The Last Generation? – Samit Reindeer Herders in Swedish Lapland, Documentary

The Sami people (from "The Winds of the Milky Way", 1977)

Sami Artist Tomas Colbengtson

Tvilling 2 / Twin 2: Artist Tomas Colbengtson, 2011. Graal-glas. Photo: Nils Agdler.

 https://saamiblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/sami-art-samisk-kunst-av-tomas_13.html

Laila Spik - Saami Culture, Natural Remedies and Foods

Greneveving - Rátnogođđin del 4.flv

The secret of SAMI Arctic 'survival parenting'

(Image credit: Paadar Images)

By Suvi Pilvi King18th January 2022

 

For centuries, Sámi reindeer herders have used a unique parenting philosophy to prepare their children for survival in the Arctic. Here's what we can learn from them.

Every year in June or July, under the Arctic midnight sun, Sámi reindeer-herding families in northern Finland, Norway and Sweden come together for one of the biggest social events of the year: "earmarking", which involves marking the new reindeer calves to identify them.

On foot, in all-terrain vehicles and even helicopters, they gather the semi-wild reindeer from vast areas stretching out dozens of square kilometres. Even young children are expected to join in. The youngest boys and girls help catch the calves. From the age of about 10, they take their own earmarking knives, grab a calf, and mark both ears with a unique pattern of notches. Children receive their own personal earmark pattern at birth, and use it to mark their herds for the rest of their lives.

Among the Sámi, an indigenous people spread across the northernmost regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia's Kola Peninsula, children not only participate in herding work, but are also encouraged to act independently in most other areas of life. They have a say in deciding when to eat, when to sleep, and what to wear, even at temperatures of -30C (-22F). To outsiders, that independence can be surprising. Missionaries who visited the Arctic in the 18th Century and later, wrote in their diaries that it seemed like Sámi children could do whatever they liked, and that they lacked discipline altogether.

However, as research increasingly reveals, the seemingly rule-free Sámi way of child-rearing has its own intricate structure and philosophy. Over time, this unique parenting style has evolved to prepare children to cope with the extreme challenges of life in the Arctic – and foster a particular kind of resilience.

One of its guiding principles is that rather than following a fixed schedule, the whole family adapts to whatever tasks need to be carried out, be that earmarking, travelling or other joint activities. Within that framework, children make their own choices.

Many elements of Sámi parenting evolved as part of the daily work of reindeer herders (Credit: Paadar Images)

"They eat when they are hungry and go to bed whenever they are tired," says Tytti Valkeapää, a mother of six children, ranging in age from 8 to 18, who lives in the northern Finnish village of Kuttanen, by the border with Sweden.

While Valkeapää is not Sámi herself, she adapted to the local way of life after marrying into a Sámi reindeer-herding family. Like the vast majority of Sámi, her family is no longer fully nomadic, instead travelling widely by snow-mobile, which has transformed the lives of reindeer herders and allowed them to become more settled. But although they mainly live in a house, traditional activities such as the earmarking ritual still shape the family's rhythm.

We have been lucky enough to live on our children's terms – Tytti Valkeapää

Portraits SAMI

 

Anthropological Portraits of the Sami People by Roland Bonaparte ca. 1884

Samisk mann. Nomad Salomon Henriksson Pilto, Sweden. Photo Credits: Norsk Folkemuseum

Sami woman. Inga Eriksdatter from Norway, Norge. Photo Credits to: Norsk Folkemuseum

© Foto: Norsk Folkemuseum - 2010. Photographer: Roche, G., 1884. Published by Bonaparte. Sami man Niels Nielsen Valgiaberg (Walkepää) from Karesuando, Sweden. Samisk mann Niels Nielsen Valgiaberg (Walkepää) fra Karesuando i Sverige.

Bonaparte photographed the Sami people in central Sapmi areas of all present 4 national states. You can see more of these portraits in different Saamiblog postings. Bonaparte fotograferte Samer i dagens sentrale Samiske områder og i alle 4 nasjonalstater. Du kan se flere av disse antropologiske portrettene i ulike innlegg av Saamiblog. 

  Nicolas Nilsen (unknown place) and Kristin Mikkelsdatter Hetta from Kvalsund. Her Sami name was Banne Ristin.

Vargsången - Nordic Lullaby / Jonna Jinton COVER - Extended version

SAMI history: flintviggar

 1800 eds: The Sami were detached from their history
 

As with the Torsviggar axes it is possible that the flint spearheads found in the nature were attributed magical powers. Oscar Montelius (1872) writes: ”While the Stone axes have been perceived as “åskviggar” / thorsviggar, the flint arrows has partly been seen as the weapons that the Thunder God hit down with lighting”. In northern and central Sweden several stone axes and chisels are found that resembled and by some were named “flintviggar” [Hildebrand (1870-73)]. However in the 1800eds a tradition developed within Swedish and Nordic archaeology and history with separate interpretation-systems of the Sami and the non-Sami. Archaeological findings of stone axes in the areas traditionally settled by the Sami in the 1800eds were not defined as related to the God Thor, and the Sami were detached from the general Nordic history by the academic establishment. In the text by Hildebrand and Hildebrand it is commented that the flintviggar from the northern areas of Sweden do not seem to have been properly preserved. There are several examples of such findings mentioned in the book by Hildebrand (1870-73) on pages 182 – 184. It is important to remind that the Sami from the earliest times have settled the southern areas of Sweden as well as southern Norway and Finland, but this fact has been uncared for.

**

On a Sami shaman drum described by Friis (1871, page 33) there is a boar or pig for offering (number 38). På en runebomme som er beskrevet av Friis (1871, side 33) er det avbildet et offersvin som nummer 38: Lappisk mythologi, eventyr og folkesagn.

Sami: Finnmark Norway

 

A Sami boy with in a pesk is holding a bow, he is from Vadsø in Finnmark, Norway. En samisk gutt i pesk som holder på en bue, han er fra Vadsø i Finnmark. Foto av Selmer Markus i perioden 1857 - 1870. Eier er Preus Museum, NMFF.001370-11.

Sami People in Sweden | Runes

 

Runes and "Serpent Worship" among the Sami - Samisk bruk av Runer og Slangetilbedelse

Sami camp. Samisk nomadeleir. The picture is used with permission: Credits to Kunstantikvariat Pama AS

Prior to the use of photography artists captured and portrayed culture and people. This is a picture made by A. Beaumont (1840) of Sami people near Pajala in Sweden.

Før bruken av fotografiet ble vanlig var det kunstnere som skildret folk og kulturer. Dette bildet er malt av A. Beaumont (1840) av samer nær Pajala i Sverige.

The three main Gods of the Sami on a segment of the ancient Sami Shaman Drum first described by Thomas von Westen: Thor (Tiermes), Frej (Storjunkaren, Veralden Olmai) and the Wind or Storm God. This drum was first described in 1720, but was much older. Some fig. from the left: A bear, Thor with two hammers, over him a Sarva reindeer, a tree, in the middle Frej [i.e. Freyr, Frøy, Frö] and the Wind God to the left.  

De tre viktigste Gudene til Samene på et segment av den eldgamle runebommen fra Norge først beskrevet av Thomas von Westen: Thor (Tiermes), Frej (Storjunkaren, Veralden Olmai ) og Vind - eller stormguden. Denne trommen var først beskrevet i 1720, men var da mye eldre. Noen fig. fra venstre: En bjørn, Thor med to hamre, over ham et Sarva reinsdyr, et tre, i midten Frej [dvs. Freyr, Frøy, Frö] og Vindguden til høyre. Source: Sigurd Agrell, 1934.
 

Sigurd Agrell writes that Frej is called "Veralden Olmai" by the Sami and “Veraldar Guð” in the Heimskringla Saga, it means “the World God”. According to Friis (1871) the Sami describes Frej as "Veralde Olmai" that means "Man of heaven". Sigurd Agrell skriver at Frej kalles "Veralden Olmai" av Samene og “Veraldar Guð” i Heimskringla Saga, det betyr verdensguden. I Lappisk mythologi, eventyr og folkesagn beskriver Friis (1871) samenes navn på Frej som "Veralde Olmai" som betyr "Himmel Mann".

BLOG

SAMI runic language

 

Book: "Lappisk i en Islandsk runeinnskrift" av Magnus Olsen og Knut Bergsland, Oslo, 1943

Sami language on Runic inscription from Iceland (see information about book in the heading). The Runes are found on a wooden shovel and the runic inscription is about 15 cm and is likely from the early medieval period. These two pictures are from the referred book by Olsen and Bergsland, 1943.

Photo by/ foto av Anders Bæksted. Samisk (Lappisk) på en runeinskripsjon fra Island (se referert bok i overskriften). Runene som sannsynligvis er fra tidlig middelalder er funnet på en treskovl og runeinnskriften er bortimot 15 cm. Disse to bildene er begge fra den refererte boken av Olsen og Bergsland, 1943.

SAMI Gods

 The God Hermes - D'Ermes - d'hermès - Guden Hermes

Den første avbildningen av den arkaiske greske guden Hermes fra 6- århundret BCE. Legg merke til lua, sikksakk mønstret på drakten og pynten på leggene (de symboliserer vinger). Hermes kan være relatert til den eldgamle samiske guden Tiermes [Diermes]. This is the first depiction of the archaic Greek God Hermes from the 6th Century BCE. Pay attention to the resemblance of the clothing of this God with the Sami: The hat, the zigzag patterns on the tunic and the decor on his legs which is symbolizing wings. Hermes might be related to Tiermes [Diermes], an ancient Sami God.

SAMI: Alternative Medicine

 

BRIDE Norway Sami

Alternative Medicine, Old illustrations and Photos of Sami people - Alternativ Medisin, gamle illustrasjoner og foto av samene

A. © Norsk Folkemuseum. Svensk Lappland om sommeren. “The English Atlas” av Moses Pitt (1639 - 1697) og J. Jansson. Jeg søker fortsatt etter teksten om "Svensk Lappland" som finnes i tilknytning til disse to illustrasjonene i den nevnte boken vil senere legge teksten i dette blogginnlegget. Swedish Lapland in the Summer. I am still searching for the text belonging to these two illustrations.

 

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Norway SAMI

 

Land of the Sami - The Sami way of life

Join a dogsled expedition, learn to throw a lasso, and experience the Sami culture first hand in Karasjok and Kautokeino.

 

Swedish Sami Housing

 

Swedish Sami Retro colored photos of by Mats Fosberg

You can observe in the illustrations made by Moses Pitt that the Sami are depicted as living in tents. This is only a part of the fact, because some Sami were and some still are ”semi-nomads” (i.e. they lived in tents while following the reindeers herds during the spring & summer and had permanent built homes during the winters), some were exclusively farmers or some combined farming and fishing. As mentioned in a previous blog the Sami built from early on houses of timber or combined turf and timber.

Gamle graverte bilder laget av Knud Leem (en kristen prest) dokumenterte samenes boliger i Porsanger, Finnmark, Norge fra tidlig 1700-tall. Samene bodde i laftede tømmerhus og hadde stabbur med laftet konstruksjon. Carl von Linné dokumenterte at det fantes samiske gårder i Sverige og Norge tidlig på 1700-tallet: Carl von Linnes ungdomsskrifter fra hans reise i de samiske områder i 1735.

Sámi Elder

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jrjohanson/19659435844/

Meet the old Sami: Nils Somby. 

He is living in Finnmark County where the big part of the Sami Nation in Norway is situated.  There is app. 40 000 samis in Norway. Nils we met by the road along Porsangerfjorden from North Cape. For more of Nils Somby: Look him up at Google. He is probably the worlds most photographed Sami....

 Here are some more of this people:

 Wiki: The Sami people (also Sámi or Saami), traditionally known in English as Lapps or Laplanders, are an indigenous Finno-Ugric people inhabiting the Arctic area of Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway.  The Sami are the only indigenous people of Scandinavia recognized and protected under the international conventions of indigenous peoples, and are hence the northernmost indigenous people of Europe.

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First Nations BC...

Haisla (Kitamaat) 

Article by Anne-marie Pedersen, John Pritchard |  November 19, 2021 

The Haisla are a First Nation in Canada. The Haisla Nation is made up of two historic bands, the Kitamaat of upper Douglas Channel and Devastation Channel and the Kitlope of upper Princess Royal Channel and Gardner Canal in British Columbia. The Kitamaat call themselves Haisla ("dwellers downriver"); and the Kitlope, Henaaksiala ("dying off slowly"), a reference to their traditional longevity. 

The official designations Kitamaat ("people of the snow") and Kitlope ("people of the rocks") were adopted from the names used by the Tsimshian to refer to their Haisla neighbours.

Haisla Nation Haisla chief Kenny Hall welcoming Sami reindeer-herding representatives from Sweden.

 MORE

sapmi animals

Finnish drum: World with three layers
 

The reddish colour is from alder tree (die Erle).
 

Every Finnish old drum had picture about world with three layers:
The Upper World (Ylinen), the realm of gods and light spirits
The Middle World (Keskinen), spirit side of this mundane world
The Lower World (Alinen), realm of power animals, ancestral spirits, gods of the dead people

read more

russian sami

SAMIT: The Reindeer People | 2022 all month