Page Sec1:16 - Labyrint 2013 - English Edition

Per Fokstad
(1890–1973)
• From Tana in Finnmark
• Went to Tromsø Teachers College
(1909-1912)
• Studied in Christiania and at
Askov Academy in Denmark,
Woodbrooke College in England
and the Collège de France in Paris,
France
• A teacher and later principal and
mayor in Tana
• Served in a number of Sami and
school political positions until the
end of the 1960s and was one of
the founders the Norwegian Sami
Association in 1968
• The Sami’s political opposition's
leading strategist from 1917
Isak Saba
(1875–1921)
• From Nesseby in Finnmark
• Went to Tromso Seminary (1896-
1898)
• Teacher in Lebesby, Nesseby and
Vardø
• First Sami to be elected to the
Storting (the Norwegian Parlia-
ment) (1906-1912), represented
Eastern Finnmark
• Ran for election on a Sami politi-
cal and socialist programme
• Wrote Sámi soga lávlla (the Sami
people’s song), which became the
Sami national song in 1986
• Was the Sami political
opposition's top strategist from
1904 to 1912 along with Anders
Larsen
• A pioneer in the struggle to
establish Sami as the language of
instruction in schools
• Active in collecting folklore,
including Sami legends, fairy tales
and joiks
Anders Larsen
(1870–1949)
• From Kvænangen in Troms
• Went to Tromso Seminary (1897-
1899)
• Teacher in Alta, Kvalsund and
Harstad
• Founder, publisher and editor
of the Sami language newspaper
Sagai Muitalægje (1904-1911)
• Isak Saba's closest ally
• Published the novel Bæivve-Allgo
(1912), the first novel published in
the Sami language
• Wrote a number of scientific and
popular scientific articles, in Sami
and Norwegian, about the Sami
language, culture and history
• The book Om sjøsamane (About
the Sea Sami) (1950) was based on
his own childhood in Segelvik and
his time as a teacher in Finnmark
16 ••• Labyrint E/13 – University of Tromsø
Early voices
of the Sami people