Sámi politics
Encyclopedia
Sámi politics refers to politics that concern the indigenous Sámi people
in Norway
, Sweden
, Finland
and Russia
. In a more narrow sense, it has come to indicate the government of Sámi affairs by Sámi political institutions. This article deals with Sámi political structures, with an emphasis on the contemporary institutions.
and Volundarkvida, talk about finnekonger ("Sámi kings"), which in contemporary history writing are interpreted as particularly wealthy Sámi, who were perhaps also chieftains. Archeological findings do indeed confirm that a certain degree of class society arose among the Sámi, due to the fur trade, in the early Middle Ages
. Little is known about the formal status of the "finnekonger", however. The name is in any case misleading, as nobility
has never been a part of Sámi culture.
(n. sam), refers to a unit of people who travel together and/or share a seasonal settlement. Väinö Tanner
s early 20th century account of the workings in this polity refer to it as "primitive communism", as there was an extensive sharing of goods and land - though certain parts of the land was private, and not common to the siida's members. Norraz (e. sam), a meeting of all households' leaders, served as parliament
, government
and court
.
Other sources speak of siida-isids, people who were primus inter pares
in the union of households. This person may be simply the head of the wealthiest or otherwise most successful household, a natural leader or even elected by the council of families. They are sometimes referred to simply as "village elders".
Elements of the siida system have survived among the Sámi who turned to reindeer herding and have remained semi-nomadic to this day. Most Sámi, though, gradually settled down in villages from the middle of the 16th century. Reindeer herding and settlement in villages were different strategies aimed at countering the same problem: The extinction of undomesticated reindeer, which had been a key source of income for the nomadic groups.
soon began expanding northwards, dividing Sámi lands into spheres of interest. A system of joint taxation was established for parts of the Sámi area, so that f.ex. the Sámi between the Lyngen Alps
and the White Sea
needed to pay taxes to both Norway
/Denmark–Norway
and Novgorod/Grand Duchy of Moscow
/Tsardom of Russia
. After the Time of Troubles
and Kalmar War
the borders became more concrete. In some areas, the Sámi still had to pay double taxes, though. The 18th century saw a further division of Sámi lands, between Denmark–Norway and Sweden
. The final agreement led to the creation of the Lapp Codicil of 1751
which admitted some rights to the indigenous people. Following the Napoleonic Wars
, Norway was transferred from Denmark to Sweden; while Finland went from Sweden to Russia. This meant a transfer of most of the Sámi population from one sovereign to another. In 1826 the land border between Sweden-Norway and the Russian Empire
in the northeast was finalized. While originally the siidas that were cut in two were to keep their rights on both sides of the border, this only lasted until Finland
became sovereign and in 1920 got the Soviet Union
's border regions with Norway. Norway then made an agreement with Finland, causing the split siidas to lose their now 'Norwegian' lands. Following World War II
, Finland lost the territories between Norway and the Soviet Union, leaving the borders as they are presently.
initiated wide-ranging reforms in democratic direction. During these reforms an assembly for the Sámi population was established on the Russian side of Sápmi, the Koladak Sobbar. This assembly would meet once a year in the town of Kola
, to debate and even decide on certain issues of relevance for the indigenous people. It is unknown when this assembly stopped functioning, but it did in any case not survive the Russian Revolution.
and Troms
counties, to save Sámi culture and language. Central people in these attempts were Per Fokstad
and Isak Saba
, both Coast Sámi. They were both activists in the Labour Party, which was one of the movements in Norway most positive to the Sámi cause at the time. Saba became the first Sámi elected to a national parliament in 1907. His poem Sámi soga lávlla would later be put to tone and declared the official 'Song of the Sámi people'. In 1917, the first international Sámi conference took place in Trondheim
, gathering North and South Sámi from Norway and Sweden. Two of the most important leaders in this movement were Elsa Laula Renberg
and Daniel Mortensson, both South Sámi This meeting to a large degree debated the problems of reindeer herding, and was important for the further development of the reindeer herding Sámi's organizing. It also holds great symbolic value for the Sámi per se, and the official 'Sámi People's Day
' was set to February 6, the date when the meeting began, to commemorate the occasion.
, Sämitigge in Inari Sami
, in Skolt Sami
). These are representative bodies for peoples of Sámi
heritage in Finland
, Sweden
and Norway
. There is also an ongoing attempt to set up a Sámi Parliament in Russia
. The three Sami Parliaments also have a common political framework called the Sámi Parliamentary Conference.
. It currently has 21 representatives, who are elected every four years by direct vote from the municipalities in the Sami Domicile Area
.
The Sami Parliament of Norway was opened on 9 October 1989, The seat is in Kárášjohka (Karasjok). It currently has 43 representatives, who are elected every four years by direct vote from 7 constituencies: Nuortaguovlu (Eastern region), Ávjovarri (Steep Mountain), Davveguovlu (North region), Gáiseguovlu (Mountainous region), Viestarmearra (Western Sea), Åarjiel-Saepmie (South Sápmi) and Lulli-Norga (South Norway). Unlike in Finland, the constituencies cover all of Norway - the last district encompassing the parts of Norway situated outside of Sápmi
.
The Sami Parliament of Sweden was opened on 26 August 1993. The seat is in Kiruna
. The parliament has 31 representatives, elected every four years by general vote.
Kuelnegk Soamet Sobbar (Kola Saami Assembly) was established in Murmansk December 12, 2010. Sámi Parliaments in Norway, Sweden, Finland have accepted the Kuelnegk Soamet Sobbar. The Russian government has not accepted the Russian Sámi Parliament. The Sami Parliament of Norway was opened in 1989. Representatives of Sami organizations in Russia have visited the Norwegian Sami Parliament in Karasjok to learn and want to learn more about the Norwegian Sami Parliament.
and the Russian Sámi associations. Between sessions, a Sámi Parliamentary Council operates.
The contemporary leaders of the Sámi people are the Sámi presidents. Each Sámi Parliament elects a President among their own numbers, so the Sámi political system today could be considered a cooperation between parliamentary democracies which are part of three sovereign states.
The Sámi Presidents cooperate through annual meetings, where the minister
s responsible for Sámi affairs in Finland, Norway and Sweden also take part. These meetings are organized through the Nordic Council of Ministers. The formal leadership of the Sámi Parliamentary Council rotates between the Presidents.
is the North Sámi Klemetti Näkkäläjärvi, a Licentiate in Philosophy
from Eanodat.
, a farmer
from Karasjohka
. He represents the Labour Party
.
from Luokta Mava siida in Johkamohkki. He represents the Sámiland Party.
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...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, 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...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In a more narrow sense, it has come to indicate the government of Sámi affairs by Sámi political institutions. This article deals with Sámi political structures, with an emphasis on the contemporary institutions.
Nomadic times
Originally, the Sámi were semi-nomadic - moving between fixed settlements as the seasons passed. Several groups would often join up in the winter, making winter settlements (dálvvadis - n. sam) larger and more diverse than the spring-, summer- and autumn-settlements (the báiki - n.sam). In several dálvvadis, such as Jåhkamåhkke, large winter markets were established and towns grew up.The "Finnekonger"
Norse sources from the 12th century and onwards, such as HeimskringlaHeimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
and Volundarkvida, talk about finnekonger ("Sámi kings"), which in contemporary history writing are interpreted as particularly wealthy Sámi, who were perhaps also chieftains. Archeological findings do indeed confirm that a certain degree of class society arose among the Sámi, due to the fur trade, in the early Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. Little is known about the formal status of the "finnekonger", however. The name is in any case misleading, as nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
has never been a part of Sámi culture.
The Siida system
From old, the term siidaSiida
The siida is a Sami local community that has existed from time immemorial. A siida , or a "reindeer pastoralistic district," is a Sami reindeer foraging area, a group for reindeer herding and a corporation working for the economic benefit of its members...
(n. sam), refers to a unit of people who travel together and/or share a seasonal settlement. Väinö Tanner
Väinö Tanner
Väinö Tanner was a pioneer and leader in the cooperative movement in Finland, and Prime Minister of Finland from 1926 to 1927....
s early 20th century account of the workings in this polity refer to it as "primitive communism", as there was an extensive sharing of goods and land - though certain parts of the land was private, and not common to the siida's members. Norraz (e. sam), a meeting of all households' leaders, served as parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
, government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
.
Other sources speak of siida-isids, people who were primus inter pares
Primus inter pares
Primus inter pares is Latin phrase describing the most senior person of a group sharing the same rank or office.When not used in reference to a specific title, it may indicate that the person so described is formally equal, but looked upon as an authority of special importance by their peers...
in the union of households. This person may be simply the head of the wealthiest or otherwise most successful household, a natural leader or even elected by the council of families. They are sometimes referred to simply as "village elders".
Elements of the siida system have survived among the Sámi who turned to reindeer herding and have remained semi-nomadic to this day. Most Sámi, though, gradually settled down in villages from the middle of the 16th century. Reindeer herding and settlement in villages were different strategies aimed at countering the same problem: The extinction of undomesticated reindeer, which had been a key source of income for the nomadic groups.
The Division of Sápmi (1200s - 1945s)
The Nordic states and the state of NovogorodNovgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic was a large medieval Russian state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th centuries, centred on the city of Novgorod...
soon began expanding northwards, dividing Sámi lands into spheres of interest. A system of joint taxation was established for parts of the Sámi area, so that f.ex. the Sámi between the Lyngen Alps
Lyngen Alps
The Lyngen Alps is a mountain range in northeastern Troms, North Norway, east of Tromsø, mostly in the municipalities of Lyngen and Balsfjord. The mountains follow the western shore of the Lyngen Fjord in a north-south direction...
and the White Sea
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
needed to pay taxes to both Norway
Hereditary Kingdom of Norway
The Kingdom of Norway as a unified realm was initiated by King Harald Fairhair in 9th century. His efforts in unifying the petty kingdoms of Norway, resulted in the first known Norwegian central government...
/Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway is the historiographical name for a former political entity consisting of the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway, including the originally Norwegian dependencies of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands...
and Novgorod/Grand Duchy of Moscow
Grand Duchy of Moscow
The Grand Duchy of Moscow or Grand Principality of Moscow, also known in English simply as Muscovy , was a late medieval Rus' principality centered on Moscow, and the predecessor state of the early modern Tsardom of Russia....
/Tsardom of Russia
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
. After the Time of Troubles
Time of Troubles
The Time of Troubles was a period of Russian history comprising the years of interregnum between the death of the last Russian Tsar of the Rurik Dynasty, Feodor Ivanovich, in 1598, and the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty in 1613. In 1601-1603, Russia suffered a famine that killed one-third...
and Kalmar War
Kalmar War
The Kalmar War was a war between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. Though Denmark soon gained the upper hand, she was unable to defeat Sweden entirely...
the borders became more concrete. In some areas, the Sámi still had to pay double taxes, though. The 18th century saw a further division of Sámi lands, between Denmark–Norway and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The final agreement led to the creation of the Lapp Codicil of 1751
Lapp Codicil of 1751
Lapp Codicil of 1751, often referred to as the Sami Magna Carta is an addendum to the Stromstad Treaty of 1751 that defined the Norwegian-Swedish border....
which admitted some rights to the indigenous people. Following the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, Norway was transferred from Denmark to Sweden; while Finland went from Sweden to Russia. This meant a transfer of most of the Sámi population from one sovereign to another. In 1826 the land border between Sweden-Norway and the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in the northeast was finalized. While originally the siidas that were cut in two were to keep their rights on both sides of the border, this only lasted until 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...
became sovereign and in 1920 got the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's border regions with Norway. Norway then made an agreement with Finland, causing the split siidas to lose their now 'Norwegian' lands. Following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Finland lost the territories between Norway and the Soviet Union, leaving the borders as they are presently.
Russian Empire
In the mid-19th century Czar Alexander II of RussiaAlexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
initiated wide-ranging reforms in democratic direction. During these reforms an assembly for the Sámi population was established on the Russian side of Sápmi, the Koladak Sobbar. This assembly would meet once a year in the town of Kola
Kola
Kola can refer to:*Kola nut, a genus of about 125 species of trees**Inca Kola, a cola soft drink made in Peru**Kola Real, a Peruvian soft drink**Kola Inglesa , a Peruvian soft drink...
, to debate and even decide on certain issues of relevance for the indigenous people. It is unknown when this assembly stopped functioning, but it did in any case not survive the Russian Revolution.
Nordic Countries
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a movement started in Norway's FinnmarkFinnmark
or Finnmárku is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. By land it borders Troms county to the west, Finland to the south and Russia to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea to the northwest, and the Barents Sea to the north and northeast.The county was formerly known as Finmarkens...
and Troms
Troms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
counties, to save Sámi culture and language. Central people in these attempts were Per Fokstad
Per Fokstad
Per Fokstad was a teacher, politician, and intellectual of Sami origin from Norway, and a pioneer in the fight for the use of the Sami languages in Norwegian schools.-Biography:...
and Isak Saba
Isak Saba
Isak Mikal Saba was a Sami teacher and politician. On October 11, 1906, he became the first Sami to be elected to the Stortinget, and he was the representative of Finnmark for the Norwegian Labour Party from 1907 to 1912.Isak Saba wrote the text to Sámi soga lávlla, which the Sami Conference made...
, both Coast Sámi. They were both activists in the Labour Party, which was one of the movements in Norway most positive to the Sámi cause at the time. Saba became the first Sámi elected to a national parliament in 1907. His poem Sámi soga lávlla would later be put to tone and declared the official 'Song of the Sámi people'. In 1917, the first international Sámi conference took place in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, gathering North and South Sámi from Norway and Sweden. Two of the most important leaders in this movement were Elsa Laula Renberg
Elsa Laula Renberg
Elsa Laula Renberg was a Sámi activist and politician. She was born to reindeer herders, Lars Thomasson Laula and Kristina Josefina Larsdotterb and grew up near Dikanäs. After receiving training school in Stockholm as a midwife, she returned home to live near Dikanäs...
and Daniel Mortensson, both South Sámi This meeting to a large degree debated the problems of reindeer herding, and was important for the further development of the reindeer herding Sámi's organizing. It also holds great symbolic value for the Sámi per se, and the official 'Sámi People's Day
Sami National Day
The Sami National Day falls on February 6 as this date was when the first Sámi congress was held in 1917 in Trondheim, Norway. This congress was the first time that Norwegian and Swedish Sámi came together across their national borders to work together to find solutions for common problems.In 1992,...
' was set to February 6, the date when the meeting began, to commemorate the occasion.
The Parliamentary structures
Modern Sámi politics are mainly based on the Sami Parliaments (Sámediggi in Northern SamiNorthern 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,...
). These are representative bodies for peoples of Sámi
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...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. There is also an ongoing attempt to set up a Sámi Parliament in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. The three Sami Parliaments also have a common political framework called the Sámi Parliamentary Conference.
Finland
The Sami Parliament of Finland was opened on 2 March 1996, so far the last Sámi parliament to be inaugurated. However, in reality this parliament was based on an elected "Sámi delegation" which preceded all the other parliaments and inspired their creation. The parliament is situated in AanaarInari, 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...
. It currently has 21 representatives, who are elected every four years by direct vote from the municipalities in the Sami Domicile Area
Sami 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...
.
Norway
Sapmi
Sapmi can refer to:* Nation of the Sami people* Sápmi , the area where the Sami people live in northern Europe* A Sami cultural park located in Kárášjohka...
.
Sweden
Kiruna
Kiruna is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is the seat of Kiruna Municipality Kiruna (Northern Sami: Giron, Finnish: Kiiruna) is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is...
. The parliament has 31 representatives, elected every four years by general vote.
Russian Committee for a Sámi Parliament
On December 14, 2008 the 1st Congress of the Russian Sámi took place. The Conference decided to demand the formation of a Russian Sámi Parliament, to be elected by the local Sámi. A suggestion to have the Russian Federation pick representatives to the Parliament was voted down with a clear majority. The Congress also chose a Council of Representatives that were to work for the establishment of a Parliament, and otherwise represent the Russian Sámi.Kuelnegk Soamet Sobbar (Kola Saami Assembly) was established in Murmansk December 12, 2010. Sámi Parliaments in Norway, Sweden, Finland have accepted the Kuelnegk Soamet Sobbar. The Russian government has not accepted the Russian Sámi Parliament. The Sami Parliament of Norway was opened in 1989. Representatives of Sami organizations in Russia have visited the Norwegian Sami Parliament in Karasjok to learn and want to learn more about the Norwegian Sami Parliament.
The Sámi Parliamentary Conference and Council
As of 2001, the parliaments have been united through the Sámi Parliamentary Conference. In this annual meeting, a plenary of all Sámi Parliamentarians meet - together with observators from the Sámi CouncilSaami Council
The Saami Council is an umbrella organization for Sámi organizations in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The Saami Council was founded during the 2nd Sámi Conference held in Karasjok, Norway on August 18, 1956 as the Nordic Saami Council. After the first Russian Sámi organization was accepted...
and the Russian Sámi associations. Between sessions, a Sámi Parliamentary Council operates.
The Presidents
The Sámi Presidents cooperate through annual meetings, where the minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
s responsible for Sámi affairs in Finland, Norway and Sweden also take part. These meetings are organized through the Nordic Council of Ministers. The formal leadership of the Sámi Parliamentary Council rotates between the Presidents.
The Finnish side
Current president on the Finnish side of SápmiSapmi
Sapmi can refer to:* Nation of the Sami people* Sápmi , the area where the Sami people live in northern Europe* A Sami cultural park located in Kárášjohka...
is the North Sámi Klemetti Näkkäläjärvi, a Licentiate in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from Eanodat.
The Norwegian side
Current president on the Norwegian side, and of the most powerful of the Sámi parliaments, is the North Sámi Egil OlliEgil Olli
Egil Andreas Olli is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. In September 2007, he became President of the Sami Parliament of Norway when he replaced Aili Keskitalo after she stepped down upon the collapse of the coalition she was heading...
, a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
from Karasjohka
Karasjok
Kárášjohka or is a village and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Karasjok.-Name:Karasjok is a Norwegianized form of the Sámi name Kárášjohka...
. He represents the Labour Party
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
.
The Swedish side
Current president of the Sámi in Sweden is the Lule Sámi Lars-Anders Baer, a lawyerLawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
from Luokta Mava siida in Johkamohkki. He represents the Sámiland Party.