New chair of Finnish Saami Parliament
On 30 January, the Saami Parliament in Finland elected Pirita Näkkäläjärvi as the new chair.
Previously working as the chair of the cultural committee of the Saami Parliament, the 45-year-old Pirita Näkkäläjärvi from Aanaar was elected as the new chair of the parliament. Currently she is working as a PhD researcher at Sibelius Academy. Näkkäläjärvi won the election 13-8 against Anni Koivisto who was the II vice president during the previous electoral term.
Näkkäläjärvi will continue working for the Saami languages spoken in Finland. ‘It is most important that we pass the Saami language on to the next generations. All the traditional livelihoods must be strengthened. I also want to bring new thoughts to how we can increase subsistence here in Sápmi and for Saami across Finland so that our culture continues to the future’, Näkkäjärvi said.
