Saami

The Executive Board of the Saami Parliament in Finland recommended the election committee to be reappointed ahead of the 24 June repeat elections.

On 18 April, the 30th birthday of the only museum dedicated to Saami language and literature in the Russian Federation was celebrated in the village of Revda of Murmansk Region.

The Supreme Administrative Court of Finland decided that the vote must be considered invalid due to a significant amount of individuals omitted from the election list.

Last December, the Finnish Government submitted a proposal to Parliament to amend the law on the Saami Parliament. The aim is to promote the realisation of the right of self-determination of the Saami and to improve the working conditions of the Saami self-government and the Saami collections, especially with regard to language and culture. The proposal implements Petter Orpo's government programme and has been drafted in cooperation with the Saami Parliament.

The governor of the oblast, Andrei Chibis, congratulated the local Saami people on the occasion of the celebration and noted that the Saami will be given a great deal of support, with 53 million roubles earmarked for 2023.

Je'vida and Máhccan are among the nominees for the Finnish Jussi Award.

On 30 January, the Saami Parliament in Finland elected Pirita Näkkäläjärvi as the new chair.

On 6 February 1917, the Saami living in the Nordic countries began their political cross-border cooperation. The day was designated as the Saami National Day in 1992.

After many years of work, the Norwegian Truth and Reconciliation Commission handed in its report to the country’s parliament on 1 June. The commission investigated the Norwegianisation policy and its effects on the Saami, Kvens and Forest Finns.

The Saami community in Russia was divided in half after the war in Ukraine began. Some of the Saami have taken part in protests in support of the Russian attack, Justas Stasevskiy reports on YLE.

The Sami Language Support Centre has been opened at the Institute of Linguistics of the Murmansk Arctic State University. The university is the only institution in Russia that teaches the Sami language in the master's degree.

For the first time, only Sámi artists will be presented in a national pavilion at the Venice Biennale, and for the first time, the Sámi will be recognised as a nation in a pavilion that bears their name.