Sami flag
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sami flag is the flag of the Sami people, whose homeland is known to them as Sápmi (to others as Lapland). It was officially recognized in 1986 by the Nordic Sami Conference (Pohjoismainen saamelaiskongressi, Nordiska Samekonferensen) to be used in Sami contexts. It was designed by Astrid Båhl from Skibotn in Troms, Norway.
The four colors of the Sami flag (red, blue, green and yellow) are the colours of gakti, the traditional Sami costume. The circle is intended to symbolise both the moon and the sun, the blue part representing the moon and the red part the sun.
The Sami flag was inaugurated during the Saami Conference in Åre, Sweden on August 15, 1986. It was the result of a competition for which many suggestions were entered. The winning design was submitted by the artist Astrid Båhl from Skibotn, Norway.
The motif was derived from the shaman's drum and the poem "Paiven parneh" ("Sons of the Sun") by the south Saami Anders Fjellner (1795-1876). Fjellner described the Saami as sons and daughters of the sun. The flag's circle represents the sun (red) and the moon (blue). The flag has the Saami colours, red, green, yellow and blue. Pantone colour formula is: red 485C, green 356C, yellow 116C and blue 286C.
[edit] Sami flag days
- February 6 - The Sami National Day, to commemorate the first Sámi conference in Trondheim, 1917.
- March 25 - The Annunciation
- June - Midsummer
- August 9 - The United Nations' international indigenous people day.
- August 15 - The Sami flag was recognized on August 15, 1986. (The composer of the Sami "National Anthem", Isak Saba, was born August 15, 1875.)
- August 18 - The Sami Council was formed in 1956.
- August 26 - The Swedish Sami Parliament was inaugurated in 1993.
- October 9 - The Norwegian Sami Parliament was formed in 1989.
- November 9 - The Finnish Sami Parliament was formed in 1973.
