The Sámi of Sápmi: reindeer herding, the Sámi languages, the policy of Norwegianisation, the Sámi Parliament and rights today.
Faglig kvalitetssikret av lærere og toppstudenter · Følger læreplanen (LK20) · Sist oppdatert 2026-07-25
The Sámi are the only recognised indigenous people of the European Union and the Nordic region. Their homeland, Sápmi, stretches across the north of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula in Russia. For students in Norway, the Sámi are an important example of an indigenous people close to home.
Way of life
The Sámi are traditionally connected to the Arctic landscape, and reindeer herding remains a central part of Sámi culture and identity, although most Sámi today have other jobs. The joik is a unique form of Sámi song, and duodji means traditional Sámi handicraft.
The Sámi languages
There are several Sámi languages, the largest being North Sámi. Some are seriously endangered. Like many indigenous languages, they were weakened by government assimilation policies.
Norwegianisation
From the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, Norway followed a harsh policy of Norwegianisation (fornorsking): Sámi children were taught in Norwegian, and Sámi language and culture were suppressed. This caused deep loss of language and identity that still affects communities today.
Rights today
A turning point was the Alta conflict around 1980, a major protest against a hydropower dam on a Sámi river. It helped lead to the creation of the Sámi Parliament (Sámediggi) in Norway in 1989 and stronger legal rights. The Sámi national day is 6 February. Conflicts over land use – such as wind farms on reindeer grazing land (the Fosen case) – show that indigenous rights are still a live issue. …