Sami Words You Will Hear on a Visit

A few words come up on every Sami visit from Tromsø, and they are worth knowing before you go: a joik is the traditional Sami song, a lavvu is a cone-shaped tent and a gamme is a hut, gákti is the traditional garment, duodji is Sami handicraft, and Sápmi is the Sami homeland. The definitions below follow the Norwegian encyclopedia Store norske leksikon and the listings’ own words.

The words

Sápmi. The area where most Sami have lived through history: the Sami homeland.

Sami, Sámi. The people, and the adjective. Sámi is the Northern Sami spelling; this site writes Sami throughout.

Lapp. Avoid it. Store norske leksikon calls it an outdated term used by non-Sami, perceived as derogatory today, and records that Sami national assemblies in 1918 and 1921 asked the authorities to say “samer”, Sami. You will still see “Lapland” in company names, such as Tromsø Lapland, the operator of this site’s daytime visit.

Joik. The traditional Sami song, and the most important form of Sami folk music. The epic joiks that survive comment on the mission work and colonisation the Sami were subjected to (Store norske leksikon). On a visit, a joik is performed by a guide or a herder, and only on the visits that include one.

Lavvu. A cone-shaped Sami tent of slanted poles tied together at the top, with a smoke hole, used when moving with the reindeer and for longer stays. The listings also spell it lavvo and lávvu.

Gamme. A hut. On Tromsø Lapland’s daytime and evening visits the gamme is the Sami hut where the meal is served. A gamme is not a lavvu, and a listing that names one does not promise the other.

Gákti. The traditional garment, called kofte in Norwegian. Its colours and cut can show where the wearer comes from and which family they belong to. It is worn at feasts and by some people every day: clothing, not a costume.

Duodji. The North Sami word for both making and the thing made: Sami handicraft. Modern Sami art has its own word, dáidda.

Bidos, bidus. The reindeer stew served on many visits; the listings use both spellings. Wondering Reindeer AS makes it with reindeer meat, carrots and potatoes, slow-cooked, and serves it as a dish of confirmations, weddings and other festive occasions.

Reindeer mark. Inside the Sami reindeer-herding area, which takes in parts of Troms, only people with a right to a reindeer mark may own reindeer, under Norway’s Reindeer Husbandry Act; that right belongs to people of Sami descent who meet the conditions in the act.

Sametinget. The Sami Parliament of Norway, opened in Karasjok on 9 October 1989, with 39 representatives elected every four years from seven constituencies.

Where to hear a joik

The daytime visit this site follows has no joik. These visits include one:

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide, checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.

Where you will hear these words

Most of these words you will hear at a camp on the mainland, in a gamme or a lavvu, over bidos. What a Sami experience in Tromsø contains walks through a visit part by part.

Using the words well

Use the words as names, not as decoration. Ask before you photograph a person, especially someone in gákti. Say Sami, not Lapp. And if a guide sings a joik, listen first, and ask before you film.