Sami people. Sami village in the Murmansk region: photos, reviews, excursions. Life, culture and traditions
Sami (Lapps)- a small people of Northern Europe numbering about 31 thousand people. The bulk of the Sami inhabit the north of Norway, Sweden and Finland (over 29 thousand people). Some of the Sami live in Russia, on the Kola Peninsula (1.9 thousand people).
Self-name of the Kola Sami - Sami, Sami, Same, Scandinavian - Samelats, Samek. Your name "Lapps" The people apparently received it from their neighbors - the Finns and Scandinavians, from whom the Russians also adopted it. We first encounter the name Lappia in Saxo Grammaticus (late 12th century), and in Russian sources the term lop appears from the end of the 14th century. Some researchers (T.I. Itkonen) derive the words “lop”, “lopar” from the Finnish lape, lappea - side, others (E. Itkonen) connect it with the Swedish lapp - place.
In recent years, both in literature and in everyday life, Lapps have often begun to be called by their self-name - Sami.
The Sami language belongs to the Finno-Ugric family of languages, but occupies a special place in it. Linguists identify in it a substrate that, in their opinion, goes back to the Samoyed languages.
The modern Sami language is divided into a number of dialects, the differences between which are quite significant. Researchers divide all Sami linguistically into two branches: Western and Eastern. The latter includes, along with some groups of the Sami of Finland (Inari and Skolts) and the Sami of the Kola Peninsula, who speak three dialects: the majority - Iokangsky and Kildinsky, a minority - Notozero. The Sami of Russia now also speak Russian.
Among the Sami, four main economic and cultural types can be distinguished. The first group includes the largest group of mountain Sami, living mainly in Sweden, with small numbers in Norway and Finland. They are mainly engaged in mountain reindeer herding and lead a nomadic life. The second group is the sedentary coastal or coastal Sami, to which the majority of the Sami in Norway belong. Their main occupation is sea fishing: salmon fishing in the summer and autumn, and coastal cod fishing in the spring. The third group of Sami are the so-called forest Sami. They inhabit mainly forest areas of Sweden and Finland and are mainly engaged in hunting wild reindeer and fur-bearing animals, as well as forest reindeer herding. Their lifestyle is semi-nomadic.
Sami of the Kola Peninsula represent a completely independent ethnographic group called the Kola Sami (Lapps). They can be attributed to the fourth type, determined by a combination of reindeer husbandry, fishing and hunting and a semi-nomadic, and in recent decades, a sedentary way of life.
The ancient history of the Lapps has not yet been sufficiently studied. Archaeological excavations carried out on the territory of the Kola Peninsula, mainly on its northern coast and partly in the southern regions, led to the discovery of a number of sites that characterize human activity in these places during different periods of its history.
In the extreme north-west of the Kola Peninsula, on the Rybachy Peninsula, B.F. Zemlyakov and P.N. Tretyakov discovered in 1935 a unique Arctic Paleolithic culture, also widespread in Northern Norway (Komsa culture). The sites of the Kola Arctic Paleolithic, located along ancient coastlines, date back to approximately the 7th-5th millennia BC. e.
The study of the Kola Neolithic was carried out by G. D. Richter, S. F. Egorov, A. V. Shmidt, G. I. Goretsky. In recent years, significant work in this direction has been carried out by N. N. Gurina.
Neolithic monuments of the Kola Peninsula date back to the 3rd-2nd millennia BC. e. The ancient population that left them were probably semi-wandering fishermen and hunters of sea and land animals. In the northern, coastal regions of the peninsula, the remains of settlements have been identified, both summer, seasonal, located on the seashore, and autumn-winter, designed for a longer stay of people and located at a distance of 3 or 4 km from the sea. In the places of these last settlements, the remains of semi-dugout type dwellings were found. According to N.N. Gurina, the population of the sites were the ancestors of the modern Sami.
Ancient culture of the Kola Peninsula reveals similarities with the Neolithic monuments of Karelia, mainly on the northeastern coast of Lake Onega. Researchers believe that the settlement of the Kola Peninsula by ancient people occurred from the territory of Karelia and, in all likelihood, from its northeastern part. Widespread settlement of the Kola Peninsula began, according to archaeologists, no earlier than the end of the 2nd millennium BC. e.
The Scandinavian traveler Ottar, who visited the shores of the White Sea in the 9th century, first mentioned the Lapps of the Kola Peninsula under the name of Finns.
In Russian sources, the name lop, as already mentioned, appears only from the end of the 14th century, and before that the names tre, tr', i.e. Tersk side, are found. Since the 15th century Information about the Lapps begins to appear in charters, acts, Novgorod scribe books and other written documents (mentions of “wild and goblin Lapps”, “Loplyans”, etc.).
In the distant past and back in the 16th-17th centuries. the ancestors of the Kola Sami occupied a significantly larger territory, inhabiting the lands of modern Karelia. This is evidenced by toponymy, as well as Novgorod scribe books, which mention Lop churchyards in Zaonezhye. With the advance of the Karelians to the north, the Lapps were gradually forced out of these lands. But back in the middle of the 18th century, as can be judged from the handwritten maps preserved from that period, there were two Lapp churchyards in North Karelia - Oryezersky, on the Chumcha River, west of Kovdozero, and Pyaozersky, on the southeastern tip of Rugozero. The existence of the Pyaozersky churchyard at the end of the 18th century. N. Ozeretskovsky also noted where, according to his report, 78 male Lapps lived.
Documents from later times indicate that the Kola Sami were settled only within the Kola Peninsula. At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. The Sami inhabited almost the entire Kola Peninsula, with the exception of part of the Tersky Coast - from Kandalaksha to the river. Pyalitsa, where the Russian population predominated.
The generic composition of the Kola Lapps is unknown. In one of the documents of the first half of the 17th century. There is an indication that in the graveyards of the central, eastern and north-eastern regions of the Kola Peninsula (Voronensky, Lovozersky, Semiostrovsky, Iokangsky and Ponoysky) the so-called Terek lop lives. All other Lapps inhabiting the areas to the west of it belong to the Konchansk Lop. According to V.V. Charnolusky,. The Terek Lapps include not all of the above mentioned as part of the Terek Lop, but the most eastern of them: Iokangsky, Kamensky, Ponoysky and Sosnovsky, distinguished by common cultural features. The Lovozero, Semiostrovsky and Voronensky Lapps form a special, so-called middle group, different from the Terek Lapps. The Lapps of the western regions of the Kola Peninsula (Konchan Lop, according to the terminology of the 17th century), constitute the third group, which, both linguistically and partly culturally, does not represent a single whole.
The first penetration of Novgorodians onto the shores of the White Sea and the Kola Peninsula dates back to the 12th century. The first mention of the payment of tribute by the population of the Tersky Coast to the Novgorodians dates back to 1216. At the end of the 13th and beginning of the 14th centuries. Novgorodians completely mastered the Kola Lapland.
Later, from the 15th century, with the fall of Novgorod, Lapland began to gravitate toward the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and then became part of the newly formed Russian state. From this time on, the Christianization of the Lapp population began. From 1526 there is chronicle news about the baptism of the “wild lopia” of Kandalag Bay, where the Church of the Nativity of Ivan the Baptist was erected. The Pechenga Monastery, founded in 1550 by Trifon, nicknamed Pechenga, played a major role in the spread of Christianity among the Lapps. In 1556, two Lapp churchyards, Pechenga and Motovsky, with all their lands were already listed as belonging to the Pechenga monastery, granted a charter by Tsar Ivan the Terrible, and the Lapps of these churchyards were among the monastery peasants. In addition, the monks of the Pechenga monastery gradually developed nearby fishing grounds; the Pechenga monastery existed until 1764.
The spread of Christianity among the Kola Lapps is also associated with the activities of the Solovetsky Monastery. On the Murmansk coast, the monastery had land in the Kildinsky churchyard, Teriberskaya Bay and other places.
The beginning of the Christianization of the Terek Lapps dates back to this time, i.e., to the second half of the 16th century. In the east of the peninsula, as is clear from the letters of Tsar Ivan the Terrible dated 1575 and 1581, the Church of Peter and Paul was built at the mouth of the Ponoya River. In the 17th century in the areas of settlement of the Terek Lapps, the lands of the Anthony-Siysky Monastery appear (on the Ekongi River). Cross and Resurrection Monasteries (on the Ekong and Ponoi rivers).
The religious and missionary activities of the monasteries very soon gave way to economic and commercial ones. The monasteries became important trade and economic centers in the region. Together with the Pomeranian merchants, the monasteries were the main consumers of the products of local industries (reindeer husbandry, fur farming, fishing and maritime) and exploiters of the local population.
In the social life of the Sami, for a long time and even at the beginning of the 20th century, vestiges of the primitive communal system remained. The entire Sami population of the Kola Peninsula consisted of a number of societies (Lovozersky, Semiostrovsky, Iokangsky, etc.), which apparently represented some kind of territorial associations. Each Sami society had its own settlement - churchyard. Most societies had two graveyards: summer and winter.
The churchyards were, in all likelihood, exogamous. We do not have statistical data, since no one has studied this issue, but, according to stories, even in the first decades of the 20th century. Marriages were preferred between residents of different churchyards.
The Sami retained in a remnant form the custom of general distribution of spoils, as well as the custom of mutual assistance. All fishing grounds and hunting territories, as evidenced by materials from the late 19th - early 20th centuries, were divided between graveyards with the right of hereditary ownership.
At the same time, the Sami at the beginning of the 20th century. There was some degree of wealth stratification and social inequality. There was no hired labor as such in Sami society, but among the large Komi herds, the low-reindeer Sami worked as shepherds, giving their small herds to them for grazing.
The Sami were widely involved in the system of commodity-money relations. A. Ya. Efimenko describes the enslaving dependence of the Sami on the Kola and Pomeranian merchants, who “took into their hands the supply of food items to the Lapps, as well as fishing gear, salt, gunpowder and everything necessary. The merchants accepted the very contribution of state taxes and duties from the Lapp societies on themselves. As a result, the Lapps turned into unpaid debtors of the Kola and Pomeranian traders." The latter used the best fishing spots for a paltry rent and bought fish and fur products for next to nothing.
At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. The territory of settlement of the Lapps was administratively divided into two volosts: Ponoiskaya(with management in the village of Ponoye) and Kola-Loparskaya(with management in Kolya). The volosts included Lapp villages-cemeteries. The Ponoi volost included the Lapps who inhabited the northeastern reaches of the Kola Peninsula, the churchyards: Sosnovsky, Kamensky, Iokangsky, Lumbovsky and Kuroptevsky.
All other Lapps who inhabited the lands to the west of them belonged to the Kola-Lopar volost, which included the following churchyards: Ekostrovsky, Kildinsky, Babensky, Motovsky, Pazretsky, Pechenga, Lovozersky, Voronensky, Semiostrovsky, Songelsky.
The establishment of Soviet power on the Kola Peninsula occurred in February 1920. In 1927-1928. The village councils of the Murmansk district, located within the habitat of the Lapps, were transformed into native Sami councils, operating on the basis of the “Temporary Regulations on the Management of Native Peoples and Tribes of the Northern Outskirts of the RSFSR,” approved by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR in 1926. In the mid-1930s, The main territory of settlement of the Kola Lapps was allocated to two national regions - Sami and Lovozersky, the population of which consisted of Komi, Nenets and Russians in addition to Lapps.
Currently, most of the Sami population lives in the Lovozero region (in 1964 it was merged with the Sami region).
Kola Sami at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. They did not live in isolation, but communicated quite closely and in some places lived interspersed with other peoples. First of all, these were the Russians, communication with whom goes back about eight centuries.
In addition to the Russians in the zone of settlement of the Lapps at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. Karelians and Finns lived (mainly in the southwest of the peninsula), as well as Komi-Izhemtsy and Nenets (mainly in the eastern regions). The Izhemtsy and Nenets moved along with their reindeer herds to the Kola Peninsula in the late 80s of the 19th century. from the Izhemsko-Pechora region, where severe epizootics had previously occurred, causing massive deaths of deer.
In the subsequent decades of the 20th century. The ethnic composition of the Murmansk region is becoming even more mixed. However, the Sami not only do not dissolve among other populations, but rather staunchly retain their native language and their ethnic identity.
Sami- a people of extremely distinctive culture. Its rare originality, difficult to explain, has made this people a kind of ethnographic mystery and has attracted the attention of researchers for a long time.
Slide 1
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The Sami (Sami, Lapps, Laplanders) are a small Finno-Ugric people, the indigenous people of Northern Europe. The Scandinavians and Russians called them Lapps, Loplyans or Lop, from this name comes the name Lapland (Lapponia, Lapponica), that is, “land of the Lapps.”
Slide 3
The total number of Sami is from 60 to 80 thousand people, of which 40 to 60 thousand live in Norway, from 15 to 25 thousand in Sweden, from 6 to 8 thousand in Finland, and two thousand in Russia.
Population
Slide 4
A little history
Until the 17th century, the main occupations of the Sami were hunting and fishing; from the 17th century, reindeer husbandry began to develop intensively, which became the leading occupation for the majority of the Sami (the so-called mountain Sami). The traditional economy of the Sami on the sea coasts, especially in Norway, is based on fishing for salmon in summer and autumn and cod in the spring (the so-called sea Sami), in the interior of Sweden and Finland - on river fishing, hunting and fur farming (river Sami).
Slide 5
Sami activities
The Sami of the Kola Peninsula combined reindeer herding with fishing and hunting. Modern Sami are employed in reindeer herding (in the Scandinavian countries and Finland the number of people employed in reindeer herding is no more than 20%, in Russia - about 13%), fishing, dairy farming, and other non-traditional industries. A significant part of the Sami live in cities.
Slide 6
Housing
The traditional portable dwelling of the Sami during migrations was a hut made of poles, covered with burlap in the summer and with reindeer skins in the winter - kuvaksa among the Kola, kota among the Scandinavian Sami. Another traditional dwelling (vezha, kota) is a non-portable building in the shape of a tetrahedral pyramid of poles, covered with turf.
Kuvaxa
Slide 7
Life
The floor was lined with branches and on top of them - deer skins. A fireplace was installed in the center, and above it, at the top of the building, there was a hole for the smoke to escape. The Scandinavian Sami's winter home is tupa, while the Kola Sami's is pyrt: a single-chamber log building with a flat, slightly sloping turf roof.
Slide 8
Cloth
Traditional men's and women's clothing is yupa (kuft): a straight cloth or canvas shirt, which men belted with a wide leather belt with a hunting knife in a sheath suspended from it, a leather bag with flint, a wallet for money, various kinds of amulets.
Slide 9
Sami flag
The main national symbols of the Sami are the flag and the anthem. The National Sami Flag was approved in 1986 at the Northern Sami Conference; The four colors of the flag (red, blue, green and yellow) are the colors of gakti, the traditional Sami costume, the circle reflects the shape of the Sami tambourine and symbolizes the sun and moon.
Slide 10
Among the Sami, every dot and every sign means something. Magic numbers are considered to be 3,7,11. The Sami use five colors: white, red, blue, yellow, green. Each color means something: the main color is red; Red is the color of life. Yellow is a sign of fire. Green – tundra. Blue is the color of the sea and sky. Black is the color of death; the Sami do not use or wear it.
Sami symbolism
Slide 11
Born in summer, your color is red, because among the Sami, summer corresponds to the red color of lingonberries. Born in winter, your color is blue, like a blueberry. Born in autumn, your color is yellow, like a cloudberry. And finally - spring. Your color is green like moss.
And among the Sami, each season also corresponds to a different color
Slide 12
Sami national costume
Typically, craftsmen place ornaments on the collar, shoulders, belt, sleeves and hem; all open areas were covered. To protect the vital organs - the chest, stomach - they made so-called intimidating signs, or as in this case, the stove was decorated with amulets, the bottom was decorated with earth signs. They did this to prevent evil spirits from entering through open spaces in clothing.
Slide 13
Headdress
Shamshura is a headdress for a married woman, made of birch bark, covered with red cloth, and embroidered with beads.
Slide 14
Sami patterns
Sami folk ornaments are created using beadwork. It is distinguished by elegant simplicity and strictness of the pattern. Embroidery motifs consist of variations of simple elements of geometric shapes - triangles, crosses, rhombuses, squares, circles, semicircles, zigzags.
Slide 15
Sami
The Sami people are an unusually superstitious people, they possess elements of witchcraft, but at the same time they are friendly and hardworking. Historically, the artistic creativity of the Sami - reindeer herders, hunters, fishermen - is associated with their semi-nomadic life, which determined the range of things necessary for use. The art of the northern peoples is figuratively called Art born in the snow. In the north, where the ground is covered with snow most of the year, the human eye especially needs a varied play of colors.
Slide 16
Sami poetess Elvira Galkina
Bead to bead will lie evenly in a clear pattern on bright cloth. Each pattern will tell you in detail about craftsmanship in the snow, under the moon. Four colors - the shamshura is ready. Red is the color of life and hearth. There are grains of blue on it. These are lakes, rivers - water. Yellow caresses and pleases the eye, It is a ray of sunshine that has poked its way through the crack. The pattern is complemented by white snow, like a diamond. The birch and spruce trees are covered with it... Even though the ancestors did not know ABC books back then, Their thoughts and minds are in those clear patterns, They contain the beauty and life of the Lapps themselves, And how much sun there is in them! And how much space!
If the Sami youth made up his mind marry, then he will look for a bride from a rich family. This is considered to be the one that has a sufficient number of deer. It is interesting that according to the Sami tradition, when children are born, they are presented with reindeer, all of whose calves are then considered the property of the children, but not their parents. That is why a bride who owns a large number of these animals does not have to worry about remaining unmarried. This one will easily find a husband. Young men, as a rule, do not worry about the other advantages of their future wife, neither about her attractiveness, nor about her intelligence, integrity, or anything else that can attract young men from other countries.
If a Sami has several daughters who have different numbers of reindeer, then the young men will only court the one who has more of them than her sisters. At the same time, they will not look at how decent, smart or beautiful she is.
This is not unusual, given that people have to live in such harsh climatic conditions. Mainly, they are primarily concerned about their food, the basis of which is mainly deer. Owning a huge herd of deer seems to the young men an exact guarantee that if they lived together they would be able to overcome poverty, hunger and cold.
Having selected a worthy candidate, which traditionally happens during fairs or tax collections where the Sami come, the young man goes to the girl’s parents with his father, trying to get consent to the marriage. However, when approaching the hut, the young man does not enter it without an invitation, otherwise his parents may think that he is ignorant. While the adults communicate with each other, the young man pretends to be doing household chores, for example, collecting brushwood or chopping wood.
Before moving on to discussing the main issue, parents drink vodka. After this, the matchmaker tells what he came with and asks for permission to marry. If he receives consent, he falls on his knees before his father-in-law, as if before a king, and scatters all the compliments he can muster.
Drinking during matchmaking is called “wine of the groom” or “wine of a happy visit” among the Sami.
The tradition of matchmaking is strictly observed by the Sami. The groom has no right to talk to his bride until he receives special permission to do so. Usually, during the matchmaking process, the bride leaves her hut so that no one can see her: neither the young man himself nor his parents. When consent for marriage is received, the groom will be able to talk to the bride and see her. But first he goes to his sleigh and changes into an elegant dress made of wool, and takes other items he needs.
The greeting goes like this: Sami kiss, pressing their lips and noses to each other. Only such a kiss can be considered real for them. After kissing the bride, the groom presents her with the gifts he brought and treats her with delicacies, among which deer tongue and beaver meat are very common.
As a rule, the bride is initially embarrassed to accept offerings in front of strangers. In this case, the young man, who thinks that his marriage proposal has been accepted, secretly takes her out of the hut, and then asks her whether she agrees to sleep with him. A positive answer indicates that the matchmaking was successful and the marriage will take place. Then the groom again presents the bride with gifts that he had previously hidden in his bosom. If the bride does not agree, the young man throws the gifts at her feet. However, the final answer to matchmaking may take several years.
While the young man brings gifts to his bride, courting her, a lot of time passes. Before the wedding, the groom can come to visit the bride, and brighten up the long journey to her with love ballads.
Every time he comes to visit, the young man brings vodka and tobacco. If suddenly the bride's parents break off the engagement, the young man has the right to demand reimbursement of expenses for gifts through the court. The only thing that is not returned is the cost of the “groom’s wine”, which he treated his relatives to during the matchmaking period.
The claim is not satisfied by the court if the groom receives an immediate refusal. However, this is very rare, because if the parents do not intend to marry their daughter off, they simply delay the final answer for several years.
After the newlyweds have received consent to marry, relatives schedule the wedding day. On the eve of this day, all the relatives gather at the bride's house, where the groom presents the relatives with gifts that they had previously agreed on. Usually, as a sign of respect, the young man presents a silver cup to his father-in-law - this is the first and main gift. The second most important gift will be a huge copper or cast iron boiler. The third is a bed, that is, deer skins, from which a sleeping place will be made. Gifts for the mother-in-law are as follows: a silver belt, a formal and elegant dress, a neck decoration made of silver circles. The groom should give silver spoons, a necklace, and similar pleasant things to other relatives. The gift must be for each relative of the bride, otherwise the bride may not be given to the young man. The wedding is celebrated the next day, first the wedding, and only then the feast. Those getting married wear suits specially made for the special occasion; renting things from the Sami is considered bad manners.
The outfit of a modern Sami bride looks like this: the hair, which was previously tied with a ribbon, is let down. The ribbon is inherited by the closest relative - the girl. Several silver or gilded headbands are placed on top of the head, which are used as crowns during weddings. The waist is surrounded by a belt made of silver. Sometimes the head is covered with a scarf to look more elegant, but this is not necessary.
After the wedding, the wedding feast begins and takes place in the bride’s parental home. It is interesting that each guest brings his own treats on the eve of the wedding. However, treats are brought raw; the owners must take care of preparing the dishes.
During the feast, the newlyweds sit in the center, relatives and friends sit on the sides. The Sami do not take food from the common table themselves, but wait for it to be served to them by a person who plays the role of a cook and stands at the distribution of food. Initially, food is served to the newlyweds for tasting, and only then to the rest of the guests. At the end of the feast, drinks are poured.
When the wedding ends, the newly-made husband does not have the right to take his wife away from the parental “nest”, because, according to Sami customs, he must work for her for her father-in-law for a whole year. Like most modern people, the Sami are forbidden to marry close relatives, because this is considered incest, that is, incest. In addition, in no case should you remarry while your wife is alive or have several wives at the same time.
Not only do they not welcome divorce, but they don’t know anything about it at all, which is why they don’t get divorced.
Culture and life of the Sami
Farm
The main occupations of the Sami, depending on the territory of residence of a particular group and natural conditions, were reindeer herding, fishing, sea and land hunting. In the XIX - early XX centuries. The Sami led a semi-nomadic lifestyle, making short seasonal migrations. Among the western Kola Sami (Notozero, Babinsky, Ekoostrovsky) lake and river fishing played a leading role, among the northwestern (Pazretsky, Pechenga, Motovsky) - sea fishing. At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 20th centuries. About 70% of the adult Sami population was engaged in cod fishing. Among the Eastern Sami, reindeer herding played a significant role, supplemented by salmon fishing. In the 19th century The Kamensky Sami hunted wild deer. All Sami hunted large (elk, wolf) and small animals and birds. Since the early 1990s. Many fishing areas are rented out by the Sami to visitors. A feature of Sami reindeer husbandry was the free grazing of animals in the summer. The herd size was several dozen heads. The deer grazed all year round. At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. The Sami borrowed certain features from the Komi-Izhemtsy and Nenets: the type of sled with spears and harness. To move and transport cargo on reindeer, the Sami use a special type of pack saddle (tashke), until the 1930s. There was a sleigh (kerezha) in the shape of a boat.
Traditional clothing
In the XVII-XVIII centuries. The main material for making clothes was the skins of sea animals and deer, and for finishing - colored suede (rovduga) and dyed cloth, skins of fur-bearing animals. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Sami also used purchased fabrics (chintz, canvas, cloth), as well as sheep wool (for knitting or weaving socks, mittens, belts). In the 19th century The Sami retained closed shoulder clothing, the same for men and women. Summer clothing (yupa) was made of cloth or thick fabric. It was sewn from a single piece of fabric folded in half. One-piece sleeves were sewn onto it, tapering towards the wrist. The hem could be slightly flared. The sewn-on collar was trimmed along the edge with colored braid, and the collar was fastened with buttons. The upper opening, sleeves and hem of the clothing were decorated with ornaments in the form of appliqués in the form of geometric figures made from pieces of colored cloth, braid and beads. Winter clothing (pechok) below the knees was made from two reindeer skins sewn together with the wool facing out. It widened towards the hem. The sleeves had trapezoidal wedges, and the shoulder part was sewn together from horizontal strips of fur. The sleeve cuffs and collar were trimmed with colored cloth. The ties at the collar were decorated with tassels. Mother-of-pearl buttons and strips of colored cloth were sewn onto the women's stove. The stove was sometimes put on a jupa. The clothes were belted with a belt, forming an overlap. For men it was made of leather, with sewn copper plaques. A knife in a leather sheath, accessories for starting a fire, a wallet for money, copper rings and amulets, and, for women, sewing accessories were attached to the belt. Women's belts were woven from dyed wool. There are references to the more ancient Sami clothing tork (torka), worn under the stove. The torka was sewn from reindeer skins with the fur inside. The Sami headdresses are varied. Men wore cloth hats (kapper) lined with reindeer fur. The lower part of the headdress (band) differed in color and shape from the upper part (crown). Traditionally, red, blue and black colors were used. If the band was cylindrical, then the crown was a truncated tetrahedral pyramid with the base up. Headphones with ribbons were sewn to the band, which were tied under the chin. Sometimes the lower part with headphones was made of fox fur. The capper was decorated with colored cloth, beads, and pearls. Another men's headdress was a pointed cap, knitted from sheep's wool, sometimes with a pom-pom top. Women's winter hats were similar to men's, only the crown was shaped like a circle. In the summer, a helmet-shaped cap with a high crest or shamshura (samshura) similar to the Russian kokoshnik was worn. It had a cylindrical frame and a semicircular protrusion at the top. The girl's headdress was a bandage. On top, women and girls often tied a scarf folded into a triangle, the ends of which were tied on the chin or, crossed over the chest, on the lower back. Shoes were made from kamus (skins from deer legs) or processed deerskin. It was the same for men and women. A distinctive feature of the Sami shoes were the toes turned up. Winter high boots - yars, decorated with colored cloth, were worn for movement on the tundra, and kangas, similar to yars, but low, were worn in settlements. The insoles were replaced by bunches of dry grass. Knitted stockings without feet were worn on the feet under the shoes. Mittens were sewn from deer skins with the fur facing out or knitted from dyed wool yarn. At the end of the nineteenth century. The traditional Sami costume began to be replaced by clothing borrowed from neighboring peoples: Russians, Komi and Nenets. The Russian population adopted a caftan (kyakhtan), a sundress (kokht), an apron, and headscarves. Through the Komi-Izhma people, the Sami borrowed the Nenets clothing complex: a closed, hooded malitsa (malitsa) made of reindeer skins with the hair on the inside and boots above the knees - pimas made from kamus with the fur on the outside.
Traditional settlements and dwellings
Sami settlements until the beginning of the twentieth century. were graveyards. From December to March-April, the Sami lived in winter graveyards, where there were lands rich in moss, and at other times of the year they dispersed to fishing areas in groups of related families (western groups) or migrated to summer graveyards as a whole community (eastern groups). Winter graveyards were located in the interior regions of the Kola Peninsula, on the border of the tundra and forest, on the shore of a reservoir. After 20-30 years, after the depletion of pastures and hunting grounds, the site of the graveyard was moved. The traditional Sami winter dwelling, the vezha, was a log building in the shape of a four- or six-sided truncated pyramid, 2.5 m high and 3x3 m in area, with a smoke hole at the top. The frame of the vezha was covered with reindeer skins or thick fabric, and bark, brushwood, and turf were placed on top. A stone hearth was built in the center of the dwelling. The entrance was facing south. The floor was covered with deer skins. Since the 19th century the vezha begins to displace the tupa (pyrt) - a log building with an area of 12-13 square meters. m, 2 m high, with one or two small windows and a flat roof covered with earth and turf. In the corner near the front door there was a fireplace - a fireplace made of stones coated with clay. The simplest furniture appears. During migrations, a portable dwelling was used - kuvaksa. It had a cone-shaped frame of several poles connected at the tops, over which a cover made of reindeer skins, birch bark or canvas was pulled. A fire was built in the center of the kuvaksa. The dwelling was usually occupied by 1-2 families. Opposite the entrance there was the most honorable, so-called clean place. By the beginning of the twentieth century. Many Sami began to use Russian huts and Nenets tents instead of traditional dwellings.
In winter, the main food of the Sami was reindeer meat. To protect against scurvy, they consumed frozen meat and fresh deer blood. More often the meat was fried, dried, boiled, adding flour and berries to the stew. The first liquid dish was cooked from partridges. For a long time, bear meat was considered ritual food. In summer, the basis of the diet was fish, primarily lake fish (pike, whitefish, burbot, perch, etc.). It was boiled, fried, dried. The Sami learned from the Russians how to bake fish in dough. Plant foods were of less importance. The inner layer of pine bark was prepared, which, after drying and crushing, was added to the stew. Flatbreads were baked from flour (purchased). The most widely used drink is tea. Milking vazhenok (female deer) was not practiced among the Kola Sami.
Social organization
The main economic and socio-economic unit of the Sami was the territorial community Siit (Syit). It consisted of separate families. It was united by the common territory where fishing grounds were located, common economic activities, mutual assistance and religious cults. Syyt numbered from 70 to 300 people. Economic and some administrative issues were resolved at meetings of family heads. The clan organization among the Sami is not recorded. The community controlled family and marriage relations. In the 19th century small families predominated. Until the end of the nineteenth century. same-ethnic marriages were preferred. Up to 60% of marriages took place in their own churchyards, the rest - mainly with residents of neighboring churchyards. Marriages with the son or daughter of a cousin were common, as well as unions in which brothers or sisters from one family became husbands or wives for sisters or brothers from another family. At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. The usual marriage age for girls was 17-20 years, and for boys - 21-25 years. The girl's opinion was not taken into account. There was a gender and age division of labor. Men were engaged in fishing activities, transportation, women kept house, raised children, and sometimes, together with teenagers, helped fish and hunt partridges.
Spiritual culture and traditional beliefs
The belief in spirits - the owners of lakes and rivers - remains. There is a veneration of sacred stones (cliffs, large boulders), associated with the patronage of crafts and the veneration of ancestors. Until the beginning of the twentieth century. Every family kept gods - pebbles wrapped in a rag. They also worshiped tall stumps (often anthropomorphic in appearance) - seids. Sacrifices were made to them. Some of the seids have their own names. The Sami had cult ministers (noida, noid, kebun), who performed the functions of a shaman, priest and sorcerer. When performing rituals, they used a tambourine (kannus, kobdas) or a special belt (pochen). Sami folklore includes fairy tales (mains): for children, about Tal (a stupid ogre), about ravkas (ghouls), about chakli (dwarfs). Fairy tales and legends about natural phenomena and objects, myths (lovta), for example, about the deer-man Myandash, are common. The historical legends of the Sakka tell of wars, remarkable mountains, and water bodies. Boyce performances and improvisations of mushtolla are also known.
In the XV-XVI centuries. Christianization of the Sami began; Believers in Scandinavia are Lutherans, in Russia they are Orthodox. However, pre-Christian beliefs and rituals associated with reindeer herding, fishing, and the worship of sacred seid stones persisted for a long time. Back in the 20th century. adherents of shamanism met. Sami folklore is represented by myths, fairy tales, legends, and improvised songs.
Culture and life of the Sami
The Sami are a small northern people. Their number, according to various estimates, ranges from 60 to 80 thousand people. Representatives of this nationality can be found in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. According to the All-Russian Population Census data provided in 2010, there are about 1,800 Sami in the Russian Federation. Despite their small numbers, the Sami strive to maintain their identity, observe ancient customs and their own peculiarities of life.
Laplanders, Lapps, Sami
Such a small people changed its name several times during the history of its existence. Traditionally, the Sami are classified as Finno-Ugrians, but many scientists are inclined to believe that their direct ancestors were representatives of a more ancient people - the Pskov Chud.
Russians and Scandinavians introduced their own names for the Sami: “Lapps”, “Lop”, “Lapnyane”. A little later they were called “Laplandians”, and the territory in which they lived was called Lapland. Subsequently, the self-name Sami became the most common and was entrenched in the minds of contemporaries.
The invading civilization brought changes to their measured life; the Great October Revolution and Soviet collective farms had a particularly strong impact on the traditional culture of the Sami. They had to break their foundations and learn a new way of life. But now many Sami are uniting in groups to preserve the remaining original traditions and revive lost ones.
Features of the Sami
Scientists and travelers who have met the Sami describe them differently. Judging by their observations, the Sami are short, thin and wiry. It is difficult to find well-fed people among them, this is due to their dietary habits. A large skull, large blue eyes, a sloping forehead, a flat nose, dark hair - this is exactly what a generalized portrait of representatives of this nationality is. They are agile, fast and resilient, which is due to their semi-nomadic lifestyle.
The Sami are cautious, distrustful and suspicious of everything unfamiliar - their isolation and habitat leave a certain imprint on mental and emotional development. They are cunning, sometimes greedy and selfish. At the same time, researchers note their loyalty and devotion to their partner, honesty, and hospitality. The Sami also have developed mental abilities. This confirms the fact that they completely provide themselves with everything they need.
Traditional activities, dishes, outfits
Until the 17th century, the only activities of the Sami were fishing and hunting. And later there was an active development of reindeer husbandry, which for many became the main industry. The Sami living on the coasts fish for valuable species of fish. Fur trading is also widespread.Traditional Sami food is venison dishes and fish products. Most people enjoy drinking reindeer milk and eating products made from it.
The national clothing of men and women is yupa (kuft) - a straight-cut cloth or canvas shirt. Men tied it with a leather belt, on which a knife, flint, wallet and amulets traditionally hung. They also wore shirts made of bright calico, complete with cloth or leather pants. Women dressed up in shirts or sundresses made of satin, complemented by an apron. In winter, clothing made from deer skins and insulated cloth hats became the basis of the wardrobe. In the summer, a married woman’s head is decorated with a shamshura similar to a kokoshnik, and girls wear a cylinder-shaped headband. The shoes used are kangas, the basis of which is fur or suede made from deer skins. In cold weather they use yars - high fur boots.
The Sami religion differs depending on where they live. In the Scandinavian countries, the bulk of believers profess Lutheranism, in Russia - Orthodoxy.
Life of modern Sami in Finland and Russia
Recently, much attention has been paid in Russia to the problems and difficulties of the existence and development of small nations. But nevertheless, the Sami in Finland live in slightly better conditions. There is a cultural autonomy there that protects the rights of the Sami as the oldest inhabitants of Finland. Their way of life, cultural and religious customs, and national traditions are protected by law.
Russian Sami also strive to study their roots. Young representatives of this nationality are increasingly showing interest in learning their native language, historical facts, and cultural customs.
Unusual facts about the Sami
To revive and popularize the native language, with the support of foreign Sami, a Sami radio was created in Russia. His work is based on the enthusiasm of active representatives of this small people and helps to attract the public to the problem of the disappearance of historical dialects.
The Finnish Sami had a very popular unit of measurement - poronkusema. It indicated the distance that a deer is able to travel without stopping before emptying itself, and was approximately 7.5 km. Currently, this word is used to denote a distance unknown in advance.
The Sami have their own football team, which in 2006 won the FIFA World Cup among unrecognized teams.
The Sami, like representatives of other northern peoples, castrated deer with their teeth in ancient times. This method made the animals more obedient, but unlike complete removal with a knife, it did not affect the production of testosterone, which helps deer gain the necessary muscle mass. And even in the days of undeveloped veterinary medicine, this method was more sterile than leaving open wounds.
One of the tragic episodes in the history of the Sami is reflected in the full-length film. It was filmed in 2008 and is called “Uprising in Kautokeino”.
It seems incredible the story of how.
