Profile

Ánde Somby is a Saami person. Besides that he can his mothertongue Noorthern Saami. He is also fluent in Norwegian and English. He also speaks Southern Saami.

He is in a post doctoral sholarship at the Law faculty at Tromsö University. Somby has also been practising as a legal professional outside the University.

He is the former Chair of the Center for Saami Studies at Tromsö University. He is also elected into some other bodies outside the University.

Somby has been active performing with yoiks (traditional Saami songs) since 1976. He also gives lectures about yoiks from time to time.

Ánde Somby is not politically active.

He is rather litterate with Internet and computers. Somby is also focused on both theoretical and artistic implications of the net.

Personal Information:

• Born: 12^th of May 1958
• Place of Birth: Buolbmat in the municipality Deatnu/Tana on the Norwegian side of Saamiland
• Son of:
  • Asllat Sombi born 12^th of November 1913
  • Karen Kristine Porsanger Somby born 16^th of Desember 1920
• Father of:
  • Lawra Westerfjell Somby, born 15^th of February 1980
  • Anna Cicilie Kristine Somby, born 16^th of October 1988
• Brother of:
  • Margit Alette Somby Anti, born 30^th of August 1944
  • Niillas Aslaksen Somby, born 4^th of Desember 1948
  • Marry Ailonieida Somby, born 31^st of July 1953
• Marital status: Divorced
• Nationality:
  • Northern Saami
  • Norwegian citizen

Formal Training:

• 1979 - 1987 The Candidatus Juris (Norwegian Law Degree) study at Law Faculty at Oslo University
  • Interuptions:
    • Participation and involvements in the demonstrations in the Alta case from October 1979 to January 1983
    • Served civil dutywork from January 1983 to May 1984
• 1993 - 1999 The Doctor Juris (Norwegian doctorate in Law) Research Qualification period at Law faculty of Tromsø University

Professional experience:

• From July 1986 to Desember 1986 Research assistant, at Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law (NRCCL), at the Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo.
• From July 1987 to july 1988: Executive Officer and Senior Executive Officer at the Law Departement in the Section for Municipal Affairs at the Norwegian Royal Ministery of Municipal Affairs
• From August 1988 to August 1989: Assistant Jugde at Ofoten Distict Court in Narvik
• From August 1989 to May 1990 Lawyer at Knut Heggs Lawfirm in Vadsø
• From May 1990 to August 1992 Partner in the Lawfirm Hegg and Somby in Vadsø
• From August 1992 to March 1999 Research Scholar at Law Faculty at Tromsø University
• From March 1999 to January 2000 Associate Professor at Law Faculty at Tromsø University
• From February 2000 to September 2001 Post doc. Research Scholar at Law Faculty at Tromsø University
• From September 2001 to June 2002 visiting professor at University of Alaska, Fairbanks at the Department of Alaska Native and Rural Development

Certificates and Authorisations

• Candidatus Juris 1987 from The Faculty of Law at The University of Oslo, Norway
• Authorised Attorney of law 1990 by the County Governor of Finnmark on behalf of the Norwegian Roayal Ministery og Justice
• Doctor Juris 1999 from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tromsö, Norway

Publications:

• In Search of Adquat Articles in the Legislation regarding the business of Construction, special thesis reviewed and approved as a part of the Candidatus Juris degree. Published as a book, Oslo 1987. The text is in Norwegian
• Yoik and The theory of Knowlegde, i Kunnskap og utvikling, Haavelud, Magnus (red), Tromsø 1995 The text is in English.
• The transformation from homo sapiens sapiens to homo sapiens juridicus article in in the book Filosofi i et nordlig landskap: Jakob Meløe 70 år / Anniken Greve og Sigmund Nesset (ed.), Tromsø 1997 The text is in Norwegian.
• Rhetoric of Law: Doctoral thesis reviewed and approved by the University of Tromsø in March 1999. Published as a book by the Norwegian publishing house Tano-Aschehoug in Desember 1999. The book is in Norwegian
• How to recruit Saamis to higher Education and to Research, Items on an agenda of actions; article in the book Sin neste som seg selv: Ole D. Mjøs 60 år 8. mars 1999 / Arthur Arntzen, Jens-Ivar Nergård, Øyvind Norderval (ed.) Tromsø 1999
• When the Supreme Court of Norway repeats: No pardon, The second test lecture given for the doctoral degree at the 26th of February 1999 at the University of Tromsö, later edited and published as an article in The Nordic Law review Retfærd 1999 nr 2. p. 19-31. The text is in Norwegian.
• The Legal situation of The Nordic Indigenous Peoples; Paper presented at the 35^th Nordic Jurist Assembly which took place From 18^th to 20^th of August 1999 in Oslo. The text is in Norwegian and it is also published in Forhandlingene fra 35. juristmøtet i Oslo 18. 20. august 1999 del 1 p. 503 - 519.

Professional memberships

• Member of the Board of Center for Saami Studies at the University of Tromsö from 1995 to 1997
• Chair of the Board of Center for Saami Studies at the University of Tromsö from 1997 to 2000
• Deputy member of the board of Centre for Environment and Development Studies at the University of Tromsö from 1997 to 1999 and from 1999 to 2001

Extracurricular memberships

• Chair in the steeringcomittee of the Saami Research from 1998 to 1999
• Chair in the Comittee for authorisation of Saami translators
• Member of the board of the Researchprogram SKIKT - The research programme on Social and Cultural Preconditions for ICT which is under Norges Forskningsråd - the Research Council of Norway.
• Member if the Council of the Arctic University
• Member of the Programcomittee of the Saami Cultural festival Riđđu Riddu for the years 1999, 2000 and 2001
• Chair in the Appealcomittee of Sámi Allaskuvla - Saami University College

Languages

• Northern Saami; Mothertongue, orally rooted and has also writing skills
• Southern Saami: Orally competent and has skills to read
• Norwegian: Orally competent and has skills to write and read
• English Orally competent and has skills to write and read
• German Has skills to write and read

Computer Litteracy

• Generally; Has knowlegde and reflections about the grounding theories. Knows quite a number of programs and has the ability to go into new programs in short time. Has been educated in some courses, but is mainly an autodidact.
• Practical skills:
  • Wordprocessing;
  Is able to use most of the programs on the market, but is specially litterate with Microsoft Word.
  • Imageprocessing; Is able to both scan in images and edit with a number of programs, but is particulary skilled to work with Adobe Photoshop
  • Soundprocessing; Is able to use several programs, but is particulary skilled to work with Sonic Foundry Sound Forge
  • Internet: Has been an active user of the net since 1992. Has knowlegde both on how the net works and knows also lots of netlocations.
    • Able to use most browswers
    • Homepageprocessing: is able to use most programs
    • Filetransphering: is able to use several programs
    • Homepages: able to both build up, administer and maintain
    • Domains: able to secure domain names

  Cultural merits

  • Activ performing yoiker since 1974
  • Master of Ceremonies in a number of big Saami Cultural events
  • Produced following yoik-records:
    • Ean Máššan with Aslak A. Somby and Karen K. Somby, DATLP 1 / DATMC 1 1985
    • Ravddas Ravdii with Máhtte Iŋgá - Inga Juuso, DATCD-9 / DATMC-9 1991
    • Deh with Ivvár Niillas - Nils Porsanger, AmmaCD-01 1998

  • Artistic leadership and producer of a numer ogf big Saami Cultural events

  Political merits

  • Leeader of Sámiid Nuoraid Searvi - Saami Youth Association in Kárášjohka from 1976 to 1978
  • Actic supporter during the Saami hungerstrike outside the Norwegian Parliament the fall 1979, among other tasks member of the team of editors of the newspaper Charta 79
  • Affliiate in 1982 to assist his brother Niillas A. Somby to escape from the Norwegian Secret Service and to escape to Canada in order to seek for political asylum from First Nations
  • At the time with no political affiliation neither with Saami nor with Norwegian political parties