The Sami is the common name used for a set of ancient hunter-fisher-gatherer groups living in the historical and borderless territory of Sapmi. Sapmi stretches across sections of today’s Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.
Historically, there have been at least 10 different Sami sub-languages and sub-cultures. Today, the Sami are particularly associated with the reindeer and reindeer hunting, and in more recent centuries, also reindeer herding. However, this is too narrow a description of Sami history and culture; hunter-fisher-gatherers, in the widest sense, is a more accurate starting point when exploring the fascinating history of the Sami peoples.
Today’s overall Sami population is estimated to be between 80,000 and 115,000: 50,000 to 65,000 in Norway, 20,000 to 40,000 in Sweden, 8,000 in Finland, and 2,000 in Russia. In Norway, around 3,000 people are currently actively working with the herding of semi-domesticated reindeer.
The traditional Sami way of life continued well into modern times and serves as a fascinating gateway into the ancient ways of the hunter-fisher-gatherers of Norway’s early history.
In 1988, the Norwegian national parliament added a new clause to the Norwegian constitution, specifically mentioning Sami rights: «The authorities of the state shall create conditions enabling the Sami people to preserve and develop its language, culture and way of life».
A Norwegian Sami Assembly was established in 1989.
NRO.A.8.01 | nrk.no | stortinget.no | Store Norske Leksikon snl.no.