Sámi people (formerly known as Lapps) are an indigenous people whose homeland, Lapland, is spread over four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Nowadays Sámi people perceive the word Lapp as degrading.
Today, the Sami settlement area includes central and northern Norway, and on the Swedish side from the Torne River down to the top of Dalarna. In Finland, the area is limited to Enonteki Municipality in the northwest and the entire area from the southern end of Lake Inari up to the Norwegian border. In Russia, the Kola Peninsula is the traditional settlement area.
Archaeological finds have shown the Sámi People presence in the century BC. Then as now, the Sámi People lived by fishing, hunting, craftsmanship and livestock. The Sámi People are especially known for keeping reindeer. For the Sámi People, there were no borders between the countries and they could travel freely in northern Scandinavia with their reindeer. When the Sámi People traveled with their animals, they lived in temporary huts, called Viste.
From around the 1500s, there began to be interest in northern Scandinavia and settlers from the south of Sweden, Finland and Norway began to buy land. The freedom of the Sámi People to move over great distances was somewhat restricted by the settlers buying land. The Sámi People also came to suffer under the borders between the countries. The border with Russia was closed in 1826, and later also the borders with Finland. The Sámi People began to become poorer as they became more limited.
In the 1800s, nationalism began. Now everyone had to speak the same language, and it was forbidden to speak Sami in the schools. The Sámi People received an official apology for this from the Norwegian government in 1999.
During World War II, the entire Sami settlement area was severely affected. Finnmark, northern Troms, most of the Kola Peninsula and northern Finland were burned. The reconstruction after World War II took place according to ideals of the rest of society. Type houses, radios and eventually television sets were added, fishing, agriculture and industry were modernized in an attempt to bring the economy in the north on a par with that in the south. Old Sami knowledge was thus downgraded.
The Sámi People had their own shamanistic nature religion, where they worshiped animals, rocks, mountains and celestial bodies as deities. The shaman, called the noaid, had a central place as a connection between humans and gods or the spirit world.
In the 16th-1700s, missionaries began forcing Christian Sami. Churches were built to be used every Sunday. Furthermore, there could be a death sentence if one worshiped Gods. During the 17th century, witch trials were conducted against the Sami and several were burned at the stake
Joik - the Sami folk music - is one of Europe's oldest singing traditions. A yoik has special vocal sounds and is often dedicated to a person, an animal or a place. Joike is a natural part of everyday Sami life. The tradition has survived in the Sami community, despite the governments' repression of the Sami culture. For many years, joike was considered sinful.
Many young Sami artists use yoik as an active element in their modern musical interpretations.
In the early 20th century, far-sighted Sámi People understood that the Sami had to organize in order to be respected. The Sámi People were discriminated against and had become a minority.
The young Sami woman Elsa Laula became the Sámi People's first activist and nationwide spokeswoman. In 1918, the Sami were seriously organized. The three most important issues were organization, school policy and settlement policy.
In Finland the Sami got a popularly elected parliament in 1972, in Norway they got the Sami Parliament in 1989 and in 1993 the Sami Parliament was established in Sweden.
The coordinates are located in Karasjok at the Norwegian Sami Parliament - Samediggi
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