Samediggi Samitigge Saamtegg Saamelaiskarajat

The Sami Parliament is the self-government body of the Sami in Finland, legislated at the beginning of 1996. Its main purpose is to plan and implement the cultural self-government guaranteed to the Sami as an indigenous people. The Sami Delegation (Sami Parlamenta), founded under a decree, was a predecessor to the Sami Parliament, and operated from 1973-1995. The Sami Parliament is the supreme political body of the Sami in Finland. It is an independent legal entity of public law which, due to its self-governmental nature, is not a state authority or part of the public administration. The Sami Parliament functions under the administrative sector of the Ministry of Justice. The Sami Parliament represents the Sami in national and international connections, and it attends to the issues concerning Sami language, culture, and their position as an indigenous people. The Sami Parliament can make initiatives, proposals and statements to the authorities. The 21 members, and 4 deputies, are ...