Sápmelaš, originally Sabmelaš, was a magazine written in Northern Sámi that was published in Finland[1] from 1932 to 2001.
History and profile
Sápmelaš was launched in 1932[2] by Sámi Čuvgehussearvi. The magazine was started as a four-page publication and was distributed to all Sámi households for free.[2] It was financed by the Finnish government until 1995, after which the Sámi Parliament in Finland financed it for 6 years. 2001 saw the magazine fold due to a lack of financing.
The first editors were Paavo Ravila (1934–1943) and Erkki Itkonen (1934–1950). Although neither Ravila nor Itkonen were Sámi, they were both professors of Finno-Ugric languages at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Jouni Kitti served as editor from 1980 to 1998.