Deatnu

or is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tana bru. Among the other villages in the municipality are Austertana, Bonakas, Polmak, Rustefjelbma, and Skiippagurra.

The municipality is the 5th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Deatnu-Tana is the 236th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,821. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 2.6% over the previous 10-year period.

Regarding the fauna - in 2022 there had been at least one bear; one bear was eliminated (by government order) because deaths of sheep were attributed to at least one bear.

Name

''Tana'' is a Norwegianized form of the Northern Sami name ''Deatnu''. The Sami name is identical with the Sami word ''deatnu'' which means "great river" or "main river", referring to the main river ( Tana River) which runs through the municipality. Prior to 1918, the name was written "Tanen".

On 1 September 1992, the name of the municipality was changed to "Deatnu-Tana" to symbolize the two official languages in the municipality. Then in 2005, the name was again changed such that either ''Deatnu'' or ''Tana'' can be used.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 11 May 1984. The arms show three typical low riverboats used for centuries in the area. The three boats symbolise the Sami, Finns, and Norwegians that live in this border municipality. The colours are the Norwegian colours.

History

The municipality of Tana was established on 1 January 1864 when the eastern part of the large municipality of Lebesby was separated to become a new municipality with a population of 1,388. The original municipality included all the land on both sides surrounding the Tanafjorden and the Tana River.

On 1 January 1914, the municipality of Tana was divided into three parts. The southern part (population: 1,426) remained as (a smaller) Tana Municipality. The northern part of the municipality was divided by the Tanafjorden with the western side becoming Gamvik Municipality (population: 1,374) and the eastern side becoming Berlevåg Municipality (population: 784). On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipality of Polmak (population: 1,072), which had separated from Nesseby Municipality on 1 January 1903, was merged into Tana.

Tana Municipality marks the furthest Soviet advance into Nazi-occupied Norway.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county.

Economy

In 2013, 29% of the work force was employed in retail, hotels/restaurants and finance; 23% in the healthcare industry and the social sector; 16% in the Secondary sector of the economy; 11% in the primary sector; 9% worked in the education sector; the work force totaled 1,401.

The most important conomicresources are farmland and oastal areas, mountains and forests or''utmark''; the use of these gives ignificant results relating toagriculture.

The world's northernmost dairy is ''Tine Tana'', and it employs around 30 people.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes () within the municipality of Tana. It is part of the Indre Finnmark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Deatnu-Tana, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the Indre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Deatnu-Tana is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Geography

Deatnu-Tana is situated along the lower river basin of the Tana River, which borders Finland along most of its course. People live in small settlements along the river, notably Sirma, Polmak, Rustefjelbma, Seida, Skiippagurra, Austertana, and Tana bru. Most inhabitants of Tana are Sami people, and the Sami language and culture are today promoted by the municipality and the schools.

The river Tana has represented a mainstay in the economy, as it is one of Europe's main salmon rivers, and it empties into the Tanafjorden. River transportation is traditionally done by long, narrow river boats, that are still in use, albeit motorized. Lakes in this area include Geassájávri, Nissojávri, and Sundvatnet. At Tana bru, the Tana Bridge (part of European route E6 and European route E75) crosses over the Tana River. The nearest airports are Vadsø Airport (about away) and Kirkenes Airport (about away). Kirkenes Airport (but not Vadsø) has direct flights to Oslo.

Birdlife

With the Tana River flowing through wild and spectacular habitat, the municipality of Tana has one of the most spectacular gatherings in Norway. As many as 25,000 goosanders can accumulate along the Tana waterway system. Add to this, thousands of common eider and long-tailed duck, then you have one of the largest concentrations of wildfowl in Norway.

Climate

Tana has a subarctic climate ( Dfc) with long, cold winters and short cool summers.

Notable people

* Halvdan Wexelsen Freihow (1883 in Tana – 1965) a Norwegian priest and culturist
* Per Fokstad (1890 in Tana – 1973) a teacher, politician, and intellectual of Sami origin
* Kathrine Johnsen (1917 in Tana – 2002) a Sámi teacher and worked for NRK Sápmi
* Kristen Kyrre Bremer (1925 in Tana – 2013) theologian and bishop in the Church of Norway
* Nils Utsi (1943 in Tana – 2019) a Norwegian Sámi actor, stage director and film director IMDb Database
retrieved 16 August 2020
* Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen (born 1998 in Tana) a Norwegian Sami musician

Writers

* Reidar Hirsti (1925 in Tana – 2001) a newspaper editor, politician and author of books about historical or Sami topics
* Nils Jernsletten (1934 in Tana – 2012) a professor of Sámi at University of Tromsø and editor of Sámi newspaper Ságat
* Marry A. Somby (born 1953 in Tana) a Sami author
* Hanne Ørstavik (born 1969 in Tana ) is a Norwegian writer
* Siri Broch Johansen (born 1967 in Tana) a Sami author, singer, and textbook author

Sport

* Martin Schanche (born 1945), nicknamed ''Mister Rallycross'', a former racing driver and politician, brought up inTana
* Sigleif Johansen (born 1948 in Tana) a former Norwegian biathlete
* Signe Trosten (born 1970 in Tana) a former Norwegian biathlete
* Signe Marie Store (born 1995 in Tana) a Norwegian freestyle wrestler

References

External links

*
Deatnu-Tana
Statistics Norway

{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022

Municipalities of Troms og Finnmark
Sámi-language municipalities
1864 establishments in Norway
Populated places of Arctic Norway