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Sámi National Day 2023
February 5, 2023 by ·
Sámi National Day 2023
February 6, 2023
Sámi Heritage and Culture
Download Carolyn Thauberger’s presentation–
Sami Culture for UBC 2021 updated 2023
The Sámi flag above is one of the two official flags of Norway. Sámi people have established a strong political presence in Norway which now recognizes this Sámi flag as one of the country’s two official flags. They are flown together on state occasions, the Sámi flag beneath the Norwegian one. Designed by Astrid Båhl, the red part of the circle symbolises the sun, the blue part the moon. The colours red, blue, green and yellow reflect the Sámi national costume. Green symbolises nature, blue water, red fire and yellow the sun. The Sámi call themselves “The people of the sun”.
Sámi people call their home territories “Sapmi”. These lands lie across the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Russian Kola Peninsula. There are 100,000 Indigenous inhabitants in this area. Ancestors of the present-day Sámi have inhabited the area since the birth of Christ and likely much longer. At least 30,000 people of Sámi ancestry live in North America.
The Sámi are a people with a rich and powerful culture one they have held for thousands of years. They are noted for their skill in living successfully in a cold environment and for their cooperative and peaceful social connections (at least before the deliberate introduction of alcohol by politicians wanting to control the Sámi lands and gather taxes from a weakened population). Some believe Sámi people may even have come to the Sapmi areas just after the last Ice Age left 10,000 years ago. Archeological evidence is limited for a nomadic people but studies of language and culture seem to support this. Considering their success there is likely much we can learn from the Sámi about living in a northern climate and about peaceful social organization.
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Sámi Interest Group
January 2, 2020 by ·
Sámi Interest Group
Karen Sorensen, Poul Jouksu, and several others have started a Sámi interest group at our Community Centre for social, cultural, and educational purposes. Please join us. Membership is not limited to those of Sámi heritage. Anyone may come who has an interest in Sámi history, decorative arts, or current Sámi political and environmental issues. There is lots we can learn and much fun to have if we are together.
People of Sámi heritage traditionally fished, hunted, and herded reindeer in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. According to Dr. Zita McRobbie (talking at Leif Erikson Day, 2017), DNA studies suggest the Sámi were already together as a people before the last Ice Age, far earlier than other Scandinavians became distinct. Sámi people are famous for surviving for millennia in a harsh environment, for peaceful co-existence among subgroups, and for the beauty and deep meaning in their decorative arts. It is a culture well worth our interest and attention.
Indigenous Canadians, especially those in our far North have faced prejudice, environmental issues, and the loss of their traditional lands and way of life. It has been similar for the Sámi. Both peoples continue to search for the best place for themselves in modern culture and economy while keeping the traditions of their heritage. We will talk about this, too, and see how we can work together.
Let us know if you are interested to join our Sámi group around our Scandinavian Community Centre in Burnaby, BC.
Contact Carolyn Thauberger 778 228-2334 or cthauber12@gmail.com
Richmond Maritime Festival 2019
September 15, 2019 by ·
On July 27 – 28, 2019, the Scandinavian Cultural Society organized an exhibit and information table at the Richmond Maritime Festival in the historic Britannia Shipyards site. We presented a subset of our 2018 Nordic Spirit heritage photo exhibit, focusing on the contributions of Nordic Canadians to BC’s fishing and boatbuilding industries. The history of Nordic boatbuilding grows directly from the traditions of Viking ship design, so we included information about Viking ships as background.
The Richmond Maritime Festival was a rewarding venue, with good attendance and attentive organizers. We enjoyed talking with a number of interested visitors at our exhibit.
Maria Lakes, John Stuart, Bent Ostergaard, and Judith Anderson manned the exhibit. Here are Bent’s photos of the Festival and the Britannia Shipyard.
