Research suggests suicide rates among the Sami, the indigenous peoples of Norway, are lower than among other northern aboriginal groups.

Anne Silviken, a psychologist with the Center for Sami Health Research in Norway, found the suicide rate among the Sami is about 19 per 100,000.

By comparison, Silviken said Greenland Inuit have a rate of about 100 per 100,000.

"The socio-economic status among Sami, they're not big differences between the Sami and the [general] population, so that could be one reason for the low suicide rates," Silviken said Tuesday at the International Congress on Circumpolar Health, being held in Yellowknife.

"The Sami has been in an ongoing cultural revitalization process during the [past] three and four decades, so they have seen more cultural equality."

Silviken said such factors mean the Sami are not as disadvantaged as some other indigenous groups around the circumpolar world. At the same time, she said, the Sami share a similar history, such as having experienced residential schools.

Silviken said she hopes the health congress will help northern peoples learn from each other, as well as empower northern communities to help deal with suicide and other social problems.