Report on the Open Seminar ‘Lives of the Skolt Sami in Finland since 1949’
2012/09/15
On the 15th of September, 2012, the Hokkaido University Museum hosted an Open Seminar on the ‘Lives of the Skolt Sami in Finland since 1949’.
The speaker, Mr. Veikko Feodoroff, is both manager of a reindeer herding concern and a Skolt Sami representative in the Sami Parliament. Wearing indigenous costume, he spoke of the Skolt Sami’s situation since the Second World War and the importance of preserving language and culture.
Following the redrawing of national boundaries after the war, the Skolt Sami moved to Finland in 1949 and whilst their living was secured through legal and infrastructural developments, he emphasized that the orthographic reform of 1972, allowing for the appearance books in Skolt Sami and the subsequent means to promote the language as a mother tongue, as a particularly important event. On the other hand, he pointed out that opportunities to use Skolt Sami in the workplace remained limited to the reindeer herding industry and teaching the language, and that in the future it would be necessary to create opportunities for employ speakers of the language, through the establishment of a cultural center and so forth.
Around 40 members of the public were in attendance and questioned the speaker on the specific situation of the Sami language and details of problems within the reindeer industry.
The speaker, Mr. Veikko Feodoroff, is both manager of a reindeer herding concern and a Skolt Sami representative in the Sami Parliament. Wearing indigenous costume, he spoke of the Skolt Sami’s situation since the Second World War and the importance of preserving language and culture.Following the redrawing of national boundaries after the war, the Skolt Sami moved to Finland in 1949 and whilst their living was secured through legal and infrastructural developments, he emphasized that the orthographic reform of 1972, allowing for the appearance books in Skolt Sami and the subsequent means to promote the language as a mother tongue, as a particularly important event. On the other hand, he pointed out that opportunities to use Skolt Sami in the workplace remained limited to the reindeer herding industry and teaching the language, and that in the future it would be necessary to create opportunities for employ speakers of the language, through the establishment of a cultural center and so forth.
Around 40 members of the public were in attendance and questioned the speaker on the specific situation of the Sami language and details of problems within the reindeer industry.
