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Sami – The True People of the North
The Sami father and son, Lauri and Timo Hetta, spend time in the summer also in their former home place in Purnumukka.
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A British couple gets married in Lapland in the Igloo Village, in the snow chapel of Hotel Kakslauttanen. Tourism is an important source of income for many Sami people. February 2011.
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The Sami father and son, Lauri and Timo Hetta, are reindeer herders who live in the village of Vuotso. The photo shows them airing reindeer skins.
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This Sami piece of jewelry is known as a risku or a solju. It is the symbol of the sun and it is decorated with leek flowers. It is worn on the traditional Sami dress to keep the scarf in place. The use of the risku comes from the Sami wedding tradition.
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Lauri and Timo Hetta are at Vuotso village, cleaning their snow mobiles.
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Members of the reindeer owners’ association at work, separating the reindeer in the Sevettijärvi village in North-Eastern Lapland, near the border with Norway. In Finland there are only two reindeer herders’ associations that speak the rare Koltta dialect of Sami. The other one is in Näätämö.
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Professional Sami fisherman Jouni Aikio a.k.a “Haikonen”, who lives in Inari, casting his nets through the ice into Lake Inari in January.
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Furry shoes or nutukkaat made out of reindeer skin by Miina Seurujärvi from Ivalo. They will keep your feet warm even in extremely cold weather. They are made out of the skin from the legs of the reindeer. They are traditional Sami winter shoes and they are still used today.
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Sami – The True People of the North
The Sami are the only indigenous people in the European Union area, living in the Northern parts of Finland, Norway, and Sweden as well as the Kola Peninsula of North-Eastern Russia. In Finland, the Sami population is approximately 9 000 strong, and the preservation of their endangered language and culture is governed by an autonomous parliament in Inari, Finland.
The Sami possess a rich cultural heritage and are known for their close connection to the land they live on. Their ancient religion consisted of strong beliefs in the spirit world and the power of nature around them. They believed that everything is connected to the earth, and that the earth is everything. Mountains and fells, as well as bodies of water, were worshipped and sacrificed to. The Sami also believe that everything organic has a soul, and they treat everything and everyone accordingly.
The Old Sami Way of Life
The Sami’s beliefs in the supernatural are well documented. One of the most famous Sami tales regards the inception of the Northern Lights; the Fox ran across the night sky, sweeping the Heavens with its tail, leaving behind a spectacular glow for the people of the North to see.
Shamanism has always been an essential part of the old Sami way of life. The Sami witch drum is today a popular tourist item. It was originally used by medicine men as a tool, along with the Sami chant called the joik, to fall into a trance in order to reach a level of communication with the Spirits, whose will was then conveyed to the community.
In the mind of the average Finn, the Sami are often thought of as reindeer herders. While it is indeed the most prominent of their traditional sources of livelihood (complemented by fishing and hunting), many Sami today work in more modern professions. They no longer live in tradional kotas (similar to a tepee), although many still lead a fairly rustic lifestyle in Northern Lapland.
It is estimated that around 60 percent of the Sami now live outside their home area. This poses threats to the already endangered culture; keeping the community together is getting harder and harder, with young people leaving the North for education and employment in the South, and forgetting the old ways as they integrate into modern society.
There are a few variations of the Sami language: North Sami is spoken by approximately 2 000 people, while the Inari and Koltta dialects are only known by around 300 speakers each. These days, Sami is taught in the universities of Helsinki, Oulu and Rovaniemi, and the number of students is on a slow but steady rise.
Lapland
In just a few minutes, you can leave behind the hustle and bustle of a ski resort or a city and arrive in the peace and quiet of the wilderness. All children (and young-at-heart) know that Santa Claus lives in Finnish Lapland, where you can meet him in person.
