THE LEGAL SITUATION OF THE SAAMI IN FINLAND: A THREAT TO NATIONAL IDENTITY

The Saami are indigenous people of four countries – Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Russia. Due to the policy of integration, the national identity of the Sami people has been threatened. This paper describes the development of the legal status of the Sami in Finland at the turn of the XX–XXI centuries and now, as well as the possible problems to the Saami nowadays and the factors, which are negatively affecting the preservation and development of the Saami culture.