The Saami Council launches the Sámi Duodji and Sámi Made trademarks
The Saami Council launches two Sámi trademarks. The purpose of the trademarks is to strengthen Sámi handicrafts and the competitiveness of Sámi creative industries. The Sámi Duodji trademark has been revamped, which is why it is now being reissued. In addition to this, a new certification mark is released: Sámi Made.
Renewed Sámi Duodji mark and new Sámi Made mark.
Sámi Duodji and Sámi Made are two separate certification marks, the purpose of which is to tell the buyer which products are made by Sámi people, and which products are traditional handicrafts (duodji). The Saami Council experiences a great interest in Sámi handicrafts and products, but it is difficult for buyers to know which products are genuine Sámi handicrafts or which products are made by Sámi people.
- The Saami Council feels that Sámi crafts and products have great value and believes that buyers would choose Sámi crafts or products made by Sámi people if they had the opportunity. This is precisely the opportunity we want to offer with the help of these trademarks and in this way strengthen the competitiveness of Sámi businesses, says Sandra Márjá West, project manager for Sámi trademarks.
Renewed Sámi Duodji mark
The Saami Council, together with Sámi craft organizations, has renewed the Sámi Duodji mark and is therefore publishing the trademark again. The Sámi Duodji trademark is for traditional Sámi handicrafts and was established in the 80s together with Sámi handicraft organizations. West says that they have been working on this together with the Sámi craft organisations, who feel that there is a great need for the trademark, as the misuse of Sámi handicrafts is still a big challenge for Sámi society. In addition, the criteria needed updating to modern times and the need to strengthen the trademark's marketing also came up, says West.
- The Saami Council has received funding for trademark marketing. The Saami Council has digitized the application forms to make it easier to apply for the trademarks, which also makes it easier to find Sámi artists and producers via the samitrademarks.com website.
West says that due to the reform of the rules and the new digital register of Sámi artists and producers, everyone who already has a trademark must apply for the new Sámi Duodji trademark again.
- We welcome both old and new users. To be successful, the certification mark system requires that the Sámi people adopt the trademarks. Only then do they work as intended.
Photo: Sámi Duodji Sameslöjdstiftelsen
Sámi Made trademark
In the certification mark work, it became clear that there is a strong need in the Sámi community for a trademark that can be used for Sámi products other than handicrafts, to certify that a Sámi has made a product. The name of this new trademark is Sámi Made. It can be used for all products made by Sámi. These can be, for example, Sámi design, jewellery, souvenirs, books or other physical products.
-Today, we have many different products made by the Sámi people, and we want to strengthen their competitiveness with the help of the trademark, says West.
West also says that since Sámi Made is a completely new system, the Sámi Council plans to first set up a pilot group to which Sámi companies will be invited. The purpose of the pilot group is to find out how the trademark works and to consider whether it should be adapted to the Sámi society even better. The Sámi Council hopes that Sámi companies and producers feel it is important to join the pilot group.
Important cooperation
The Saami Council has been working on the project since 2015 and has worked in close cooperation with both Sámi craft organizations and artists. Christina Hætta, head of the Saami Council's Cultural Department, is happy when the certification marks can finally be put into use:
- The certification marks have now been released and we can finally take the next step, which is the marketing of the mark and a discussion with artisans and design producers about how we can even better implement the certification system for the benefit of Sámi.
The craft stamp project is financed by the American Embassies in Sweden, Finland and Norway. The partners of the project are Sámi Duodji ry in Finland, Sámi Duodji/ Sameslöjdstiftelsen in Sweden, Duodjeinstituhtta and Sámi Duodji in Norway.
Read more about the Sámi trademarks and apply for them at www.samitrademarks.com.
