Are you looking for photos and documents that can enrich your genealogical research about Sámi ancestors? Then it might be worth visiting the digital archive portal Nuohtti, which collects historical material from all over Sápmi.
February 6 marks the Sami National Day, a celebration that has taken place since 1992 to commemorate the first Sami Congress in Trondheim in 1917. The day is a good opportunity to highlight Nuohtti, a portal that provides access to a rich archive material related to Sami history and culture.
Over 30,000 historical images
Nuohtti collects archival material from more than 30 archives, libraries and museums in Europe. The portal includes references to historical documents and digitized photographs – more than 30,000 images are available for those who want to explore Sámi history.
The initiative is backed by the national archives of Norway, Sweden and Finland, as well as the Sami archives in Norway and Finland.
Ethical guidelines for sensitive material
Many of the documents in Nuohtti originate from people and institutions outside the Sámi community. This means that some descriptions and images may be perceived as offensive to descendants and those mentioned in the material. This applies in particular to ethnological reports, the diaries of Sámi missionaries, documents from Lapp bailiffs, photographs taken by private individuals and authorities, and court documents.
To handle this in a respectful way, Nuohtti has introduced a code of conduct that users are encouraged to follow when exploring the material.
Part of a Nordic project
Nuohtti is the result of the Nordic collaboration project Digital Access to the Sámi Heritage Archives, which ran from 2018 to 2021. The aim of the project was to make Sámi historical material more accessible and create a common digital platform for preserving and sharing Sámi cultural heritage.
For those interested in Sámi history, genealogy or culture, Nuohtti is a valuable tool for discovering and learning more about the past.
