Saami Council

The Saami Council (Northern Sami: Sámiráđđi) is an umbrella organization for Sámi organizations in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The Saami Council was founded during the 2nd Sámi Conference held in Karasjok, Norway on August 18, 1956 as the Nordic Saami Council. After the first Russian Sámi organization was accepted as a member in 1992, however, the word Nordic was dropped from the official name. Saami Council has a Permanent Participant status on the Arctic Council.

The Council Secretariat is located in Utsjoki, Finland.

Historically the Sami never had a unified state but rather lived in clans. The Sami operated as a hunter-gatherer society that relied on the abundance of freshwater fishing available in the numerous streams and lakes of Northern Scandinavia and the reindeer herds that migrated across Lapland. Eventually the countries of Norway, Sweden and Russia realized the rich natural resources that were available there and began to exert their control over the region via taxation. Because the Sami were and are often nomadic, herding reindeer to and from feeding and breeding grounds, they were of forced to pay taxes to multiple sovereigns every year. In the 20th century Sami herders were often denied access across the border due political conflicts, namely Soviet Russia during the Cold War. It was issues such as this that spurred the creation of the Nordic Saami Council on August 18, 1956.

The Saami Council consists of a fifteen-member body that is nominated by member organizations. The Council usually meets once or twice a year but when not in session the executive board of the Council makes decisions on any issues. The Secretariat is chosen by the parliament of the current president’s country and is in charge of managing Saami cultural organizations. The Saami Council annually provides financial support to Saami artists and Saami language organizations in all four countries.

In 2000, under the umbrella of the Saami Council, the three Saami Parliaments of Sweden, Norway and Finland along with representatives from the Russian Saami Committee created the Saami Parliamentary Council. The purpose of the Saami Parliamentary Council is to “safeguard the interests of the Saami and strengthen Saami cooperation across the borders. The objective is also to coordinate the voice of the Saami internationally and in particular vis-à-vis other indigenous peoples in the world. The chairmanship rotates between the three countries. Over a four-year period, each of the Saami parliaments will hold the position as president or vice president for a period of 16 consecutive months.”

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Wikipedia