Young Sámi Art Event

Logo: Tanja Sanila

The Sámi Parliament organises an annual art event for young Sámi, in co-operation with the municipalities in the Sámi region and the local Sámi organisations.

The art event is organised in a different municipality each year, and all the children and young people who receive Sámi language teaching or who are taught in Sámi are invited. Participation outside the school system is also possible.

The event has raised the profiles of many skilled young people and the participation level has always been high. The Sámi art event is part of the Young Culture event, and it can be compared with the events in the regional municipalities. However, the themes of the Sámi event have always differed slightly from the national themes.

The organisers believe that it is important to support the leisure activities which are typical for young Sámi people and which they practise the most. For this reason, yoik and singing have been the most popular art forms. Musical scenes have also been popular, and preparing them has helped to generate activities in small, remote district schools. The purpose of the Sámi art event is not to tie young people only to the traditions, and that is why other art forms are also involved to a varying degree.