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"How toddlers in Finland are saving an endangered Sámi language"
by Erika Benke, BBC (5 days ago)

Special nurseries are helping the Sámi people in Finland to bring their almost-lost language back from the brink of extinction.

When I stayed in the Arctic Circle to finish writing The True History of Tea with Erling Hoh, I was amazed by the symbiotic relationship the Sámi there had with their vast herds of reindeer.   And, yes, they do ride them, which someone was asking about here recently.

In 1995, only two families spoke Inari Sámi to their children, and just four speakers were under the age of 20.

…

Everything changed, Pasanen says, when local children began taking part in a novel, immersive language experiment. The programme has transformed a language that was once considered doomed after being inspired by indigenous language revitalisation projects in New Zealand, the other side of the world from Lapland.

…

Once back inside from the snowy playground, the 11 children of the Inari village nursery sit on soft pads resembling large tree slices.

Their room is adorned with traditional Sámi decorations and symbols: a Sámi flag and several drums hang on the wall next to a picture of a hand-painted, cut-out paper reindeer. The curtain has a fish pattern and the dolls are dressed in bright, handmade Sámi outfits. In the entrance hall, there's a row of traditional outdoor drinking cups made of birch, each belonging to a child, with names neatly written on the handles. 

The children's faces light up as they sing Sámi nursery rhymes, clapping to the rhythm while they chant. Activities like this play a crucial role in preserving and passing down the Sámi language and cultural heritage, says Tiina Lehmuslehti, their teacher, who leads the session by gently guiding the children and encouraging them to participate.

This is an Inari Sámi Language nest – an early years education concept with the goal is to create a new generation of speakers by completely immersing young children in the indigenous language.

Language nests were first developed in New Zealand in the 1970s to help preserve Māori languages Following their success, they have since been recognised as a crucial tool for language revitalisation among indigenous communities, spreading worldwide.

Can the same not be done for Manchu?  There are still 10,000,000  people who identify as Manchus, and there are nearly 200,000 Sibe individuals, of whom 30,000 speak a living Southern Tungusic Jurchenic language (Xibe) that is closely related to Manchu.

Bear in mind that, as recently as 115 years ago, the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), ruled by the Manchus, was the largest Chinese dynasty in history, and one of the largest and most populous dynasties on earth at the time.

Selected readings

• "Of reindeer and Old Sinitic reconstructions" (12/23/18)
• "Reindeer talk" (12/24/13)
• "Reindeer lore " (12/8/16) — includes 95 comments with words for reindeer in different languages, plus descriptions of customs and culture concerning reindeer.

[Thanks to John Tkacik]

February 24, 2026 @ 3:30 pm · Filed by Victor Mair under Endangered languages, Language extinction

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