“It’s as if our history has been deleted because, when we go to a museum, there are rock paintings but it does not say that they are by the Sami. ”
Tuomas Aslak Juuso (too-oh-mahss as-lack joo-so), Vice-President of the Sami Parliament
“The Sami have no obligation whatsoever to explain every root and branch of our culture in order to justify our demand to be taken seriously.”
Petra Laiti (peh-trah leye-tee), Chairperson of the Sami youth organization
“We have always been forced to defend our rights. We refuse to look away while the Finnish state tramples on the rights of our people.”
Jussa Seurujärvi (juh-sah soor-ah-jog-ghee), Sami reindeer herder
“We live in a society where resistance takes place every day. It’s not anything new for us, and this railroad plan is not the first thing we must take a stand against.”
Petra-Biret Magga-Vars (peh-trah-beye-ret ma-gah-vahrs), Sami reindeer-herder
“The roots are where it starts… Sun, moon, land, animals are important… I am not the main thing here, the human.”
Ursula Länsman (oor-soo-lah lahnz-man), Inari Sami reindeer herder
Life was fond of us. The sun in heaven’s space and the earth sought in its arms gifts. The reindeer roamed, the salmon climbed.”
Nils-Aslak Valkeapää (neels-ah-slock fahl-kay-ah-pah), Sami poet
“The river cannot be separated from the families, and the families cannot be separated from the salmon.”
Pauliina Feodoroff (pow-leen-nah fee-oh-door-off), President of the Skolt Sámi Nation Council
“My grandfather knew the soul of salmon.”
Vladimir Feodoroff (vlad-ee-meer fee-oh-door-off), Skolt Sami fisherman