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Maya of Guatemala
Amazon tribes
Maori schools
Navajo art
Saami parliament
resources & activities
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Learn more about about the Saami Peoples of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia:
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Focus:
Saami Parliament
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Names and Rights
The recognition of indigenous identity is central to the protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Often, governments of the countries in which Indigenous Peoples are located do not recognize cultural groups as "Indigenous". Instead, they are considered "Minorities".
The Saami Peoples of Scandinavia, for instance, are recognized as "indigenous people" in Norway, but in Sweden, they are considered an "ethnic minority." Without the recognition of indigenous identity, the collective rights of Peoples articulated in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples cannot be applied.
While the individual human rights of the Saami Peoples are protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, collective rights to land, natural resources, and cultural autonomy are not secured in Sweden.
A Governing Body
In Norway, the Saami Rights Committee has been an active proponent of indigenous political and social rights. In 1987, with the passing of the Saami Act by the Norwegian government, a Saami Parliament was established. Elections were held and it was opened in 1989.
According to one Norwegian lawmaker, some considered these advances a "quiet revolution." As a result of this political action and the assertion of the Saami's indigenous rights to self-determination, the Saami language is currently recognized by the state and taught in schools.
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