Sami mark 30th national day in the cold
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- 10 Feb 2023
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Norway’s indigenous Sami people have their own Parliament and are in the midst of a cultural reawakening. On the 30th anniversary of their national day, however, they’re still struggling for respect, reparations and preservation of native lands and language.
Sami in Norway are also awaiting an official report aimed at correcting past wrongs from a state commission named for what it’s seeking: truth and reconciliation. It’s due this summer, after a lengthy investigation into how Norwegian- and church authorities tried for generations to strip the Sami of their own culture and force them into using the Norwegian language and adapting to Norwegian norms. The process known as fornorsking was also imposed on the other ethnic groups in Northern Norway, the kvensk and norskfinnar, and is behind the discrimination still suffered by many.
Sami rights and culture have been recognized over the years, through, for example, the opening of their own Parliament in Karasjok in 1989. The establishment of the national day called Samefolkets dag in 1993 also helped, even though it doesn’t provide for a day off. The Norwegian government predictably issued its official greetings and congratulations on Monday, while Sami flags were raised all over the country. The government’s website once again featured the Sami flag and all its pages were decked out with the flag’s colours that signify blue for the moon, red for the sun and the green and yellow often used on various Sami dress. Read More…
