Dear friends,

We have the honour to invite You to the Sámi Cultural Heritage Week from October 27th to October 31st, 2008. The events of the theme week will take place in Rovaniemi, in the southern part of Finnish Sápmi.

Sámi Cultural Heritage Week will show, view, and challenge the Sámi cultural heritage and its present situation in numerous ways. The week will begin with an international Expert Seminar on the Protection of Indigenous Cultural Heritage and continue with the 19th Sámi Conference and the Theme seminar held in connection with it.

During the week, we will view both the best and the worst ways in which the Sámi and other indigenous peoples protect, promote and pass down their cultural heritage. We will look at the issue both from the perspective of international and national legislation and people’s experiences at grassroots level. There will also be many cultural events during the week, and a more detailed programme will be available soon.

This historical event will be attended by the official Sámi delegations but also by numerous Sámi families as well as various Sámi associations and other groups which find the issues of the week interesting and appealing. During the week, special emphasis will be on discussions, and, indeed, we invite all the Sámi who are interested in promoting Sámi culture to participate in the discussions and to present their visions of our cultural heritage and its future.

Participation in the Sámi Cultural Heritage Week is free of charge and includes the Expert Seminar, the 19th Sámi Conference and its Theme Seminar. It also includes the seminar material, the coffee services at the conference and admission to the cultural events of the week. You can either register for the whole programme of the week or just part of it. However, the lunches and dinners at the conference site are not free, and you can buy them in advance in connection with registration. Through the registration form, you can also reserve accommodation in Rovaniemi for a special heritage-week price. Unfortunately, we will not be able to cover your travelling and accommodation costs.

The deadline for registration is September 30th, 2008. You can register by returning the enclosed registration form (by mail or fax) or by filling a digital form on the Internet at www.ulapland.fi/saamiweekENG.

Registrations, accommodation reservations and inquiries concerning them are taken care of by:
Rovaniemi-Lapland Congresses
University of Lapland, P.B. 122
FIN – 96101 Rovaniemi
Tel. +358 (0)16 341 2799 and +358 (0)16 342 2801
Fax +358 (0)16 341 2800
E-mail: congress@ulapland.fi

The conference is arranged by the Sámi Council and its Secretariat and staff. Inquiries concerning the content of the programme and the arrangements should be addressed to the Secretariat at saamicouncil@saamicouncil.net.

You are cordially welcome to Rovaniemi!
Pauliina Feodoroff
Chair of the Sámi Council

and
Leena Aikio
Director of the Cultural Unit

To view the program, please click here.

To register, please view the registration form.