The
Sami Parliament of Sweden (
Sametinget in
SwedishSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the Åland islands. It is to a considerable extent mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to a lesser extent with Danish...
and
Sámediggi in
Northern SamiNorthern or North Sami is the most widely spoken of all Sami languages. The speaking area of Northern Sami covers the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland as well as northwestern parts of Russia...
) is the representative body for people of
SamiThe Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are one of the indigenous people of northern Europe inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia but also in the border area between south and middle Sweden...
heritage in
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
. It act as an institution of cultural autonomy for the indigenous
Sami peopleThe Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are one of the indigenous people of northern Europe inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia but also in the border area between south and middle Sweden...
.
The
Sametingslag (1992:1433) established the Swedish Sami Parliament as of 1 January 1993.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Sami Parliament of Sweden' Start a new discussion about 'Sami Parliament of Sweden' Answer questions from other users |
The
Sami Parliament of Sweden (
Sametinget in
SwedishSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the Åland islands. It is to a considerable extent mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to a lesser extent with Danish...
and
Sámediggi in
Northern SamiNorthern or North Sami is the most widely spoken of all Sami languages. The speaking area of Northern Sami covers the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland as well as northwestern parts of Russia...
) is the representative body for people of
SamiThe Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are one of the indigenous people of northern Europe inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia but also in the border area between south and middle Sweden...
heritage in
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
. It act as an institution of cultural autonomy for the indigenous
Sami peopleThe Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are one of the indigenous people of northern Europe inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia but also in the border area between south and middle Sweden...
.
History
The
Sametingslag (1992:1433) established the Swedish Sami Parliament as of 1 January 1993. By law, the first official elections were held on 16 May 1993. Its first session was opened by the King of Sweden,
Carl XVI GustafCarl XVI Gustaf has been King of Sweden since 15 September 1973. He is the only son of the late Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha...
, on 26 August 1993 in
KirunaKiruna is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lappland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is the seat of Kiruna Municipality in Norrbotten County.- Geography :Kiruna is located in the north of Sweden, 145 kilometers north of the Arctic circle...
. It has 31 representatives, who are elected every four years by general vote. The current Chairperson is Sylvia Simma from 2005.
Responsibilities
Sweden has taken this active part for two reasons:
- to recognise the Sami minority as an indigenous people
The term indigenous peoples can be used to describe any ethnic group of people who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest known historical connection, alongside more recent immigrants who have populated the region and may be greater in number...
to distinguish it from other minorities;
- to raise the Sami minority influence
Minority influence is a form of social influence, which takes place when a majority is being influenced to accept the beliefs or behaviour of a minority. Unlike other forms of influence this usually involves a personal shift in private opinion...
which comes into conflict with the European majority democracy system, i.e., the group with the most votes wins.
Voting system
Sami Parliaments are democratically elected and act as autonomous authorities. In each country, Sami inhabitants have a vote, in addition to the regular elections in each country, to elect representatives to their Sami Parliament if:
- s/he considers himself/herself to be culturally or ethnically Sami, and
- s/he speaks a Sami language, or
- s/he had or has a parent, or grandparent, that speaks or spoke a Sami language
See also