Sami are indigenous people who live in Sápmi, which includes northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula within the Murmansk Oblast of Russia. Half of the Sami population live in Norway (around 40.000 people).
Have you seen Disney’s film Frozen? Then you know a bit of the Sami people. Remember the opening song that starts with “Na Na Na Heyana”? It’s an evocative melody called Vuelie and is based on indigenous vocal music of Sami. Vuelie is composed by the Norwegian Frode Fjellheim. Frozen was kind of criticized for being unclear about the importance of the indigenous people. That’s why they became the center of the plot in Frozen 2.
Other connections: Christopher’s shoes are similar to one kind of Sami’s shoes. His best friend is a reindeer. Reindeers are easily found at Sápmi. Tundra people in Frozen 2 have some similarities to Sami people.
Sami in Norway.
In Norway, they are to be respected and learned about. February, 6th is Sami’s national day. Their language is quite different from Norwegian. Although they have their own flag, schools, they are considered part of Norway. Sami language is official language in Norway alongside as Norwegian. Samis have their own parliament to make decisions that concern their community.
via Wikimedia Commons
By Kenneth Hætta –
Nowadays, tourists who travel to the North of Norway can experience Sami food, songs, traditions, reindeer feeding and sledding. My friend Carol took this activity with her family. They loved it. One Sami man was teaching her child to throw the noose. No matter how many times that took for the child to do it right, “a Sami never gives up”, the man said. He was patient and keen on teaching the kid. My friend was impressed.
This picture: Southern Sami Laplander traditional costume (gakti or kofte) from Norway. Exhibited at a museum in Oslo, Norway.
Tour guides like this one are possible from Tromsø, for example.
Check my cute post with a video from the Sami man singing on my Instagram.
Joik is a typical Sami music. One of the oldest in Europe. You can listen on Spotify.
You can read more about Sami people on Sami blog.Saamiblog: http://saamiblog.blogspot.com