Sami People and the Right to Self-Determination
Adrian Liviu IVAN
Ruxandra Emanuela NUȚ
Abstract. Currently, one can observe the trend of a global manifestation of what we call the right to self-determination of indigenous peoples, which is also one of the central goals of the United Nations. Selfdetermination refers to varied and complex issues, including indigenous peoples’ right to choose their political status and their economic and social development, to maintain their culture, language and confessional freedom, their customs, traditions and values, having as ultimate goal the progress as a nation, the identity preservation and the recognition and respect from others. One of the most interesting cases of devotion to traditions and struggle for recognition and self-determination is that of the Sami population. The present study intends to analyze its status in the Northern European countries and the cross-border collaboration between them, in order to respect this principle.
Keywords: self-determination, indigenous peoples, the Sami minority, Nordic Sami Convention, Nordic Sami Council