- Born
- Died
- Mattis Hætta was born on March 15, 1959 in Masi, Kautokeino, Norway. He was an actor, known for Ante (1976), Skáidi (1995) and Året gjennom Børfjord (1991). He died on November 9, 2022 in Norway.
- In 1980, he and Sverre Kjelsberg won the 1980 Melodi Grand Prix with the entry Sámiid Ædnan and went on to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980.
- A year prior to the Eurovision Song Contest, a political scandal took hold of Norway when the government announced plans to build an electricity plant near the village of Máze, which was predominantly inhabited by Sami people. This scandal was later dubbed the Alta controversy. Twenty-year-old Mattis Hætta, who hailed from the village, took part in the protests. He started joiking during the demonstrations of the local Sami people that took place near the Norwegian parliament in 1979. The demonstrations addressed more than just the electricity plant. They also opened discussions about the Sami right of self-determination and the preservation of their traditional culture.
- As an actor, Hætta worked at the Sami theater Beaivvás Sámi Nasunálateáhter.
- He worked in pantomimes and yoiks in Alta, Kautokeino and Luleå.
- The song and story he performed during the Eurovision Song Contest in The Hague 1980, remain a favourite of the Norwegian history books, providing inspiration to millions on stage and off.
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