Places’ names give directions
They tell us about our history, for example when a name describes what has happened in a certain place. The names given to places are also part of our identity. Some of these places are well-known by almost everyone, such as the highest mountaintops in the Norwegian and Swedish fells: Galdhöpiggen and Giebmegáisi/Kebnekaise. Other places are less well-known, with names only recognized by local people or only by members of the same family. Such places might be small ponds, creeks, or mires
Nowadays, we can find many Sami place names on maps covering the South Sami region. The names often describe the landscape; perhaps “place words” would be a more fitting term than “place names”. It can be quite valuable to know the meaning of the old Sami names used on maps. They tell us a great deal about what the local landscape looks like. Guevtele indicates a high, barren plateau in the fells, or mountains. Sjaare means that an area is very stony, or rocky. Thus, the name, Sjaareguevtele, provides a rich description of the landscape.
The land reflects our experiences
The names of places also bear our cultural heritage and are markers of our identity. They tell us about our Sami ancestors that lived here and worked the land. They tell us about things that have transpired in the past, about settlements, and about lifestyles. The word, nïejtesååle, reminds us that a girl, a “nïejte” was born on an island, a “sååle”, tying a family’s history to the place. Buhtjemejaevrie means that a place was once a site for milking reindeer, or “buhtjeme”, near the water, or “jaevrie”. Someone may also be able to tell us just who had milked reindeer at this site. Thus, places’ names, give both the land and people their identity.
The Sami, Norwegian, and Swedish languages were not always seen as equals. Under a long period, Norwegian and Swedish had the upper hand, either being spoken by more people, having a more dominant position in society, or due to the fact that they were the only written languages. It is uncommon for Norwegians and Swedes to speak the Southern Sami language. The Swedish and Norwegian place names dominated even in areas where these languages were used parallel to the Sami language. For this reason, the Sami names were not as well-known and were often forgotten. During the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, an active policy of assimilation was enforced in Norway. Part of the policy entailed government agencies removing the Sami place names from maps. Wherever possible, the Sami names were translated to Norwegian or simply modified to sound more Norwegian. The state gradually abandoned this policy after the 1930s, and began to print the Sami names on maps, but the damage had already been done.