grants
30
finnish cultural foundation
annual report 2012–2013
A
s Finland’s indigenous people,
the Sámi have a right to foster
and develop their language and
culture throughout the land. About 60 per
cent of Finland’s 10,000 Sámi and over
70 per cent of Sámi children under the
age of ten live outside the Sámi region.
There are about 1,000 City Sámi living in
the Helsinki region.
City-Sámit, an association operating in
the Greater Helsinki region, was founded
in 1988 and has over 200 members. It
organises clubs and events for all ages,
and provides info and assistance with
furthering Sámi rights.
The Finnish Cultural Foundation
awarded a grant of EUR 100,000 for a
three-year Máttabiegga project conducted
by the City-Sámit Association. One of
its primary objectives was achieved in
November 2013 when a Northern Sámi
language nest opened in Helsinki. A pri-
vate day-care group, this is the first Sámi
language nest in any Finnish town.
“We could never have founded the
language nest without the grant from the
Cultural Foundation or with voluntary help
alone,” says the Association’s chairman
Pentti Pieski
. “We hired a planner for six
months in April, and things went so well
that we were able to open the nest earlier
than expected. Our model will also work
elsewhere.” Pentti Pieski’s two-year-old
daughter began at the language nest in
mid-November.
Daily immersion
The Máttabiegga (South Wind) language
nest is for children aged one to six. They
learn the language naturally, through
total immersion, for the carers speak only
Northern Sámi.
“The language nest is also revitalising
Sámi culture,” Pentti Pieski reports. “Each
week, it has a traditional Sámi dish on
the lunch menu, and it emphasises Sámi
biegga project and pays for the upkeep of
the language nest. Funds are also granted
by the Finnish Sámi Parliament for club-
like activities.
“Our Association can arrange club
activities and courses for City Sámi of dif-
ferent ages on the language-nest premises,
in the evenings and at weekends,” says
Pentti Pieski. “We are looking for a lan-
guage nest somewhere in the north with
which to share news and experiences. We
began collaborating with the Skolt Sámi
in the spring already, and we intend to
arrange activities for Skolt children and
youngsters in the Helsinki region.”
All three Sámi languages spoken in Fin-
land – Northern, Inari and Skolt Sámi – are
endangered.
“Other plans for the Máttabiegga pro-
ject are clubs designed to revitalise the
Sámi language and culture, music play-
schools, activities for teenagers, work-
shops, and courses for adults. The City-
Sámit Association is helping the growing
generation of Sámi in Greater Helsinki to
preserve their language and Sámi identity
and to strengthen the sense of community
among the City Sámi.
The City-Sámit Association was awarded a
grant of EUR 100,000 for the revitalisation
of the Sámi language and culture in the
Helsinki region.
*Welcome, South Wind
handicrafts and rhymes, songs and stories.
The landlord gave us permission to paint
and furnish the rooms so as to make them
look and feel Sámi. We can’t bring the Sámi
nature to Helsinki, but we can tell the
children about it in words and pictures.”
The language nest operates in a home-
like environment in a new block of flats.
The only difference from other day care is
that the parents are committed to support-
ing their children in their Sámi language
studies. The nest has a steering group
made up of members of the Association
Board and nest-children’s parents. The
Association is now looking to see how
the City-Sámi children can continue their
studies after leaving the nest.
Máttabiegga also has two native North-
ern Sámi-speaking carers. It has eight
whole-day and two half-day places and is
open from7.30 am to 4.30 pmonMondays
to Fridays. It observes the minimum of 25
hours’ weekly care considered necessary
by the Finnish Sámi Parliament. The child
then learns Northern Sámi so well that
he or she will, in time, be able to pass this
command on to the next generation.
Families can apply for private-care
benefit from Kela to cover the language-
nest fee and be granted a Helsinki supple-
ment by the City of Helsinki. This leaves
about EUR 150 a month for them to pay
themselves.
Funding from many sources
The Ministry of Education and Culture
provides most of the funds for the Mátta-
Buresboahtin
Máttabiegga! *
Children at the new City Sámi language nest see, hear and taste their
Northern Sámi heritage.
“We can’t bring the Sámi nature to Helsinki, but we
can tell the children about it in words and pictures.
We could never have founded the language nest
without the grant from the Cultural Foundation”
