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Dear all,
It has been a special year for all of us. The pandemic has affected the entire world community, including our peaceful home in the north of Karlsvogna. Covid-19 has struck us with illness and death, through closed borders, financial insecurity, and lack of social contact and cultural spaces. This comes after a harsh winter with lots of snow, which especially affected grazing conditions in the reindeer herding industry.
Some claim that nature has fought back because it wants peace. There are limits to human exploitation of nature. This is an indigenous knowledge that is part of our values and that we must not forget.
As with climate change, the world’s indigenous peoples are the most vulnerable to the consequences of the pandemic. Indigenous peoples may be more vulnerable because many live in poverty and do not have access to health care. Additionally, abuses against indigenous peoples are easier to hide during the pandemic. I hope we do not hear that the pandemic is used as a justification for new invasions of nature in Sápmi. Can we rather expect a greater focus on the value of local food production and resource awareness?
We have all missed getting together and sharing cultural experiences with each other this year. Despite the pandemic, several exciting art exhibitions have been shown and Sami artists, filmmakers and artists have been extremely successful. This fall we received the great news that Sami artists Anders Sunna, Máret Ánne Sara and Pauliina Feodoroff will fill a Sami pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2022. I am happy and proud to have artists transmit our stories to the whole world.
The Sami languages are also becoming increasingly visible to the public, such as on road signs in many Sami areas. Until next year we may be able to start traveling more again, and then we will see signs in Sami at both border crossings and northern airports, and our new passports or ID cards will have Sami text. The Sami language conquers new scenarios, during Giellavahkku, Lemet Máhtte Eira received the Sara Giellalokten Award for translating the computer game Minecraft into Sami.
A lot of positive things are happening and at the same time we are experiencing an increase in unity. Recently, young Ann-Marie Dorph was attacked for speaking Sami on the bus in Romsa. It has been a pleasure to see how many people have supported the fight saying enough is enough. Behind the insults are old prejudices and systematic discrimination against the rights of the Sami. He had wanted to see this commitment in connection with the ongoing process of truth and reconciliation.
It does not require posting a hashtag on social media. It requires more to acknowledge the rights of the Sami to land and water, to accept that our traditions of hunting, fishing and use in the countryside are based on a different understanding of what is sustainable. That our agriculture develops in other climatic zones with different infrastructure. It costs more to recognize our traditional knowledge of what reindeer can tolerate from riots. It requires more to recognize that Sami legal security is more than access to justice, it is about being understood and respected when you get there.
If we are going to be able to live and raise our children to trust each other and the authorities, then we cannot accept that trust is broken through unfair regulations, decisions and trials. This should not be the case in a society like Norway, where human rights and decency should be core values.
We Sami are a brave people, although we carry with us the injustice that we ourselves and previous generations have experienced. We need to work even harder to build trust with each other, to show generosity, tolerance and love. We must believe that our culture and our languages are worth something and have a future. We must forgive ourselves and others for what we cannot, because many have tried to take away our cultural heritage and our languages. We should not inflict guilt and shame on each other if someone makes a mistake, but build a community where it is good and safe to be Sami. It is the best protection we can offer our children and youth against anger and injustice.
I am proud to have addressed challenges such as violence and the situation of LGBTIQ Sami, but much remains to be done. What can we do about child poverty in the Sami areas? What can we do for our brothers and sisters with disabilities so that they can share in our community? How can we guarantee a dignified old age for our elders at a time when everything must be digitized and centralized? What can we do to revitalize the smaller Sami languages on the Norwegian side of the border?
Do you think these issues are important or are there completely different issues where you think the Sami Parliament should use force? You can help influence him by participating in the elections this fall. This is my last New Year’s speech as Speaker of the Sami Parliament, but others will soon be ready to take office. By using your right to vote, you are helping to build democracy and the Sami community.
Be the best you can against yourself and others, and have faith in Sápmi!
Buorre årrå jahke
Buörrie urra jáhpie
Leklvaz odj eejjj
