Gulahalan 5

We will be translating some of the lessons from Gulahalan, a multimedia North Sami language course. You will need to visit the site in order to play the sound files, and you can use the English translations on this page as you listen to the dialogs. The Gulahalan website is only compatible with Internet Explorer.

Dialog 1
Ánne on a school trip, part 1

-Hello, my girl! Where are you calling from?
-I’m calling from Guovdageainnu.
-How’s the trip going?
-It’s going well. Can you call back?
-Sure, I can do that. I see you are not on your cell phone.
-No, I’m not, I’m at this number...

Dialog 2
Ánne on a school trip, part 2

-Hi again. How’s it going at home?
-It’s going well. What are you doing in Guovdageainnu.
-I just got back from the store.
-Where will you be tomorrow?
-I’ll be in Kárášjohka. I’m going to a concert.
-What’s the weather like there?
-It’s very warm here. I could fall asleep just like that.

Dialog 3
Ánne on a school trip, part 3

-Where are you staying?
-I’m staying at the hotel. Are you home alone?
-No, I’m not. Nephew is home too.
-Is dad out with the reindeer?
-No, he’s not. He is in Giron (Kiruna.) Enjoy the rest of your trip!

Dialog 4
Sami flag day

-Today is Sami flag day. So I’m going to fly the Sami flag.
-What colors does the Sami flag have?
-Blue, red, yellow, and green.
-Do you have a gákti?
-I do! I have three gáktis. One is grey, one is black, and one is white.

Can just anyone wear gákti?

Miss Finland 2005 and 2007 both wore “gákti” at the Miss Universe competition.

Finnish beauty Noora Hautakangas (photo) wanted to be special, so she used a copy of a gákti at the competition in Mexico. Rauni Äärelä of the Rovaniemi Sami association doesn’t like the idea, saying “The gákti is continuously used as if it were a national costume.” Contestants chose their own outfits under the National Costume portion of the competition. The Finnish participant wanted to come across as exotic and used a “gákti” from the dance group Rimpperemmi, which also uses them.

In 2005 Susanna Laine also represented Finland in a Sami outfit, but not an authentic one. The company Finnartist which arranges Miss Finland apologized for using a fake. It is not unusual that Finland advertises itself with copies of the Sami outfit. Recently during the Eurovision song competition, Finland was represented by people wearing outfits that Sami would never be seen wearing.

Sami on the Finnish side are unhappy and want this to end. “If someone is going to wear an outfit, they have to know how to wear it. It’s not just a matter of throwing something on that is both ugly and fake,” says Rauni Äärelä.

You can vote here about whether anyone should be allowed to wear gákti . So far 70% say no.