Women played an important role in traditional Sami culture, where they were primary caretakers and contributed to their family's survival through activities like cooking, clothing-making, and food preservation. However, Christianity and modernization eroded women's power and forced many to abandon traditional livelihoods. Today, Sami women advocate for gender equality and fight to preserve their indigenous culture and political rights.

1. Women’s role in Sami culture

3. ~ Origins ~
 Indigenous group called Finno-Ugric
inhabiting the Artic area of Sapmi.
 Northernmost indigenous people of
Europe
 Traditional languages classified as
the Uralic language family
 Pursued a variety of lifehoods

4. ~ Marriage ceremonies ~
 Men need to follow guidelines to marry a Sami woman.
 Reindeers were given as wedding presents or the wife’s dowry.
 It was believed that reindeers affected every aspect of life.

5. ~ Place in society ~
• Women have a lot power.
• Primary caretakers
• Sami culture contains a matriarchal
element.
• They contribute to their family’s
survival.

6. Sami feminist movement
• Female reindeer herders wanted to have the same rights as their
male counterparts.
• Many women refused to identify themselves as feminists.
• Creation of Sarahkka in 1988.
• The Saami women’s movement has examined gender equality and
indigenous political issues.
• Saami women are active in the media and political arenas.

7. ~ Religion ~
• Christianity is the cause of Sami women oppression.
• Teaches women to subjugate
• Sami women held at a low esteem because of Christianity
• The importance of Sami women was noticeable in the Sami
shamanistic religion, before Christianity arrived.
• “He had only been a good Christian so long as his livehood with
Dr. Meers depended on it"
• "these people called Christians taught that a man must marry
only one wife."
SOURCE Emecheta, Buchi. "A Man Needs Many Wives." The Joys of
Motherhood: A Novel. New York: G. Braziller, 1979. 224. Print.

8. Religious rites and ceremonies
∞ Most important rites in the Sami culture are based on bear
ceremonies.
∞ Bears are thought to have a heavenly origin.
∞ They were sacrificed and a feast was organized to celebrate
its killing.
∞ The skull of the bear was preserved and holds a symbolic
aspect.
∞ Many small dramas were connected with Ob Ugrian bears.

9. Prayer
session at church
Traditional
Sami baptism

10. ~ Gender roles ~
Traditionally:
• Men were responsible for herding, hunting, making boats sleds and
tools.
• Women cooked, made clothing and thread and cure meat.
• Modernization has caused the women’s loss of power in the family.
• ''One thing was sure : he gained the respecct and even the fear of Nnu
Ego."
SOURCE Emecheta, Buchi. "A Man Needs Many Wives." The Joys of
Motherhood: A Novel. New York: G. Braziller, 1979. 224. Print.

11. Effects of
modernization• Refers to: Norwegianization, Christian influences, and a loss of
traditional Saami culture.
• Women were the most affected by the change to a mainstream
society.
• Women were forced to quit most of their activities

12. Dress code

13. Pictures of women

14. Traditional Sami women clothing

15. ~ Sources ~
• Sami woman. http://www2.robertharding.com/preview/RM/RH/VERTICAL/775-553.jpg,
N.p, N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami woman.Digital image.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/JkOklBhxQ9w/UXgRLYbOYeI/AAAAAAAAAmA/lq_X3z0kz_8/s160
0/Sami+People.jpg, N.p, N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Traditional clothes.Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/briankesinger/sami/, N.p, N.d
Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami map. Digital image. https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/736x/8e/44/a3/8e44a3cf8c7e0671538d3cfa0c256570.jpg, N.p, N.d Web.
05 May 2015
• Sami reindeers. http://i.imgur.com/SMALF.jpg, N.p, N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami woman.Digital image. http://www.mooncalendarblog.co.uk/wp-
content/uploads/2013/03/wpid-Photo-20-Jul-2010-1838.jpgN.p, N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami origins.Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=sami%20origins, N.p,
N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami origins. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=sami%20origins, N.p,
N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami origins. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=sami%20origins, N.p,
N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami origins. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=sami%20origins, N.p,
N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami origins. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=sami%20origins, N.p,
N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami origins. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=sami%20origins, N.p,
N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami origins. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=sami%20origins, N.p,
N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami religion. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=sami+religion, N.p,
N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami religion. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=sami+religion, N.p,
N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami religion. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=sami+religion, N.p,
N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami religion. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=sami+religion, N.p,
N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami religion. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=sami+religion, N.p,
N.d Web. 05 May 2015
• Sami origins. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/briankesinger/sami/, N.p, N.d Web.
05 May 2015
• Sami origins. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/briankesinger/sami/, N.p, N.d Web.
05 May 2015
• Sami origins. Digital image. https://fr.pinterest.com/briankesinger/sami/, N.p, N.d Web.
05 May 2015