly was initiated by Elsa Laula Renberg, a Sámi politician, activist, and writer from Sweden who actively campaigned to organize the Sámi people so they could form a political presence. Around 150 people were in attendance, and the main issues discussed were reindeer farming, and the demand for a separate Sámi school.
Sámi History: Righting the Wrongs of the Past
The Sámi are experiencing a strong renaissance. But only in the past three decades of the modern age have the Sami people made strides in the story of Norway.
For centuries, the Sámi and the dominant peoples of Scandinavia had relatively little contact; the Sámi primarily lived in the far north, while Scandinavians lived in the southern coastal regions. 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.
The strongest pressure took place from around 1900 to 1940, when Norway invested considerable money and effort to wipe out Sámi culture. “Norwegianization” marginalized the Sami culture and led to social structural changes since the Sami were offered a place in the Norwegian nation only if they left behind everything that was considered “Sámi”.
After World War II, the pressure was relaxed and the Sámi were to be an accepted part of a post-war Norway, whose focus was now on promoting diversity and tolerance. Sámi were given more autonomy, but much damage had been done.
In 1997, King Harald V, on behalf of the Norwegian Government and State, made an official apology to the Sámi people for the appalling behavior of the Norwegian majority and forced Norwegianization policies.
A Distinct and Rich Cultural Heritage
The Sámi are mostly known for reindeer herding, music and food, as well as their traditional Sámi handicraft, duodji.
The Sámi have had to make many of the everyday items they needed and during the nomadic period, when the Sámi families moved around with their reindeer, there was no room for unnecessary items. Everything they took with them fulfilled some function, and the design of the objects was adapted to a traveling life. The materials were taken from nature, such as roots, birch-bark, skins and reindeer antlers.
Handicrafts have a strong symbolic value for the Sámi identity and way of life. The Sámi word for handicrafts is duodji, and it refers to the creative activity that is performed with the hands using various materials. Duodji uses predominantly natural materials such as leather, fur, wood, tree roots, horns and bones to make various objects. The reindeer was widely used. Other traditional materials that have been used are glass beads, tin, and wool. Duodji has been and remains an important part of Sámi society.
The gákti is the most important and well-known traditional Sámi garment; it varies from place to place, just as the bunad (the Norwegian national costume) does. The design bears a lot of symbolism, and every design feature has a meaning to it. It is colorful, reflecting the diversity of Sámi people. They gákti was traditionally made from reindeer skin, but wool, cotton or silk are more common in modern times.
Reindeer: A Central Part of the Sámi Culture
There are more than 200,000 reindeer in Norway, and the animal has always been a central part of the Sámi culture. Until recently, herding reindeer has been the basis of the Sámi economy. The nomadism has all but disappeared, and today herders tend to reindeer while their families live in permanent homes.
The Sámi continue to live by a ‘nose to tail’ diet where every part of the animal is utilized and not wasted. The meat is used for cooking, fur and skin for clothes and shoes, and the horns are transformed into everything from useful tools to beautiful art.
Reindeer is also very central in Sámi cuisine. It is served in many different ways, but the most famous dish is bidos, a stew made from carrots, potatoes, and slow-cooked reindeer meat. Reindeer meat is very lean, high in protein and has low fat content. It has actually been compared to fish, in terms of nutritional value. You can find it in local supermarkets across Norway, but it is a bit expensive, so even here it’s an occasional treat.
I have been fortunate enough to sample reindeer a few times, around the holidays last year, and for my third time today, in honor of Sámi National Day. We prepared bidos here at the mountain lodge, and added it to the menu as a special item that could be purchased by guests.
To learn more about bidos, check out this post from North Wild Kitchen.
Traditional Sámi Song
Sámi culture has many unique forms of expression. Joik (or ‘yoik’), one of the oldest song traditions in Europe, is alive and well. The concepts of "music" and "song" in Western culture are not completely applicable to the yoik. Sámi see the world as following the circular patterns of nature, and the structure of the yoik follows their worldview of "No beginning, no end". A yoik is dedicated to a person, an animal or a place, and the harmonies reproduce the qualities of the object of the song. It is not a song in the sense that it is about something.
Ursula Länsman of the Finnish Sámi folk group Angelit explains:
A yoik is not merely a description; it attempts to capture its subject in its entirety: it's like a holographic, multi-dimensional living image, a replica, not just a flat photograph or simple visual memory. It is not about something, it is that something. It does not begin and it does not end. A yoik does not need to have words – its narrative is in its power, it can tell a life story in song. The singer can tell the story through words, melody, rhythm, expressions or gestures.
For three summers, I volunteered at a week-long fjellyoga (‘mountain yoga’) camp here in Hallingdal. Attendees have come from various parts of Norway, and one summer a Sámi woman had come to the camp from Finnmark (Norway’s northernmost province and home to most of the country’s Sámi population).
In one of the last few days of the camp, after our group dinner, she sang for all of us. Everyone was captivated, and you could sense the pride she felt in sharing this special gift from her culture.
It was an experience that I will always treasure.
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Musical note: If you saw my IG or FB story for this blog post, the song I used is called ‘The Reindeer Herder’s Joik” by Swedish-Sámi singer Jon Henrik Fjällgren, one of a number of young artists giving new life to Sámi joik.
The Sámi People: Looking to the Future
In the twenty-first century, Sámi culture is meeting the modern world in a new way. No Sámi people live a completely traditional life today, and the everyday lives of many of these indigenous people appear very modern indeed. At the same time, however, interest in joik, duoddji and the language itself is increasing rapidly. Traditional joik is being blended with modern rhythms. The Sámi National Theatre, rich production of literature, Sámi media and broadcasting are all using the Sámi language in new fora. This indicates that there is hope for the language and culture.
Although the consequences of Norwegianization are still visible, and the process of righting the wrongs of the past is still ongoing, great strides are being made. The Sámi people have had a very long and often tumultuous history in Norway, but there has been a significant shift towards the celebration of the Sámi as a rich part of Norwegian and world culture and history.
And today, on Sámi National Day, their flag waves proud and high.
A Few Notes + Additional Resources
I pulled the information for this post from various sources on the web. When I share information about different aspects of Norway (or anything), it is important to me that what I’m sharing is accurate and I’m grateful to those who are willing to help.
Special thanks to my friend Erik, a proud Sámi who lives in Tromsø, for his willingness to review a draft of this post before I published it. He even said he learned a few things, which of course made me feel veldig bra (very good)!
I hope you take the time to learn more about the Sámi people, on this special day. I have linked some resources below if you’re interested in exploring further. You can also search for the hashtag #SamiNationalDay on social media.
The Sami (Northern Norway - a nice overview + photos)
Experience the Sami Culture in Norway (Visit Norway - eight fascinating facts about the Sámi)
The Sami Department (KulturPunkt lets you explore and immerse yourself in cultural locations)
Sami: The People Who Walk With Reindeer (National Geographic - beautiful photos)
Assimilation of the Sami in Early 20th Century (from Historiana - made by and for history educators across Europe)
Sami People of the North (Benk&Bo, a social enterprise rooted in sustainable choices, craftsmanship and community)
Elsa Laula Renberg (SKBL: ‘Swedish women's biographical dictionary’)
The Sami Flag (Nordic Co-operation - info about the flag + downloadable versions)
The Sámi – a united but diverse people (more about language and clothing)
The Sami Yoik (detailed explanation of Yoik)
Contestants Learn How To Yoik (Americans attempt to yoik in this 5-min. clip from the reality TV series ‘Alt for Norge’)
Seven Sámi artists you should know (Music Finland)
Integral to the Culture, Sami Languages Stay Vibrant in Finland (this is Finland)
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