A brief introduction

The Sami are often referred to as one people, but they are in fact several peoples. The various sub-groups have common ethnic and linguistic roots, but still individual identities and languages.

Historically, the Sami lived in areas stretching across today’s Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Sapmi is the common name used for these territories today.

The historical Sami were fishers, hunters, and gatherers. Against all odds, the Sami ways of life survived well into our own time – and continue today, adapted to the modern-day world.

From the early 1900s onwards, the Sami started to organise across state borders: to push back on harsh integration-policies, and to fight for ancient territorial rights.

Symbols of identity

In recent decades, the Sami have come a long way when it comes to formalising their rights, including the protection of languages and cultures.

6 February is the Sami National Day. The date commemorates the first cross-border Sami assembly held in Trondheim, Norway, in 1917.

The Sami National Anthem – Sámi soga lávlla – is based on a poem written by Isak Saba in 1906. Arne Sørli composed the music in 1961.

The 13th Nordic Sami Conference, held in Åre, Sweden, on 15 August 1986, adopted a new and official Sami flag; following a flag-design competition won by the Sami artist Astrid Båhl, from Skibotn in Troms, Norway.

The flag’s design

Astrid Båhl designed the official Sami flag based on symbols taken from the traditional Sami drum and the poem Paiven parneh by Anders Fjellner.

Båhl based the core structure on an earlier and unofficial version of a Sami flag, designed by Máret Stueng in 1962.

In his poem, Anders Fjellner describes the Sami as children of the sun. The circle in the flag symbolises both the sun and the moon.

The colours used in the Sami flag are based on the most common colours used when making traditional Sami clothes.

Source: Sametinget sametinget.no | EGP.00009

The old Norwegian farm | Cutting marsh grass on the frozen lake

To make sure he could tide the animals over the long and cold winter, the historical Norwegian farmer utilised all available resources.

The Norwegian mountain safety code | Always be prepared

The majestic Norwegian mountains can be treacherous – and they steal human lives every year. Study the Norwegian mountain code – and be prepared for your next journey.

Norwegian herder-children | Roaming the mountains all alone

In olden Norway, the farm-animals were sent off to the mountains and forests all summer. With them came a herder to guard them, and a maid to turn their milk into cheese and butter.

The old Norwegian farm | Memories from Langfjordbotn in Finnmark

Langfjordbotn – in Norway’s northernmost region Finnmark – was the birthplace of Oluf Røde, born in 1889.

Practical farming in Norway in 1815 | The month of January

6 January is the 13th day of Christmas, marking the end of the holiday season on the old Norwegian farm. Now was the time to fully return to the everyday grind.

The global seed vault | An Arctic Noah’s ark

On an island in the Arctic Ocean, deep inside a mountain, we find the Svalbard Global Seed Vault – a treasure trove of food-plant seeds from all over the world.

Åre | Means open fire on the floor in Norwegian

Åre is a Norwegian noun that means an open fireplace, placed on the floor in the middle of a room. The smoke goes up and out through a vent in the roof – the ljore.

Kipe | Means a basket in Norwegian

A kipe is a tall, woven basket, often made of twigs from the birch tree. It was carried on the back, and typically used when carrying loads in a landscape full of steep fields and paths.

Remembering schoolteacher Eilert Wulff | Norway AD 1904

After a brief illness, schoolteacher Eilert Wulff of Hammerfest died on 22 October 1904. He was survived by his wife Dorothea Sæther, 28, and son Aksel, 2.

The Sapmi and Sami flag | A symbol of unity

A brief introduction

Symbols of identity

The flag’s design