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ERIC Number: EJ905387
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 17
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0730-3238
EISSN: N/A
Publishing Sami Literature--From Christian Translations to Sami Publishing Houses
Paltto, Kirsti
Studies in American Indian Literatures, v22 n2 p42-58 Sum 2010
Publishing in the Sami languages has always been difficult. The Sami are currently spread across four countries, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. There are nine different Sami languages, some of them with only a few speakers. The Sami publishing industry is entirely dependent on government funding as it does not have its own funds nor is there a system of independent foundations. Although the Sami language has been a language of instruction at some schools in the Sami area for a couple of decades, the number of Sami readers remains very small. Due to the various Nordic assimilation policies that were particularly harsh in the early twentieth century, many Sami have lost their mother tongue, and many of those who retained the language did not learn to read Sami at school. One would expect national governments to amend the situation by arranging Sami literacy courses for adults during their workdays. These courses would also offer much-needed spaces for learning to read Sami literature. However, this has not proved to be the case. Today, with the establishment of the Sami parliaments, much of the funding for the Sami people is now funneled through these bodies. However, especially in Finland, the annual allocation of funds is way below what is required to adequately run Sami affairs and advance "Sami cultural autonomy." In this article, the author describes the challenges of publishing Sami literature. It is the author's hope that Sami literature will become better known throughout the rest of the world. (Contains 7 notes.) [This article was edited and translated by Rauna Kuokkanen.]
University of Nebraska Press. 1111 Lincoln Mall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0630. Tel: 800-755-1105; Fax: 800-526-2617; e-mail: presswebmail@unl.edu; Web site: http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/catalog/categoryinfo.aspx?cid=163
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Finland; Norway; Russia; Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A