About Sámi culture

We know that the Sami have lived in the land known as Fennoscandia for around 2000 - 2500 years. We have been here even before the North Germanic people. Nowadays, most of us live within our cultural region (called Sápmi) which today encompasses the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula, but many have migrated to big cities such as Oslo in the case of Norway.

Estimates put the total number of Sami today at around 70,000-80,000. Around half of the total population of Sami live in Norway.

We prefer to be called Sámi instead of Lapps or Finns.  In Norway, Sámi were still called Finns at least until the modern era, and you can still see that on some toponyms (like Finnmark, Finnsnes, Finnfjord and Finnøy). Some northern Norwegians will still occasionally use Finn to refer to Sámi people, but just note that “Sámi” is the most appreciated term.

The Reindeer Sámi are traditionally ‘semi-nomadic’, meaning they don’t stay in the same place all year. Sámi herders migrate with their reindeer during the seasons, heading to the mountains for winter and coming back together with the community in the summer. On the journey, Sámi herders will camp in a traditional tent, called a lavvo.

Reindeer herding was the basis of the Sámi economy until very recently since we give use to every part of the animal. Thus, ranging from fur, meat, needles from their bones, and tools from their antlers. Although the Sámi hunted reindeer from the earliest times and kept them in small numbers as pack and decoy animals, full-scale nomadism with large herds began only a few centuries ago:

During the 15th and 16th centuries, when Norwegian farmers roamed north and began to colonize Sami lands. A practice the Norwegian government would later encourage.

As we were pushed up north, we became herders, which put us in the position of being nomadic across northern Scandinavia. This culture was problematized by the invention of national borders, which Sámi herders had previously ranged across without issue. That lead us to pay taxes twice or more for just crossing to another country.

When we were on the move, we lived in tents (lavvo) or turf huts (gamme) and migrated with our herds in units of five to six families, supplementing our diet along the way by hunting and fishing.

Nowadays, reindeer herding in Norway is regulated by law. For traditional, environmental, cultural, and political reasons, reindeer herding is legally reserved for people of Sámi lineage with connections to a reindeer herding family.

The loss of pasture though, is nowadays a significant challenge to the community, and it's common to see Sámi opposition to new infrastructure projects such as roads, power lines, pipelines, and military activities.

Duodji: These traditional, striking handicrafts make use of skin and hide from reindeers mostly, wool from goats, wood and other natural items. The finished products can have a practical use (for example, bowls, spoons, clothing) or simply be ornamental.

‍Joik: Joik is one of Europe's oldest singing traditions and is still alive today. It consists of syllabic sounds in which they mimic the sound of nature or evoke a certain emotion and the harmonies reflect the characteristics of what you sing. This type of song can be deeply personal or spiritual in nature, often dedicated to a human being, an animal, or a landscape as a personal signature. Improvisation is quite common.

‍Clothing: Our traditional outfits – known as Gákti – are worn at special occasions but also when reindeer herding. The handmade outfits are decorated with different designs so the Sámi can easily tell where another person is from or if it is married.

Beliefs: After the Christianization, our old religion stopped being used almost entirely, thankfully we still preserve some information about it:

Our Traditional Sami Religion is Animist or Shamanistic. The Sámi belief that all significant natural objects (such as animals, plants, rocks, etc.) possess a soul. Sámi traditional beliefs and practices commonly emphasize veneration of the dead and of animal spirits.

Noaidi is our term for Shaman, a mediator between the human world and the underworld. He/She usually uses a special drum, a flute or joik to perform its rituals.

In the landscape throughout Northern Scandinavia, one can find Sieidis, places that have unusual land forms and that can be considered to have spiritual significance. Each family or clan has its local spirits, to whom they make offerings for protection and good fortune.