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<P align="justify"> The first Saami women's association <I>Brurskanken Samiske Kvindeforening</I> was founded in 1910 on the initiative of Elsa {{Artikkelilinkki|1664|Laula Renberg}}. As a midwife, in 1904 she published a thirty-page pamphlet entitled <I>Inför Lif eller Död? Sanningsord i de Lappska förhlållandena</I> Facing Life or Death: Words of Truth in the Lapp Situation , in which she discussed the position of the Saami and their chances of survival under the assimilationist policy of the Swedish government. In her opinion, cooperation between the Saamis and particularly Saami women was crucial. The women's association that she founded brought about the first {{Artikkelilinkki|0580|National Assembly}} of the Nordic Saami in 1917. The invitation to the assembly included a special injunction for Saami women to attend. </P> <P align="justify"> The heritage left by Laula Rehnberg continued in the 1970s and 1980s, when Saami women were awakened to take stock of their own changed situation in a modern Saami society, and in order to address the issue they began to hold large-scale seminars. Indeed, the theme of a seminar held in Kiruna in Sweden in 1975 was specifically the position of the Saami woman in Saami society. The next seminar was in Kárášjohka in Norway in 1978, and its subject was the previous and current position of the Saami woman. In 1982, South Saami women organized a seminar whose agenda included issues connected with bilingualism and mythology, while the objective of a seminar organized by the Saami Council in 1985 was to promote the position of Saami women in traditional occupations and their employment in various organs connected with them. The secretary general of the seminar was Máret Sárá, a Saami woman activist. For the seminar she had compiled statistics concerning the number of Saami women occupied leading posts in Saami organizations. This account, which revealed the invisibility of Saami women in public life, opened the eyes of her sisters. </P> <P align="justify"> Máret Sárá was also one of the founders of <I>Sámi Nissonorganisasuvnna - Samisk Kvinneorganisasjon</I> (The Saami Women's Organization) in 1988. The mobilization of women to attend the inaugural meeting was very successful, with altogether 120 women participating. The aim of the organization was to focus on the position and role of Saami women in society, to promote women's awareness of their current and future position and role and to change social conditions so that women would be legally guaranteed equality and equal rights with men. Women's visibility was to be increased, and it was considered important to promote cooperation with other indigenous peoples and women's organizations. </P> <P align="justify"> <I>Sámi Nisson Forum</I> (SNF, The Saami Women's Forum) was founded in 1993 out of <I>Kárásjoga Sámiid nissonlista</I> (the Karasjok List of Saami Women), which had been established in the spring of 1989 for the first Saami Parliament elections in Norway because women were no longer content with being secretaries and making coffee for men in political life. Gudrun Eliissa Eriksen Lindi, who has been the executive head of the Saami Women's Forum ever since its foundation was the first candidate in the joint list of the Kárášjohka Saami Women's and Saami associations candidates for the 1989 Saami Parliament elections. The leading male Saami politicians rejected the list and demanded new nominations. In the opinion of the Women's Forum, this case proved the real existence of discrimination against women in Saami society. The women refused to accept this discrimination, and they drew up a separate list of women candidates for election to the Saami Parliament, failing to get one of their candidates elected by only six votes. </P> <P align="justify"> The Saami Parliaments are the parliamentary democratically elected organs of the Saami in Finland (1996-), Norway (1989-) and Sweden (1993-). With regard to the institutionalization of equality, the concept was, and still is, associated by the Saami with equality between peoples, minority and majority peoples rather than with equality between the sexes. The Norwegian Saami Parliament is the only one to have legislated over the institutionalization of equality and passed official regulations to promote gender equality. To address this issue, it instituted a three-year post for an officer to coordinate women's issues and to promote the position of women, and in 1999 it decided to make the post a permanent one. Despite the project, the number of female representatives in the Saami Parliament has not increased; on the contrary, it has fallen. </P> <P align="justify"> In February 1999 the Norwegian Saami Parliament published a report of the findings of its three-year women's project together with an official account of its activities. The SNF was the only organ that contributed its own statement to the report. It considered that the Saami Parliament should initiate measures that would benefit Saami women and Saami localities. The Saami Parliament took note of this statement and decided to initiate a survey of women's economic, cultural and skills resources, to introduce measures to validate and make women visible and to further integration in the education of girls and boys in day-care centres and comprehensive schools. </P> <P align="justify"> The SNF also pointed out that the status and position of Saami women must be strengthened in public relations at the national and international levels. Here the SNF proposed that the Saami Parliament should together with the principle authorities involved consider how the position of Saami women in terms of equality policy might be augmented nationally and internationally. The Saami Parliament adopted the proposal in its own plenary session. The Norwegian Saami Parliament has thus sown the seeds to initiate progress in gender equality issues, although they have not yet germinated and blossomed. Women have been, and continue to be, poorly represented in the Saami Parliaments. In none of the Saami Parliaments has there been, nor is there at present, a female president or chairperson. There have been vice-presidents or chairpersons: in Norway, Ing-Lill Pavval (1993 - 1997) ja Ragnhild L. Nystad (1997-2001 and 2002-2006); in Finland, Irja Seurujärvi-Kari (1992-1996 and 1996-2003); and in Sweden, Eva Jejlid (2002-2005). The number of female members of the Saami Parliaments is low: in the Finnish Saami Parliament 5/21 (1992-1996) and 6/21 (1996-2003); in the Norwegian Saami Parliament 12/39 (1989-1993), 13/39 (1993-1997), 12/39 (1997-2001) and 7/39 (2002-2006); and in the Swedish Saami Parliament 8/31 (1993-1997), 9/31 (1997-2001) and 6/31 (2002-2005). </P> <P align="justify"> These figures indicate that the policy of segregation and discrimination of Saami women still continues. There are many reasons for this. The main objective of the agendas of theSaami Parliaments has been the reinforcement and enhancement of Saami self-determination and the overall promotion of Saami issues such as language, education and so on. For the Saamis, it has been of prior importance to build a national identity and self-awareness, to decide on national symbols, to approve joint political objectives and to establish partnership and equality with other peoples both in the Nordic countries and elsewhere in the world. The Saami have now been recognized as an indigenous people in the constitutions of the Nordic countries. They are still regarded as a homogenous group, and that view seems to be firmly entrenched the Saami Parliaments own agendas. The inclusion of gender equality in these agendas has been fraught with difficulty. The representatives regard the issue as irrelevant because, according to them, equality is not an issue among the Saami. A debate about equality between the sexes has also been rejected because it has been considered a diversion in the process of achieving Saami self-determination. These arguments fall back on traditions and claim that women and men have been equal partners and actors in the traditional Saami society. A frequently quoted example has been the fact that both sexes traditionally hunted and engaged in other activities together. However, the Saami society has changed socially, economically and culturally. Although the Saamis have become a modern people, the debate over gender equality among them has dragged its feet in comparison with the other peoples in the Nordic countries. </P>
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