February 6th marks the date of the Sami National Day – a day celebrated with traditional music, good food - and lasso throwing.
2/6/2008 :: The day is celebrated in different ways in the local communities of the Sámis – in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The Sámis are the indigenous people of the Northern Cap, and through centuries they have held on to their cultural heritage, with unique clothing, arts and crafts, the musical form of joik, and reindeer herding.
As from 1993, they have also had their official National Day, sometimes called The Sámi People Day.
Song and lasso
Terje Tretnes, Sámi musician and politician, is currently in New York, where he has held several performances of the Sámi musical form joik, together with Johan Anders Bær, Per Tor Turi and Halvdan Nedrejord.
Tretnes explains that the Sámi National Day is celebrated in Sámi schools and other institutions. In the schools, the children gather for cooking and theatre, there are songs, speeches and games:
- For instance games of throwing lasso, Tretnes says.
In the evening, the celebration continues until late, with cultural acts, local revues and song.
Recognition
But it is not only a celebration, it is also a way of acknowledging the Sámi culture and community. The specific date was chosen because this was the date when the first Sámi national congress was held, in 1917 in Trondheim. This was the first time Sámis from North and South and from different countries gathered to talk about their shared challenges and problems. In 2004 February 6th was decleared official flag-flying day.
Tretnes explains that the symbols of the Sámi flag, the national anthem and the Sámi National Day all contribute in creating the Sámi identity.
- The day is a symbol of recognition of the Sámi culture, Tretnes says.
Silje Bekeng / Royal Norwegian Consulate General in New York