Sami culture

85 per cent of the population in Kautokeino, which lies in the vast county of Finnmark, have Sami as their first language, and one third of the people work with reindeer, which is also the main industry.

Experience a different and exotic culture of the Sami people. The Sami culture is vivid and authentic even in the modern society of to day. The famous Easter festival in Kautokeino is a yearly event with historical traditions. Easter was traditionally the time of year when the Sami, from all over the Sapmi region, congregated in the reindeer capital Kautokeino. The end of a long, cold and dark winter was celebrated and one took part in the religious feasts and the high season of weddings.

Seasons

In winter time and the arctic night with northern lights and summer with constantly daylight and midnight sun, you can experience the nature at its most extreme; a winter's night spent in a lavvu (a Sami tent), a summer's evening at one of the numerous lakes fishing or watching reindeer race at Easter.

Research and education

Kautokeino is a centre for research and education with establishments such as the Sami College, the Nordic Sami Institute, the Food Control Authority and the centre for indigenous populations. The borough is bi-lingual and both Sami and Norwegian are used on all official documents and in all meetings.