The Sámi Flag(s): From a revolutionary sign to an institutional symbol

This chapter traces the history of the Sámi flag or, rather, flags. The early flag, presented as an artwork by Synnøve Persen, had been flown since the late 1970s, notably during the Alta controversy. The official Sámi flag, designed by Astri Båhl, was not chosen until 1986 by the Sámi Conference. Although the early flag and the official flag have separate histories, parallels can be found between the processes by which the Sámi flag evolved from a revolutionary sign in the spirit of ČSV to an official symbol of the people and where the Sámi movement became institutionalized and its young radicals the power-wielding establishment. The processes adopting the Sámi flag took place during the Cold War. The Sámi were living in an area crossing the Iron Curtain. Thus, the process of selecting the Sámi flag must be examined through the relationship between the Sámi and the mainstream societies surrounding them, instead of viewing the process as an aspiration simply arising from the Sámi society itself. Although adoption of the Sámi flag was not directly connected with strengthening the territorial status of the Sámi, the Sámi flag maintains and sustains the image of a Sámi region spanning borders while, at the same time, challenging the seemingly unshakable position of the national flags in the area.