Posted on 02/06/2005 6:03:24 AM PST by franksolich
The Sami People's Day celebrated Sunday
February 6th is celebrated as the indigenous Sami People's Day in Norway and other Scandinavian countries.
In Oslo, Bishop Gunnar Staalsett has for the first time invited to a Sami/Norwegian service at the Oslo Cathedral.
Oslo is the city in Norway with the largest Sami population. It is therefore a grat pleasure to have the Sami language and culture be expressed at the Sunday service at the Cathedral on this day, Staalsett says.
The Nordic Sami Council decided in 1992 to celebrate a joint Sami National Day, and the first was celebrated on February 6th 1993.
It marks the date of the first Sami National Convention in Trondheim in 1917. This was the first time the Sami gathered around common interests, across national Nordic boundaries.
After 100 years of "Norwegianization", Sami spokesmen started working for a recognition of Sami culture, language and Sami rights around the turn of the century.
The Sami language is again used in local schools, and a Sami Parliament has been established in Norway. The Sami are also campaigning for first rights to natural resources in their region.
The Sami anthem and flag were approved at a Nordic Sami Convention in 1986.
The Sami National Day on February 6th has been made official flag day in Norway, and the Sami flag is flown on all official buildings, alone or alongside the Norwegian flag.
Norway has "indigenous people," as if Norwegians came to the territory late in history, or something, taking over the glaciers and fjords inhabited by an earlier race?
Are these the American Indians of Norway, or what?
I thought Norway had been occupied by Norwegians since the beginning of history, or the Creation.
"Ping" for the "Norway ping list."
I am honestly amazed.
I had never paid attention to Norway until about ten days ago, when the "Norway ping list" first got started--had never given Norway a second thought, had never lost a minute of sleep worrying about Norway--but now, every time I turn around, some new surprise about Norway, the Nebraska of Europe, pops up.
Norway has "indigenous people"?
Are these like the American Indians, or what?
It was surprising enough already, to learn that Norway, like Nebraska, has bison.....and now Indians too?
Seriously though, I have no idea. Who, and what, are these people? How are they different from Norwegians?
They speak a language closely related to the language of the indigenous people of Mesopotamia.
The Norse people are recent immigrants having lived in the area for maybe 1,000 years.
Surely, sir, the Norwegians have been in Norway far longer than a mere thousand years. I mean, the Swedes were burning and pillaging pastoral peaceful green England during the 700s and 800s, and so surely there were Norwegians in Norway at the time, although hiding in the woods and mountains and fjords from the aggressive, warlike, belligerent Swedes.
This just blows my mind away.
Many people refer to the Sami as the Lapps, as in Lapland, which stretches across Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, sir.
This "Sami" stuff is new to me, but the Letts are old news to me. Is "Sami" a politically-correct euphemism nowadays, and "Lett" politically-incorrect?
Yeah, I knew about the Letts; I wish things were not changing their names all the time.
Letts, Lapps, whatever.
Nice profile, sir; and I have a question.
You know, from examining an atlas, the position of Nebraska, right in the middle of North America, 1500 miles away from any sea-coast.
And so the ocean is not any part of the culture here.
However, I have always wondered why, of all the Nebraskans who have served in the military, or who are presently serving, more than half, but not quite two-thirds, of them served, or serve, in the Navy (and the very best ones, in the Marines).
This has always been a puzzle to me; why do you suppose so many from landlocked states join the sea-faring services (and the very best of them, the Marines)?
But Minnesota and northern Michigan are on the Great Lakes, sir, no small bodies of water; "mini-oceans."
I assure you there are no great bodies of water in Nebraska, excepting deep underground; what is a pond in Pennsylvania would be a great lake here.
It is just really peculiar, all these prairie lads roaming the oceans.
Well, I'm not quite sure if that is true or not; I've lived in blue states (Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey), and knew quite a lot of veterans, none of them old (i.e., ones who had been in the services fairly recently).
But the ones I knew, and I knew many of them, tended to be in the army or air force, or once in the army or air force.
Perhaps the military enlistment rate is not so high in the blue states, but it surely is significant.
There have been indigenous people living in the north of Norway, called Lapplanders or Lapps, who very much resemble the Eskimo people of Greenland, northern Canada and Alaska, even to similar language roots. And the neighboring Finns call themselves Suomi, which may have the same toots as "Sami".
The Germanic tribe of Vikings are rather late arrivals in Norway, about 3,000 years ago.
There is really not a whole lot in Nebraska that would entice young people, eager to expand their horizens, to stay down on the farm. Perhaps that is why so many join the Navy .. for the opposite experience? Actually with Offutt AFB (Centcom) I would have thought more of them joined the Air Force. Oh well. Whichever branch of the Military that gets Nebraska kids is lucky. They have an amazing work ethic here .. these kids are generally disciplined, well centered, and have been raised with family values.
But as an added thought .. Nebraska is the kind of place people who have *seen the world* would like to come back to. It is quiet, safe, comfortable and friendly. You won't find too many putting on *airs* here.
One good example is Warren Buffett. His home is here in Omaha .. and it is the same house he bought over 50 years ago. The house he raised his kids in. It's in a nice, but not elaborate area. It doesn't even have a fence around it. Nobody bothers him when he is here .. he is just a good neighbor. He probably does like most here in Nebraska do .. wave at people who drive past their house, or down their county road .. even if they don't know them.
Most *sophisticated* people probably think we still live in Teepees. Ha!
Ever seen lake Superior. It looks a lot like a sea.
The Finns' major time of immigration was around the turn of the century. At that time the Minn./UP mining industry was booming and jobs were plentiful for immigrants.
These regions resembled home. The UP is a thin peninsula bordered by two vast lakes. Northern Minn. has a vast lake on one side and is permeated with small lakes, marshes and fens (the name "Finland" is derived from "Fenland"). Add the very cold climate and pines, and it's a reasonable facsimile.
For similar reasons to the above, the other big area for Finnish immigration was the Oregon Coast.
Many, many times. I ran a bunkering business for 16 years out of Duluth/Superior.
Really beautiful.
These people are best known in the US for their contribution of everyone's favorite, the Samich.
I visited Duluth for two business trips over the past half-year. It is beautiful country. We drove to Gordy's Hi-Hat in Cloquet -- best onion rings ever!
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