Wednesday, February 06, 2013


Today is The Sami People's Day




The Nordic Sami Council decided in 1992 to celebrate a joint Sami National Day, and the first was celebrated on February 6th 1993.

A Sami woman in traditional garb

It marks the date of the first Sami National Convention in Trondheim in 1917. This was the first time the Sami gathered around common interests, across national Nordic boundries.

After 100 years of "Norwegianization", Sami spokesmen started working for a recognition of Sami culture, language and Sami rights around the turn of the century.

The Sami language is again used in local schools, and a Sami Parliament has been established in Norway

The Sami are also campaigning for first rights to natural resources in their region.

The Sami anthem and flag were approved at a Nordic Sami Convention in 1986.

The Sami National Day on February 6th has been made official flag day in Norway, and the Sami flag is flown on all official buildings, alone or alongside the Norwegian flag.


Around 40,000 Samis live in Norway, 20,000 in Sweden and 7,000 in Finland. In addition, an estimated 2,000 live in Russia.

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