Sámi Culture

Sámi culture includes, among others, the Sámi language, Sámi cultural heritage, cultural expressions, Sámi art, traditional knowledge of the Sámi, the relationship of the Sámi with nature, traditional Sámi livelihoods and the modern ways of practising them as well as other cultural customs and manifestations practised by the Sámi as an indigenous people. Therefore, for example, the Sámi language, stories, music and the most visible cultural symbols such as the Sámi dress and Sámi handicrafts are closely connected, among other things, with traditional Sámi livelihoods, forming an inseparable entity in which each element relies on the others in order to remain vital and, thus, enabling the preservation, development and transmission of Sámi culture to future generations. For example, if one element of Sámi culture were to disappear, or if its area of activity were to be limited, this would have an immediate impact elsewhere.