Sámi People/ Laplanders

By Umair Alam and Aitzaz khan

Introduction

The Sami (also Laplanders) are indigenous people, They are the original inhabitants of northern
Scandinavia and most of Finland, inhabiting Lapland and bordering areas of northern Norway,
Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. They are indigenous people that inhabited the
Arctic area after the ice age was over. Today, about 80,000 Sami live in Sápmi, and at least
30,000 descendants of immigrants from those countries in North America have some Sami
ancestry. The hereditary origin of the Sámi people is complex and challenging to sketch.  Their
early period is closely linked with the foundation of the Finns.  Both groups articulate a Finno-
Ugric language that causes them to be singled out among their Indo-European neighbours and
associated historically with each other. The three Sami languages, which are reciprocally
unintelligible, are sometimes considered dialects of one language. They belong to the Finno-
Ugric stem of the Uralic family. Approximately all Sami are now bilingual, and many no longer
even speak their native language.

History and Origin

The Sami first emerge in written history in the Roman author Tacitus's works in about AD 98.
Nearly 900 years later, a Norwegian tribal chief visiting King Alfred the Great of England spoke
of these reindeer herders, who were paying a levy to him in furs, feathers, and whale bones. The
hereditary origin of the Sámi people is complex and challenging to sketch.  Their beginnings are
narrowly associated with the origin of the Finns.  Both groups speak a Finno-Ugric lingo that
causes them to be singled out among their Indo-European neighbours and associated historically
with each other. The Sami are the offsprings of nomadic peoples who had occupied
northern Scandinavia for thousands of years. When the Finns entered Finland, starting about AD
100, and Sami settlements were probably detached over the entire country; today they are now
limited to its northern boundary. The Sami reside in tundra (arctic or subarctic treeless plain),
taiga (subarctic forest), and coastal zones in the far north of Europe, extend out over four
different countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia's Kola Peninsula. They reside on
coasts and islands warmed by the Gulf Stream, on levels spotted by lakes and streams, and on
forested mountains. Sami region lies at scopes over 62 degrees north, and a lot of it is over the
Arctic Circle, with dull, cold winters and warm, light summers. It is frequently called the "land
of the midnight sun" because depending on the latitude, the sun may be evident for up to seventy
days and nights straight in the summer. The far north sees approximately three months of
unremitting daylight. However, balancing this out is equally long dusk in the winter, which may
last from October to March. Commencement in November, the sun disappears for weeks.

Language

Sami is a Finno-Ugric lingo that is most narrowly connected to Finnish, Estonian, Livonian,
Vatic, and several other little-known languages. While it varies from locale to area, it depends on
the Sami individuals' way of life instead of the terrains' national boundaries. The present certified
classification of a Sami is principally a linguistic one. Altogether there are fifty dialects, but
these fall into three major groups (east, central, and south) which are incomprehensible to one
another, which is to say that speakers of one dialect sill did not understand those of another
dialect. Sami is loaded in words that describe reindeer, with words for different colours, sizes,
antler spreads, and fur textures. Other words show how tame a reindeer is or how good it is at
pulling sledges.

Religion

In the traditional Sami religion, both animate and dead things such as plants were thought to
have souls. A priest or shaman, called a Noaidi, acted as an agent connecting the spiritual and
material worlds. He would consult with the dead while in a trance induced by beating on a magic
drum and performing a special kind of chanting called Juoigan (yoik) in Sami. Juoigan is
traditional Sami music. With time, Sami people converted their religion, most of them into
Christianity.

Folklore

by tradition, the Sami believed that unambiguous spirits were connected with particular places
and with the deceased. Many of their folklore and legends concern the underworld. Others entail
the (Stallos), a race of troll-like giants who ate humans or sucked out their potency through an
iron pipe. Many tales involve Sami outwitting (Stallos). Another villain in Sami folklore is
the Stallu, a usually wicked person who can appear diverse. The Sami creation myth, directly
linked to their callous atmosphere, tells the story of a monstrous giant named 'Biegolmai', the
Wind Man. At the beginning of time, Biegolmai created the Sapmi region by taking two giant
shovels, whipping up the wind and the other to plunge such vast amounts of snow that no one
could live there. At some point, be that as it may, one of Biegolmai's digging tools broke, the
breeze subsided, and the Sami had the option to experience Sapmi.
Festivals and holidays

Sami examine the major holidays of the Christian datebook. Each Easter is held at Kautokeino in
northern Norway, complete with ordinary Sami entertainment, counting sledge races and yoik
singing. Many couples choose this setting for their weddings. Many Sami observe Finland's
"little Christmas" ( Pikkujoulu ) early in December, marking the beginning of celebrations that
last through December 26. On Christmas Eve particular "midday trees" are adorned with candles,
silver and gold ribbons, and other decorations. After readings from the Gospels, festive food is
eaten. Secular holidays include the Sami's large spring celebrations every year, occasions on
which they wear their best attire and gather with friends to mark the end of winter.

Living conditions and architecture

By tradition, the Sami lived in a group of families called a Siida. Today, the nuclear family is the
basic communal unit among the Sami, and families are cohesive with a great deal of interest paid
to the children. The Sami language contains a considerable number of words that refer to family
relationships. Traditionally, the family's males were occupied with herding, hunting, and making
boats, sledges, and tools, while the women cooked, made clothes and thread, and cured the meat.
Each family had its mark (and children had their marks as well). Herding families use these
marks to discriminate their reindeer from those of other families. As a semi-nomadic people, the
reindeer-herding Sami traditionally maintained permanent dwellings more than one and spent
part of their time living in tents. The lasting homes were either outline structures or sod huts. The
Sami tent, called a Lavvo, has a round framework of poles leaning inward like the teepee or
wigwam of Native Americans, and a floor of birch twigs covered with layers of reindeer fur.
Both tents and huts are arranged around a central fire. Today most Sami, who are no longer
reindeer herders, live in typical houses same as rest of Nordic people. Reindeer husbandry has
been and still is an essential aspect of Sámi culture. Customarily the Sámi lived and worked in
reindeer herding groups called Siiddat, which comprised a few families and groups. Members of
the Siidda helped each other with the management and husbandry of the herds. During the years
of forced assimilation, the areas in which reindeer herding was a vital livelihood were among the
few where the Sámi culture and language survived. Today in Norway and Sweden, reindeer
herding is lawfully ensured in general Sámi job, with the end goal that solitary people of Sámi
plunge with a linkage to a reindeer herding family can possess, and subsequently get by off,
reindeer.

Sami Attire and costumes

A few, but not all, Sami still wear the groups brightly coloured traditional clothing. It is most
easily recognizable by the distinctive bands of bright red and yellow patterns against a deep blue
background of wool or felt. These bands appear as decorations on men's tunics (Gaktis), as
borders on the women's skirts, and both sexes' hats. Men's hats vary by locale; some are cone-
shaped while others have four corners. Females may drape fringed scarves around their
shoulders, and both sexes wear warm reindeer-skin coats. The Sami wear sandals of reindeer
skin with turned-up toes, attached with strips. Nonetheless, they wear no socks. Instead, they
stuff their moccasins with soft sedge grass to protect their feet against the cold and dampness.

Cuisines

Reindeer meat is a protein-rich dietary staple. Even the reindeer's blood is used, for sausages.
Fish caught in the many lakes of the Sami's homelands are eaten boiled, grilled, fried, smoked, or
salted. Wild berries are another mainstay of the Sami diet, especially the vitamin C–rich
cloudberry. To help them stay warm and alert in their cold environment, the Sami drink coffee
throughout the day. Supper is the main (and traditionally, the only hot) meal of the day.
Cultural heritage

The Sami have a wealthy custom of storytelling. A Sami musical tradition that has recently been
revived is the singing of the light-hearted, solitary song called the Juoigan (yoik). It contains
spontaneous words on almost any topic, but the musical element is the main focus. The yoik
resembles the Native American practice of "melodizing" a feeling or mood. There are no
collections of yoiks because they are personal and so private. A person's yoik is only shared
within a close circle of friends and family. Researchers have described the yoik as one of the
most ancient musical traditions in Europe. The Sami also invented their musical instrument, a
small reed pipe.

Entertainment and other co-curricular activities

The Samis' outdoor leisure is closely linked to the behavior that provide their continued
existence. They enjoy competing to see who can throw their reindeer lassos the farthest and with
the most incredible precision. Reindeer-drawn sledge races are famous, especially at the Easter
festivals in the heart of Sapmi. Sami entertainment is provided with expressive activities,
including storytelling and yoik singing, and physical contests such as sledge racing and lasso
throwing. A traditional board game rarely played anymore, is Tablo and involves one character
playing the wolf or the fox and the other a hunter. The players manoeuvre their pieces around a
board with the hunter trying to corner the marauder before he or she "eats" all the hunter's pieces.

Joik a friend

Sami culture has many unique expressions. Joik is one of Europe's oldest singing traditions and
is still alive today. A Joik is assigned to a person, animal or place, and the harmonies reflect the
characteristics of what you sing. The Sami costume, kofte is another unbroken, living tradition.
The Sami costume show where you come from, and unlike the Bunad culture, you can make
your twist on the attire. History shows that the costumes have often changed in line with the
other fashion images in society. As visitors in the Nordic region, it is possible to take part in
Sami history and the Sami way of life. One can experience the magic of the Arctic silence while
the Northern Lights dance blesses the moment. You can also learn more about the Sami's
impressive history as year-round reindeer herders in an inhospitable and frozen landscape.
Sami Crafts and Hobbies

The Sami people produce beautiful crafts, carving various objects such as tools and utensils from
bone, wood, reindeer antlers, and silver, often with geometric motifs. They have also perfected a
special kind of ribbon weaving. Although the Sami save many of their creations for their use,
their crafts are popular tourist purchases. Much of their creative talent goes into the elaborate
braided designs of their costumes. Traditionally, Sámi art has been distinguished by its
combination of functional appropriateness and vibrant, decorative beauty. Both qualities grew
out of deep respect for nature, embodied in the Sámi's animism. Sámi religion found its most
complete expression in Shamanism, evident in their worship of the site, an unusually shaped rock
or tree stump assumed to be the home of a deity. In the Western sense, pictorial and sculptural art
is a 20th-century innovation in Sámi culture used to preserve and develop critical aspects of a
pantheistic culture, dependent on the seasons' rhythms.
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