Sami Parliament of Finland
Encyclopedia
The Sami Parliament of Finland (Saamelaiskäräjät in Finnish
, Sámediggi in Northern Sami
, Sämitigge in Inari Sami
, in Skolt Sami
) is the representative body for people of Sami
heritage in Finland
. The parliament consists of 21 elected mandates. The current president is Klemetti Näkkäläjärvi, the first vice-president is Irja Seurujärvi-Kari, and the second vice president is Erkki Lumisalmi.
The act establishing the Finnish Sami Parliament was passed on 9 November 1973. The original name of was Sámi parlameanta in Northern Sami
. Martti Ahtisaari passed an act called Laki saamelaiskäräjistä (The Sámi Parliament Act) on 17 July 1995. This law was amended and a decree passed on 22 December 1995 and on 2 March 1996, Sámi parlameanta officially became Sámediggi.
and also their status as an indigenous people. The Finnish Sámi Parliament decides on the distribution of the funds it receives that are earmarked for use by the Sámi. It can also sponsor bills and release statements on matters that fall under its jurisdiction.
The Finnish Sámi Parliament is a separate branch of the Ministry of Justice and is an independent legal body subject to public law with its own governing body, accountants and auditors.
The parliament has working groups for: education and education materiel, Sami livelihood and rights, culture, social issues and health, election, and Sami language.
. Each of the municipalities in the Sámi Domicile Area (Enontekiö
, Utsjoki
, Inari
and Sodankylä
) has thus at least 3 representatives and 1 deputy representative each.
According to the Sámi parliament law (974/1995, §3) a person is eligible for voting if they consider themselves as a Sámi, and:
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, Sámediggi in Northern Sami
Northern Sami
Northern or North Sami is the most widely spoken of all Sami languages. The speaking area of Northern Sami covers the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland...
, Sämitigge in Inari Sami
Inari Sami
Inari Sámi is a Uralic, Sami language spoken by the Inari Sami of Finland. It has approximately 300 speakers, the majority of whom are middle-aged or older and live in the municipality of Inari. According to the Sami Parliament of Finland 269 persons used Inari Sami as their first language. It is...
, in Skolt Sami
Skolt Sami
Skolt Sami is a Uralic, Sami language spoken by approximately 400 speakers in Finland, mainly in Sevettijärvi, and approximately 20–30 speakers of the Njuõˊttjäuˊrr dialect in an area surrounding Lake Lovozero in Russia. Skolt Sami used to also be spoken on the Neiden area of Norway,...
) is the representative body for people of Sami
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
heritage in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The parliament consists of 21 elected mandates. The current president is Klemetti Näkkäläjärvi, the first vice-president is Irja Seurujärvi-Kari, and the second vice president is Erkki Lumisalmi.
The act establishing the Finnish Sami Parliament was passed on 9 November 1973. The original name of was Sámi parlameanta in Northern Sami
Northern Sami
Northern or North Sami is the most widely spoken of all Sami languages. The speaking area of Northern Sami covers the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland...
. Martti Ahtisaari passed an act called Laki saamelaiskäräjistä (The Sámi Parliament Act) on 17 July 1995. This law was amended and a decree passed on 22 December 1995 and on 2 March 1996, Sámi parlameanta officially became Sámediggi.
Responsibilities
Some of the responsibilities of the Finnish Sámi Parliament include matters related to the languages and culture of the SámiSami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
and also their status as an indigenous people. The Finnish Sámi Parliament decides on the distribution of the funds it receives that are earmarked for use by the Sámi. It can also sponsor bills and release statements on matters that fall under its jurisdiction.
The Finnish Sámi Parliament is a separate branch of the Ministry of Justice and is an independent legal body subject to public law with its own governing body, accountants and auditors.
The parliament has working groups for: education and education materiel, Sami livelihood and rights, culture, social issues and health, election, and Sami language.
Voting System
The Finnish Sámi Parliament has 21 representatives and 4 deputy representatives, who are elected every 4 years from the Sami Domicile AreaSami Domicile Area
The Sami native region of Finland is the northernmost part of the Lapland Province in Finland, home of approximately half of Finland's Sami population...
. Each of the municipalities in the Sámi Domicile Area (Enontekiö
Enontekiö
Enontekiö is a municipality in the Finnish part of Lapland with approx. inhabitants. It is situated in the outermost northwest of the country and occupies a large and very sparsely populated area of about between the Swedish and Norwegian border...
, Utsjoki
Utsjoki
Utsjoki is a municipality in Finland. It is located in Lapland and borders Norway as well as the municipality of Inari. The municipality was founded in 1876. It has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
, Inari
Inari, Finland
Inari is Finland's largest, sparsely populated municipality with four official languages, more than any other in the country. Its major sources of income are lumber industry and nature maintenance. With the museum Siida in the village of Inari, it is a center of Sami culture...
and Sodankylä
Sodankylä
-Twin towns: Kola, Russia, since 1968 Berlevåg, Norway, since 1971 Norsjö, Sweden, since 1977 Heiligenblut, Austria, since 1979-External links:* – Official website* * * * * *...
) has thus at least 3 representatives and 1 deputy representative each.
According to the Sámi parliament law (974/1995, §3) a person is eligible for voting if they consider themselves as a Sámi, and:
- They, or one of their parents or grandparents used Sámi as mother tongue, or
- They are descended from a person in the mountain, forest, or fisher Lapp Sámi register (tunturi-, metsä tai kalastajalappalaiseksi), or
- At least one of their parents are, was, or could have been, eligible for voting at the Sámi parliament of 1995 or the Sámi council of 1973.
See also
- List of Presidents of the Sami Parliament of Finland
- Sami parliaments
- Sámi parliament of NorwaySami Parliament of NorwayThe Sami Parliament of Norway is the representative body for people of Sami heritage in Norway. It acts as an institution of cultural autonomy for the indigenous Sami people....
- Sámi parliament of SwedenSami Parliament of SwedenThe Sami Parliament of Sweden is the representative body for people of Sami heritage in Sweden. It acts as an institution of cultural autonomy for the indigenous Sami people.-History:...
- Sámi parliament of Norway
- Elections in NorwayElections in NorwayNorway elects its legislature on a national level. The parliament, the Storting , has 169 members elected for a four year term by the proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies.Norway has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining...