''Sámi Áigi'' was a Northern Sámi-language weekly newspaper established in 1978, providing an alternative to the Norwegian-language Sámi publication ''

Ságat ''Ságat'' is a Sámi newspaper written in Norwegian that is published in Leavdnja in Porsanger Municipality, Finnmark county, Norway. History and profile ''Ságat'' was founded in Vadsø in 1957 and moved to Leavdnja in 1981, where it still i ...

''. ''Sámi Áigi'' played a prominent role in building and empowering Sámi identity during the

Alta controversy The Alta conflict or Alta controversy was a series of protests in Norway in the late 1970s and early 1980s against the construction of a hydroelectric power plant on the Alta River in Finnmark, Northern Norway. Timeline *Inhabitants of the vil ...

and throughout the 1980s.

History

was launched with the backing of the Norwegian Sámi Association, Norwegian Reindeer Husbandry Association, and the

Saami Council The Saami Council is a voluntary, non-governmental organization of the Sámi people made up of nine Sámi member organizations from Finland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Since the founding of the Nordic Saami Council in 1956, among the first indi ...

to build connections among the Sámi of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The new paper was based in

Kárášjohka Karasjok is a Norwegianized version of the Northern Sami name Kárášjohka. Either one may refer to the following places: * Karasjok Municipality or , a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway * Karasjok (village) or , a village in Karasjok Muni ...

, Norway, but had readers across

Sápmi is the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sámi people. Sápmi includes the northern parts of Fennoscandia, stretching over four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Most of Sápmi lies north of the Arctic Circle, boun ...

. The development of a pan-Scandinavian Northern Sámi orthography gave additional relevancy to the new newspaper. Its first issue was published in January 1979, with the following text on the front page: "The time of darkness is soon over. The time of the Sámi 'Sámi Áigi''has come". It quickly drew readers away from the more conservative ''Ságat'' and within a year of launch the papers had a similar circulation level of about 2,000 readers, and the two papers competed for the subsidy provided by Norway for Sámi media. As a primary source of news and information in Northern Sámi, ''Sámi Áigi'' was successful in covering increasing demands for respect for Sámi identity and concerns, including during the

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

surrounding construction of a

hydroelectric power plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

in the Alta river in

Finnmark Finnmark (; ; ; ; ) is a counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland's Lapland (Finland), Lapland region to the south, and Russia's Murmansk Oblast to the east, and by water, the Norweg ...

. While the editors of ''Ságat'' struck a more conciliatory tone, ''Sámi Áigi'' was firmly on the side of the protesters. The paper provided an outlet for debate and criticism of Scandinavian and Sámi political organizations and was also associated with the ČSV cultural movement. In 1986, ''Sámi Áigi'' sponsored a contest, won by Astrid Båhl, to design a new

Sámi flag The Sámi flag is the flag of Sápmi and the Sámi people, one of the Indigenous people groups of the Nordic countries and the Kola Peninsula of the Russian Federation. First Sámi flag The first, unofficial Sámi flag was designed by Sam ...

Legacy

Despite its wide readership and a state subsidy, ''Sámi Áigi'' was plagued by economic issues for the majority of its existence. In April 1993, the paper ceased publication and entered bankruptcy. However, its staff and owners moved quickly to launch a new newspaper, ''

Min Áigi ''Min Áigi'' (''Our Time'' in Northern Sami) was a twice-weekly Northern Sami, Northern Sámi language newspaper based in Karasjok Municipality, Kárášjohka, Norway. In 2008, ''Min Áigi'' ceased publication to merge with the rival paper ''Á� ...

'', which published until 2008 when it merged with rival ''

Áššu ''Áššu'' was a Northern Sámi-language newspaper published twice a week and distributed across Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. In 2008, ''Áššu'' ceased publication to merge with the rival paper ''Min Áigi'' to form ''Ávvir''. Histo ...

'' to form the daily newspaper ''

Ávvir ''Ávvir'' is a newspaper written in the Northern Sámi language with editorial offices or reporters in Kárášjohka, Guovdageaidnu, Áltá, Girkonjárga, and Romsa, Norway. It is currently published five times a week, from Monday to Friday ...

''.

Notes and references

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sami Aigi Defunct Northern Sámi-language newspapers Newspapers established in 1978 Sámi in Norway 1978 establishments in Norway Newspapers disestablished in the 1990s

History

Legacy

See also

Notes and references

Notes

References