The Interreg Aurora funded project Oummu rââst raaj – People cross the borders project between Inari and Sør-Varanger Municipalities is bringing together two border municipalities, as well as museums, educational and cultural institutions, Sámi Parliaments in Finland and Norway, and the Skolt Saami community. This unique Finnish-Norwegian project is helping to give Skolt Saami language and culture a much-needed boost by hosting events to gather the community geographically widespread in Finland and Norway together, creating safe environment to learn about and practice their own culture, and giving low threshold opportunities to learn Skolt Saami language.
The project focuses on revitalising the endangered Skolt Saami language and reinforcing cultural identity both in Finland and Norway, strengthening ties across the borders. Since its start, the project has hosted many successful events including community days in Inari and Sør-Varanger municipalities, cultural café and family day at Äʹvv Skolt Saami Museum, the first summer camp in Pasvik, and a cultural study tour to the Valamo Monastery. You can find an article about the visit to the Valamo Monastery here: Revitalising Skolt Saami Culture: visit to the Valamo Monastery in Finland strengthens heritage ties – INARI.FI/EN.
The Äʹvv Skolt Saami Museum (Ä´vv Skolt Sami Museum – Tana og Varanger Museumssiida ) has hosted cultural cafés and community days in Neiden in cooperation with the project. One of the project’s biggest events so far was Skolt Saami Community Day in September at Sámi Museum Siida organized by two Interreg Aurora funded projects Oummu rââst raaj and Máhtut in cooperation with Research Council of Finland funded Sámipolity project, Äʹvv Skolt Saami Museum and Sámi Museum Siida. The Community Day succeeded in its purpose of bringing Skolt Saami community members together from both the Finnish and Norwegian sides with over 70 participants. You can read more about it here: Skolt Saami Community Day at Sámi Museum Siida attracted a large audience – INARI.FI/EN
The summer camp in Pasvik, northern Norway, was the first ever organized Skolt Saami camp, and it successfully gathered 52 participants ranging from 4-month-old baby to elders over eighty-year-old. The camp was realised thanks to the financial support of the Sámi Parliament in Norway, an important partner of the project. The week was full of language immersion, traditional dance, fishing, handicrafts, and cooking. These camps are not just educational events – they are spaces for community building and cultural revival. Two more Skolt Saami camps are planned by the project for 2026: Gathering to the Winter Village – a camp focused on winter activities in Sevettijärvi in March and a second summer camp in June. Report of the first summer camp with more detailed description of the camp, feedback from participants, and pictures can be found here: Ǩieʹssleirr – Summer camp 2025 – INARI.FI/EN
In addition to the community-building events, the project has been producing Skolt Saami art, learning materials, books, social media content and online Skolt Saami language course as an action to strengthen the endangered language and culture, give visibility to the topic, and give community members easy access to media about their own culture – in their own language. Here are some examples:
- First movie of the “Mon leäm säʹmmlaž – I am a skolt saami” series of short films produced by the project has been published. The films present personal stories of Skolt Saami individual’s search for identity. The published film tells the story of Laura Feodoroff, a Skolt Saami, and it can be found on Inari Municipality’s Youtube channel: Oummu rââst raaj | Mon leäm säʹmmlaž | Laura Feodoroff. The short film was selected for the Skábmagovat Film Festival programme for 2026.
- Basic Skolt Saami learning materials have been created and published by the project. The materials are aimed at Skolt Saami early childhood education and comprehensive school education, as well as Skolt Saami language teaching in Finnish and Norwegian. The materials containing translations can therefore be found translated into both Finnish and Norwegian. The learning materials are openly available to everyone on Inari Municipalitys webpage: Oummu rââst raaj – People cross the borders project – INARI.FI/EN
- An online Skolt Saami language course is being created in cooperation with The Sámi Education Institute: The Sámi Education Institute, and it will be published in 2026.
Many exciting activities are being planned ahead:
- Presentation of the sub-project “VR Technologies and Skolt Saami Heritage” in cooperation with Pikene på Broen, 19–22 February 2026, as part of the Barents Spektakel in Kirkenes
- Seminar on Skolt Saami History and Cultural Heritage on 27–28 February 2026 in Inari. Friday 27 will be open for anyone interested, and Saturday 28 is intended for Skolt Saami community members only.
- Gathering to the Winter Village – Skolt Saami winter camp in March in Sevettijärvi and summer camp in June 2026
- Cultural café at Äʹvv Museum in spring of 2026
An up-to-date list of the project’s events and more information on them can be found on the project’s website.
In addition to the partners mentioned above, the project’s network includes Skolt Saami Siida Administration, Skolt Saami Cultural Foundation and Sámi Education Institute on the Finnish side, alongside Norrõs Skolt Saami Association, Pikene på Broen, Sør-Varanger Culture School and Pasvik Folk High School on the Norwegian side.
Project description in Skolt Saami language
Oummu rââst raaj – People cross the borders -haʹŋǩǩõõzz väʹlddtäävtõssân lie ravveed sääʹm ǩiõll- da kulttuurpirrõõzz raaj rââst da šõddeed õhttsaž ǩiõllââʹnnemareena Taarâst da Lääʹddjânnmest jälsteei saaʹmid. Projeʹktt rääjj jieʹllemviõkksaž raajid râstldeei ǩiõll- da kulttuurõutstõõzz, kååʹtt oouʹdad pueʹrrvââjjam, sosiaalʼlaž õʹhttekuullâmvuõđ vuuʹdest di tuejjad tõʹst ääiʹjab pueʹrben liŋkkõõvvi määŋgin jeeʹres taaʹzzin.
(Translation: The main goal of the Oummu rââst raaj – People cross the borders project is to strengthen the Skolt Saami language and cultural environment across the border and create a common language arena for Skolt Saami people living in Norway and Finland. The project builds a vibrant cross-border community that promotes well-being, social cohesion in the region and makes it better connected on many different levels.)
Project webpage in Skolt Saami language: Oummu rââst raaj – Sääʹmǩiõl da kulttuur ooudâsviikkâmhaʹŋǩǩõs 2024-2026 – INARI.FI
