The Sámi people are the indigenous people of the northern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. They live in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. There is no reliable information on the population of the Sámi people; however, it is estimated to be between 50,000 and 110,000.
The Sámi people are represented by three Sámi parliaments, one in Sweden, one in Norway and one in Finland, while on the Russian side they are organized in NGOs. In 2000, the three Sámi parliaments established a joint council of representatives called the Sámi Parliamentary Council. The Sámi Parliamentary Council should not be confused with the Sámi Council, which is a central Sámi NGO representing large national Sámi associations (NGOs) in the four countries.
There are other important Sámi institutions, both regional and local, including the Sámi University of Applied Sciences, which is a research and higher education institution dedicated to the needs of Sámi society and where the Sámi language is primarily used throughout the academic system. Sweden, Norway and Finland voted in favor of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in September 2007, while Russia abstained.
According to IWGIA, about 20,000 live in Sweden, which is approximately 0.22% of Sweden’s total population of about nine million. The northwestern part of Swedish territory is the traditional territory of the Sami people. Sami reindeer herders, small farmers, hunters, gatherers and fishermen traditionally use these lands. Approximately 2,000 live in Russia, which is a very small proportion of the total Russian population. About 50-65,000 live in Norway, between 1.06% and 1.38% of the total Norwegian population of about 4.7 million. About 8,000 live in Finland, which is about 0.16% of the total Finnish population of about 5 million.
In mid-April of this year, a Sámi delegation from Finland spoke at the UN Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues and expressed disappointment at how legislation pertaining to their rights has been handled in Helsinki, as reported by Euronews. Finland’s Primer Minister Sanna Marin has been criticized for not putting enough effort on the Sámi Parliament Act, which is meant to define how the Finnish government acts on matters that affect Sámi people, as well as its interaction the Sámi Parliament.
Even though they are considered part of the same people, 9 different languages are used by the Sami community throughout their territory. These languages know no political borders. A Sami from the Nordic Lapland can perfectly communicate with one from the Swedish Lapland.
It is difficult to talk about the Sámi without mentioning reindeer. The basis of Sami society revolves around these beautiful animals, which for centuries have been domesticated by these indigenous peoples, especially during the development of mass herding that grew between the 16th and 18th centuries and continues to this day.
Joik – also called Luothi, vuolle, vuelie or juoiggus – is a style of traditional music native to Sami communities. The person who performs joik is commonly called joikaaja (in Finnish), joiker (in Norwegian) or jojkare (in Swedish). This interesting form of cultural expression carries a deep personal or spiritual meaning on the part of the joiker, usually dedicated to a being, animal or landscape. The joik does not seek to describe, he seeks to be.
Their traditional dress (called Gakti) does not go unnoticed and is probably the quickest way to identify a member of a Sami community. The garments are usually woven by family members or close friends of the wearer and their designs, besides being artistic, have interesting meanings: A traditional Sámi garment indicates the gender of the wearer, as well as the region he or she comes from, his or her family lineage and marital status.
