1951, Oslo (Norway)
Teaching in Sami Language
Location of Original: The National Archives of Norway
About the Document
This document is a page from a textbook in Sámi entitled ABC (1951), made by Margarethe Wiig.
When the book was published, it was the first textbook dedicated for Sámi children. It is an example of how European nation states have altered their policies towards minorities after World War II. Margarethe Wiig (1903–2002) was convinced that “an ABC-book based on these children's environment with partial use of their own language not only would be desirable, but also necessary.” The ABC book has been characterized as the most important in Sámi textbook history.
Norway’s Sámi policy had more or less focused on assimilation from the late 1800s to the 1960s. However, following World War II, there was a gradual shift in the attitude towards the Sámi people and their culture. For several decades from the late 1880s, the school authorities, backed by politicians, pursued a strict policy of Norwegianization. All school books were in Norwegian, and Sámi was only used as an auxiliary language to help pupils in the lower grades. The Sámi Parliament was established in 1989 to deal with (among other things) issues relating to Sámi language, culture and society.