The Prime Minister celebrated the Sami national day with the children

The children in the Sami kindergarten at Tøyen in Oslo celebrated the Sámi national day with Prime Minister Erna Solberg as guest.

“Is it called Sami National Day or Sami Day?”

This is a debate that flares up every year around February 6. The Prime Minister’s calendar states that she marks the day of the Sami people, but if you ask someone with a Sami background, you will probably be told that it is called the Sami National Day.

Translation
The government has previously stated that they choose to use the “Sami People’s day” because it is the name that is rooted in our national flag regulation. On the Sámi websites, the following is written:

“The terms ‘Sami People’s Day’ and ‘Sami Peoples’ Day’ have emerged as a result of imprecise translations and partly as a result of the concept of a ‘national day’ being regarded by some as controversial. The Sami Conference, however, alleged that the Samis are one people, and that the use of the concept of nation does not therefore require a separate state. Both the Sami Conference (later the Sami Council) and the Nordic Sami assembly officially use the term ‘national day’. “

The language council supports the Sami use of the word ‘National Day’

Should you still have any doubts, everyone will agree on the use of the Northern Sami word Sami álbmotbeaivi.

Long tradition
Together with the Prime Minister, at the kindergarten celebration were among others, District and Digitization Minister Linda Hofstad Helleland (H) and Minister of Knowledge and Integration Trine Skei Grande (V).

The Sami National Day has been celebrated on February 6 since 1993, and is common to all Sami people in Norway, Sweden Finland and Russia. The event was set to February 6 because the first Sami national assembly was held just then in 1917, at the Methodist Church in Trondheim.

In 2003, the Sámi national day became an official flag day in Norway, which means that all public buildings must flag with the Norwegian flag. It is optional if you would rather use the Sami flag instead.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today