#saemie

I made the necklace years ago. The sun looks like a diamond when it's very cold outside. The four corners and the four droplets represents the four Great Mothers:

Maadteraahgkaa💚, the first mother, foremother, mother of all, the world, the world tree. We are all her children.

Joekesaahgkaa❤️, the great mother of hunting and sharing equally. If you want a son you have to ask her nicely. If she loves that child too much to sear it in two, her arrow misses and it becomes a 🏳️‍⚧️ child.

Saaraahgkaa💙, the great mother of fertility, puberty, pregnancy, childbirth and love. Her element is water and she lives in the fireplace, because fire heats water.

Two photos from the Saami fashion show in Ubmeje this weekend, where a number of Saami designers - some were amateurs, like me, others were professional designers - showed off traditional and non-traditional Saami clothes inspired by the Saami love for silver.

I made a gapta, using grey broadcloth, and instead of adding silver fabric to it, or making it ‘blingy’, which most other designers had done, my sister and I made our traditional clothes as a critique of a Swedish proverb which equals silence with gold. 

We refuse to remain silenced.

Our language is critically endangered; with less than 1000 speakers, we have to do our utmost to keep it from the brink of extinction, as our entire traditional knowledge would be lost if our language were to disappear.

Without our languages we would no longer be Saami. This does not mean that everyone who is Saami has to speak our language, but letting it disappear would be a tragedy and a great injustice to our ancestors.

The South Saami sentence on my back translates as follows; ‘My language is my silver’ - in other words, to us as Saami, silver has always been our most precious metal but to me, however, the most precious thing as a Saami is my language.

Novh gujht lustes lea åarjelsaemien gïeleb soptsestidh jïh nuhtjedh, menh dïhte aaj geerve, ihkie barre ånnetji saemesteb juhkoe idtib lïerh mov vaajmoe-gïeleb gosse unnebe lib, mohte aaj juhkoe stoerre dïedte lea gïeleb maanide vaedtedh jïh ib daejrieh jïs maahtab dab darjodh.

Eelkib mov gïeleb bååstede vaedtedh gosse Skotlaantesne årroejib; doen-biejjege tuhtjib ahte dïhte eevre gååre ahte mov aehtjien gïeleb soptsestib, menh barre såemies baakoeh mov tjidtjien gïeleb utnib. Eelkib gïele-kuvsjesne lohkedh distansen tjïrrh Ubmejen Universiteehtesne, menh idtjib maehtieh gïele-beasan Sveerjesne fealadidh juhkoe idtji mov leah naan beetnegh.

Voestes aejkien gåessie saemine saemestib sïjhtib jaemedh. Sïjthib deavan tjïrrh våajoelidh. Bïegke sjïdtedh jïh dubpelde gaarvanidh. 

Lib saemien våhkosne Ubmejisnie, jïh båeries ålma Vualtjeristie munnjien soptsesti. Mov maadtoen bïjre saemesti. Såemies guarkoejib, menh ennje meehtib barre dulhtjiestidh. Asvedib, tuhtjib ahte stoerremes ufoe daennie eatnamisnie lib, menh seamma-laakan tuhtjib ahte vihkeles lij mov gïeleb govledh jïh aaj nuhtjedh.

Ubmejen biejviej männgan eelkib åarjelsaemien gïelesne mov noerhte-saemien voelpide soptsestidh. Tjaalastallib biejjielåhkoeb jïh gärjide gärjagåeteste löönib. Eelkib vihth joejkedh, seamma vuelide goh tjidtjie joejki gåessie Ubmejisnie årroeminie - tjidtjie gujht joejki gosse lib maana, menh elleme idtji sijhth jïjnje mijjen saemien maadtoen bïjre soptsestidh, vuj gåhtsajehtedh jïlhts garmeres lij sov saemien maadtoej åvteste.

Gåessie tjidtjie jeemi munnjien jeehtib "tjoereb mov maadtoeb båestede vaeltedh, gïe manne mov maadtoej nahmtah?"

Skotlaantese juhtiejib, juhkoe Skotlaante aaj mov maadtoe, menh seamma aejkien Saepmiem ohtselib.

Daate eevre geerve göökte kultuvri gaskems jïeledh.

Govhte jaepiej männgan bååstede Saapman juhtiejib juhkoe sïjhtib åarjelsaemien sijjesne årrodh, mohte seamma aejkien sïjhteb eepts-eeremes båestede Skotlaantese juhkoe mov aehtjien gïeleb ohtseleb jïh manne dab åajaldehteb gåessie Sveerjesne årroeb.

Mov leah göökth kultuvrh jïh dah guaktah lean eevre vihkeles munnjien. Tuhtjeb daamhtah ahte mådtege saemie jïh gael leab; manne gaske-raajresne mov gïelide, menh buerebe lea enn mov gïeli namhtah jïeledh.

STAALOE! STAALOE ROESTEGÅETSNE! TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!