Sápmi is the proper name for Sami or Laplanders
Original people of the north. A story worth telling.
The Laplanders are Scandinavia's aboriginal people. They were nomads who wandered freely over all of Scandinavia with their reindeer herds. They brought their own culture, traditions and language.
Today they live in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia.
The estimated number of Sami is 50,000-75,000. Of these 15,000-20,000 live in Sweden, 30,000-50,000 in Norway, 4,000-5,000 in Finland and about 2,000 in Russia. During the last few decades there has been a significant emigration of Sami from the traditional Sami areas, which means that many Sami today live outside this area. About 20% of the Sami in Sweden live outside the districts of Norrbotten, Västerbotten and Jämtland.
More info about Sweden here:www.groupsweden.com
Scroll down for photos!
SMS from Soppero by Ann-Helén Laestadius
book that won a prize
SMS from Sopperi is a lovely warm story about a girl that lives with her Mother in Solna, close to Stockholm. One day she suddenly gets a SMS from a boy in the Sapmi language.The message is:
Hej, din kusin Kristin visade en bild på dig och jag var tvungen att skicka ett sms. Hörde att du kommer upp snart. Då kanske vi ses. H.
That is like: Hi, your cousine Kristin showed me a photo of you and I had to send a SMS. Heard that you will come up soon. May be we can meet. H.
H stands for Henrik
Order the book here
If you can understand Swedish here is where you can get this lovely book. The bok got a prize for best book in a competition called: How it is to be a young sapmi today.
Sami and the wind mills
a problem
Today, Sept 2008 the first wind mills are erected by Swevind, on the land where the Sami need to bring their rein deers over the winter. The windmills will be followed by many more. There will eventually be 1000 up and running.Our Samis have had access to the land for their rein deers for centuries. It is even in the law that they have this vast land to let loose their animals on.
Now the land owners and power suppliers want to put up many wind mills on this very land. This will create a problem first at the construction and later about who is allowed to use the land now.
During the construktion time there will be about 400 kilometers of new roads built, where about 200 000 full loaded trucks will drive in estimated 10 years! The rain deer owners will not be able to use that land all that time.
Later when the issue about who will use the land, the sami has a demand to be paid a cost like rental. This problem is not solved yet. The request is now with the authoroties in the Swedish government.
Sami People: Traditions in Transitions
Sami People: Traditions in Transitions
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Release Date: 12/31/1969
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National anthem of the Sapmi
With beautiful photos
The circle is a symbol for both the sun and the moon. The sun circle is red and the moon circle is blue. The flag's colours - red, blue, green and yellow - are the same as in the traditional Sami costume, the kolt.
The story of the Sapmi
Originally the Sami made their living by fishing and hunting. It is likely that domesticated reindeer had been kept for a long time, as draught and pack animals as well as for milking and to entice wild reindeer when hunting them. During the 17th and 18th centuries reindeer husbandry was developed and the domesticated reindeer became the foundation of Sami livelihood.
Today only about 10% of the Sami in Sweden make a living by reindeer herding (between 2,300 and 2,700 persons). Nevertheless reindeer herding is considered a fundamental part of the Sami culture and according to Swedish law can only be carried on by Sami. Before the Sami culture was incorporated into the Swedish society, the Sami lived in small units (the sijdda) with limited cooperation between them and without a uniting institution or symbol. Despite this, the Sami have maintained a strong ethnic identity, even though already several hundred years ago they were formally incorporated in the social structures of their respective countries.
From the 1950s the Sami society has gone through a revolutionary development. In just a few decades the scattered Sami population has developed a collective identity, a uniting network and a political sense of belonging. Today the Sami consider themselves one people with a common origin. The area where the Sami live and traditionally have lived is considered a Sami nation and is called Sápmi. In each of the Nordic countries today there is a Sami parliament, the purpose of which is to increase the Sami participation and influence in the democratic process.
The experiences of the Sami are not unlike those of many other ethnic groups who today live within different national borders. It is difficult to point to the first time when the contact between the growing national state and the indigenous people took place. The Sami and Scandinavians have had contact and benefited from this relationship during a long time. Compared with other indigenous peoples, the Sami today enjoy a strong position.
Sweden is a democratic state that respects basic human rights. The Sami have the same rights as the rest of the population in Sweden and continue to live in the areas they have traditionally used, even though the land for the traditional way of life is shrinking because of the exploitation of raw materials, industrialization and other such uses.
However, the Sami face difficulties as a minority people in a majority society. On a structural level the legal position of the Sami has weakened throughout history and the possibilities of affecting their own life situation has continually decreased.
The Sami are the indigenous people of Sweden. This means that they lived here before Sweden established its national boundaries. The Swedish Parliament has also acknowledged the Sami as indigenous people. Indigenous people are defined as people who are descended from ethnic groups who lived in the country at the time present-day national borders were established and who totally or partially have maintained their social, economic, cultural and political institutions. The deciding factor is not whether these people have historically lived in a certain area longer than others. The fact that their social and cultural situation is special is of greater importance.
Info from www.fjallen.nu - scroll down for the link
Lapland gift shop on line
Buy a very special gift
Sami carvings
Gifts
- Lapland gift shop
- Many personal gifts. Hats, carvings and other
National Minorities of Finland, The Sámi
Written for Virtual Finland by Frank Horn, professor
The SámiThe Sámi are an indigenous people living in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. Known widely in the past as Lapps, the term "Lapp" is now considered derogatory by many Sámi. The Sámi have their own language, of which there are several variations, and their own culture, way of life and identity. Common history, traditions, livelihoods and customs unite the Sámi living in different countries. In total, they number 75,000 to 100,000. It is estimated that the current number of Sámi in Finland is about 7,500 or 0.15% of the population of Finland. The majority of them, some 4,000 persons, still live in their native area, known as the Sámi Homeland (Sámiid ruovttuguovlu), which is constituted by the three northernmost municipalities in the Province of Lapland, namely Utsjoki, Inari, and Enontekiö plus the northern part of the municipality of Sodankylä. Only in Utsjoki do they constitute a majority of the local residents. Overall, the Sámi constitute approximately one third of the residents within the Sámi Homeland. This area is of relevance for the implementation of the Sámi Language Act as well as the Act on the Sámi Parliament.
Continue reading here:
About Sami in Finland
A link to a Sami/Swedish company for Jeans
They will do a special test
- Denim Demon
- We have two styles out as we speak. Aajja and Aahka, which means Grandma and Granpa in Sami language. The Sami heritage is a true indigenous culture which dates back over 10 000 years. These people inhabit the very north part of four countries, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. Our family is a part of the Sami culture and growing up we used to spend a lot of time at our Grand parents´s house up in Stensjön, the country of Jämtland. These names are a reflection on where we come from and a tribute to our heritage.
Denim Demon is going to let 6 Sami people wear the jeans for six months and then after an evalutation of the wear will be done and a jeans collection presented.
Quoted from the homepage
Sami Drum
Link to information about Sami and sami drums
- Sami drum symbols
- Historically, drums figure heavily in ritualistic activities. The beat of a drum attracts attention and invites some type of physical response. Many images depicting religious or spiritual behavior among indigenous peoples include drums. This holds true when examining the traditional Sámi.
- Facts about Sami
- Sami policy has never been directed toward the establishment of a separate Sami nation state. Instead, it has concentrated more on establishing rights that will assure the survival and growth of the Sami and their culture in their own ancestral areas of settlement.
Art of Sapmi
For your walls
Lenses about Sweden and our Earth
The sami incluced are in jepardy
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Planet Earth - our home in space
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Atmosphere is the huge blanket of gas that circles the entire Earth. Without it, life as we know it could not exist. The atmosphere This blanket of gas starts at ground level and stretches 600 miles into the sky. However, most of this life-supporting...
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Sweden
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The table of content became so long so I put it in the end of the lens instead! Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden or Sverige, is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It has borders with Norway (west and north) an...
Book about Sami people in northern Europe
5 stars!
Northern Connections: Researching Your Sami (and Other) Ancestors in Northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia
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Are you just beginning to research your Northern European roots? Perhaps you are just now discovering that your family may have been Sami? This complete book will get you started on your journey to uncover your ancestors from the far North.
Release Date: 12/31/1969
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Just look at the sunset and sun down!!
Current weather conditions in Gallivare, Sweden
Local Pollen Reports
1°C (Feels like -2°C)
Last update: 10/12/08 11:50 PM Local Time
Humidity: 100%Visibility: 10.0 km
Dew Point: 1°C
UV Index: 0 (Lawn and Garden Weather)
Barometer: 993.9mm steady
Moon: Rush Hour Traffic
Wind: 10km/h From: Airport Conditions
Tonight
Low
Low: 0°C
Sunrise: 7:28 AM
Sunset: 5:18 PM
Monday
Oct 13
N/A
High: 5°C
Low: 0°C
Sunrise: 7:32 AM
Sunset: 5:14 PM
Tuesday
Oct 14
AM Light Snow
High: 2°C
Low: 0°C
Sunrise: 7:35 AM
Sunset: 5:10 PM
Wednesday
Oct 15
Rain / Snow
High: 3°C
Low: -1°C
Sunrise: 7:39 AM
Sunset: 5:06 PM
Read about the Sapmi´s
5 stars for all of them!
The Sami of Northern Europe (First Peoples)
Describes the history, modern and traditional cultural practices and economies, geographic background, and ongoing oppression and struggles of the Sami.
The geography of the people's homeland-the climate, the landforms, the flora and fauna, and so forth-is elaborated on, with a focus on how strong an influence environment has on their lives. Other topics include the history, economy, culture, and lifestyles of the group today. Each topic is discussed on a spread that features colorful, engaging, and well-selected photographs.
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Sami Culture in a New Era: The Norwegian Sami Experience
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God Wears Many Skins: Myth and Folklore of the Sami People
A spiritual resource for sustainable living, this poem records the creation story of the Sami, a nomadic people of Northern Europe, and then retells several Scandinavian folk-tales derived from their playfully animistic world view.
Release Date: 05/19/2008
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A new Swedish Movie - VARG
Meaning Wolf in English
I just have to tell you that a new movie is made in Sweden. It is about the Sápmi on the border between Sweden and Norway and the dilemma they have about killing a Wolf or not. It is really a current event of killing of a wolf in Sweden. The Sapmis are defending their reindeers.The movie is still in Swedish and Sápmi language but I will inform you when it is relieced in English too. The Critics say it is a very serious and trustworhy movie.
Karin Baer, a Sapmi woman here on a foto.
Sapmi you tube
Different sami videos
Beautiful pictures from northern Norway
The very special way of singing - jojk
Together with wonderful photo
Social function
The part of the tradition to have survived best in the face of western culture is the personal yoik. In the past, every single person had their own yoik. Most people have several, which develop as the individual grows and develops his or her personality. It is possible to yoik dead relatives, forgotten places and dramatic events, to make sure they do not disappear from the collective memory bank. When a conflict arises between two people, frustration can be expressed by inserted disparaging verses in the other person's yoik. In the same way, it is possible to express devotion by yoiking the person you love.
Read more about the Sápmi
Links to information
- samer
- This is the most wonderful link about Sápmi in English. This is the official hompage made by the Sami. You can read about the culture, find out about the background to their lives and - see these wonderful, beautiful photos. I have posted some of them here on this lens but there are more.
© Samiskt Informationscentrum
Sametinget
Box 582
831 27
ÖSTERSUND
tel: +46 63 15 08 70
info@samer.se
Inez Svonni Fjällström - Walk with them
- Together with the Sápmi people
- Radio station
- Click on the words "lyssna direkt" if you want to hear the Sami language. I hear it every day becuse the Swedish National Television has the new in Sami!
- National Parks
- The beauty is breath taking. Enjoy these peaceful photos. This is the link I took facts from.
- Photos
- Photos to look at online
- Link about Lapland
- There is so much to learn. This is a lovely link about the north. In Swedish it is spelled Lappland
Some photos from the life of the Sápmis
Can you imagine living in this beautiful land
The map shows were the Sápmi are living in four countries today.
Some photos of the Sápmi people
- and animals around them
Bear, Lynx, Wolverine, Grand Eagle, Moose, Wolves and foxes are just some of the animals beside the reindeers
Please tell me what you like about this lens
I enjoyed making it
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K_Linda
Thank you for so much wonderful information about a people that most know little or nothing about. Very interesting lens. 5*'s Posted October 10, 2008 |
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Evelyn_Saenz
I grew up believing that the Laplanders raised reindeer for Santa Claus. After the accident at Chernobyl I have worried about them and wondered how they have survived and if their land was again green. Thank you for such a beautiful portrait of the Laplanders. Posted October 05, 2008 |
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chefkeem
The first time I heard about Laplanders was from my father. He had fought in Norway and Finland during WW-2. This lens is a beautiful portrait of a beautiful people. Fantastic page, Irene! 5*s Posted October 05, 2008 |
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eccles1
wow I love this lens!! Posted September 21, 2008 |
