The Sámi people is a society rich of cultural traditions which are represented in folk stories told from generation to generation, stone carving, wood-printing, silver jewellery and beautiful national costumes. A strong tradition of music and dance has also been preserved by the Sámi community. Central to Sámi folk music is the joik, an improvised and highly-personal style of singing in a sort of epigrammatic form. Often describing nature or animals, the joik illustrates the close relationship which the Sámi people have with the world around them.

For centuries these traditions were maintained within the confines of Sámi society and remained relatively unknown to the rest of the Norwegian population. However, in recent decades they have undergone something of a renaissance, becoming the basis for a variety of new cultural developments which are accessible to the wider Norwegian population. Numerous Sámi artists who lived through the time of neglect have acquired a new audience. The work of John Andreas Savio (1902-1938), for instance, is now showcased in a dedicated museum (the Savio Museum). Sámi literature has also prospered, attracting interest far beyond the Sámi reading public. Noteworthy Sámi artists of recent years include multi-media artist Nils Aslak Valkepää, sculptor and visual artist Iver Jåks, ethno-musician Mari Boine and film director Nils Gaup.