The Norwegian capital is known around the world as Oslo. But the municipality will soon get an additional name in the S谩mi language.
Oslo city council wants to give the municipality a new official name. The new name won't replace Oslo, rather it will be a name for the municipality in the S谩mi language.
The language鈥攁ctually a group of langauges鈥攊s spoken by the S谩mi people, the indigenous people from northern Scandinavia.
A council motion
Campaigns to create a S谩mi name for Oslo have been underway for several years.
Earlier this month, the city council added the matter to its business for the coming four years. Although the decision hasn't been made yet, there is expected to be little resistance when the proposal is discussed.
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Councillor Inga Marte Thorkildsen is pleased that the item is included in the agenda: “We want to show that we recognize and are proud of our indigenous people. It is therefore quite natural that Oslo, our capital, also signals this through the name of the city.”
It is not known exactly when the formal discussions will begin. However, the Culture department is already formally working on it.
A sizeable Sami community in Oslo
While the communities are traditionally located in northern Norway and parts of central Norway, there are significant numbers of S谩mi now living in Norway's capital.
Kristine Ballari, a former leader of a youth S谩mi organisation in Oslo told NRK it was a “huge victory” for the S谩mi.聽鈥淭he city will feel closer to our hearts once the S谩mi language is more visible,鈥� she said, adding that she hoped to see S谩mi street signs emerge in future years.
S谩mi youth have long been active in Oslo's cultural life, organising meetings and making their presence known on a variety of local, national and global issues. Thorkildsen said they deserve praise for their visibility in the community and for moving past the issues of the past.
A cultural centre Samisk Hus () recognises the growing community. It provides a meeting place but also a venue for language and cultural classes.
Options for the new name
The name of the聽youth organization Oslove Noereh was based on the Southern S谩mi language. Any new name for the municipality would also have to be based on Southern S谩mi, as dictated by the Local Names Act of Norway.
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Oslove was adopted by a slogan by the wider community in Oslo following the terror attacks of 2011. It is also used to refer to the city at聽Samisk Hus.
The S谩mi Parliament say there are two alternatives to refer to Oslo municipality:
- Osloven tj茂elte
- Oslon tj茂elte
What will Oslo municipality's new S谩mi name be? Watch this space!
