Sámi institutional symbols are of relatively new origin, as the Sámi political institutions themselves are quite new. The symbols generally draw inspiration from old ornamental traditions such as duodji and the "runes" of the traditional shaman's drums. The symbols generally don't follow the rules of tincture, as the "Sámi colours" are traditionally placed colour on colour (rather than colour on metal and vice versa).

Sámi flag

Sami flag

Though the highest ranking symbol, the flag does not symbolize any particular institution. It is, however, as of 1986 the official flag of all Sámi in all countries and a recognized flag in Norway.^[1] Hence, it is used by most important Sámi institutions. The flag is a combination of an old, unofficial flag and an often-used sun/moon symbol of the shaman's drum. It is inspired by a mythological poem claiming the Sámi to be "children of the Sun".

With the creation of this flag, the "national colours" of the Sámi were defined as red, green, yellow and blue. All of these are heraldic colours, except yellow which is a metal ("ore") in heraldic terms.

Pan-Sámi political structures

Sámi parliaments

Russian Sámi organisation

There is no longer a Sámi Parliament of Russia. The elected Council of Plenipotentiary Representatives of the Sámi of Murmansk Province^[5] uses a symbol heavily inspired by the flag: two reindeer horns joined like a crescent, the upper half red and the lower half blue, between the halves are two stripes in yellow and green. The official Centre for Indigenous People in Murmansk Province,^[6] under which the official Council of Indigenous Peoples under the [Provincial] Government operates, uses a logo also inspired by the flag: a circle, left half blue and right half red, at the centre of which is a brown lávvu, a blue line symbolizing water, and a multicoloured line symbolizing the Aurora Borealis, the colours of the latter being from left to right red, yellow, green and blue.

Other Sámi institutions

References