The Sámi are the indigenous people who have lived in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia for over 2500 years. The Sámi consider themselves to be one people and call their traditional homeland Sápmi in the Sámi language. Today, there are approximately 70,000 - 80,000 Sámi in the four countries, with the largest population of about 40,000 in Norway. There are many Sámi living throughout Norway, but there is still a large concentration of the Sámi in the three northern counties of Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark.
Today I found a wonderful site online called "Gáldu, Kompetansesenteret for urfolks rettigheter" or "Gáldu, Resource Centre for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples." This center is located in Kautokeino, and its website has a thorough and beautifully designed pdf document with information about all aspects of Sámi culture. You can download the document in English or Norwegian. You can also download the document in smaller segments in English or Norwegian.
In addition, there are several short videos about different aspects of the Sámi culture. Below you see the Norwegian version of the video "Et moderne urfolk – samene (A Modern Indigenous People – The Sámi)," but you can access all the videos in English, Norwegian, and Sámi.
Other good sources for information about the Sámi are:
- Sami Parliament (English / Norwegian)
- Web Exhibition: Sámi Faith and Mythology (English / Norwegian)
I especially liked the "Billedfortellinger," the second link down on the left side. There are several narrated slide shows in Norwegian:
"Samisk tro og mytologi" / "Noaiden og tromma"
"De levende og de døde" / "Hellig landskap" / "Kristningen"
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