February 6 was chosen as the Sami National Day in celebration of the first Sami congress in Tråante (Trondheim) on February 6, 1917. Because this was the first time that the Sami people from Norway and Sweden had officially met, the day has been formally recognised as symbolic by all Sami.
"We at Dalarna University recognise this day because the raising of reindeer is an industry within the province. Furthermore, we have both students and personnel with a Sami background, and we conduct research related to the Sami people," states Dalarna University Professor Lars Rönnegård.
Are there plans to recognise other national minority groups in Sweden?
"At present, we have chosen to recognise the Sami people by flying their flag since they are an indigenous people of Sweden and especially since Sweden has received so much criticism for not upholding the views of Sami in decision-making throughout the years. For example, in a study carried out by the Stockholm Environmental Institute, Sweden ranks the lowest among countries that were included in the study in terms of the influence of indigenous peoples. The other countries were Norway, Canada, Australia and New Zealand," explains Lars Rönnegård further.
The Sami flag is the same for all Sami. Its circle symbolises the sun and the moon. The sun ring is red, the moon ring blue. The colours of the flag - red, blue, green and yellow - come from the traditional Sami dress.