Visiting the Land of Sami and Reindeers
Europe’s northernmost indigenous people
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
For most people, a trip to northern Norway, Finland, or Sweden means viewing the famous northern lights, but these Scandinavia countries have so much more on offer than just their spectacular light shows. They house Europe’s northernmost indigenous people and showcase snow-filled landscapes dotted with reindeer.
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
The Sami people (formally known as Lapps or Laplanders) have dated back to as early as 98 A.D. They can still be today found inhabiting
the northern regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. It is suggested that the term Lapp in Scandinavian languages refers to “a patch of cloth for mending” which could possibly be descriptive of the Sami’s traditional “gakti” clothing.
Traditionally these Sami people have pursued a variety of livelihoods, including coastal fishing (amongst the Norwegian Sea Sami) and reindeer herding (amongst the mountain Sami).
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
Despite having been previously discriminated against by these European countries, the Sami people are the only individuals that today can legally herd reindeer due to their cultural lineage. Just over 2800 Samis are considered reindeer nomads for herding on a full-time basis.
Historically, reindeer provided the Sami with a means of transport, a source of food, and fur to keep warm from the bitterly cold weather of the Arctic. Today, it is their main source of income.
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
To make up for past suppression, the authorities of Norway, Sweden, and Finland now make an effort to promote Sami culture and language. Many Sami artifacts can be found in local museums around these neighboring countries.
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
Day and evening tours to see the Sami are also on offer. Daytime trips provide you with scenic views of the wild mountains, while on the evening trips, you will be served a traditional hot Sami meal, enjoy Sami storytelling, view cultural artifacts, and take part in the traditional Sami song of junk. Later, go reindeer sledding under the northern lights.
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
Fun Facts about Reindeers:
#1 It’s hard to tell the sex of a reindeer
Unlike any other deer species, both the male and female reindeer have antlers. Males lose their antlers in winter or spring, but females shed theirs in the summer. Reindeer antlers grow back in a few months.
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
#2 Santa’s reindeer could have been females.
Sorry to break this to you but as the fact above states – male reindeer shed their antlers in winter.
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
#3 Reindeers are the only mammals that can see ultraviolet light.
Things like white fur and urine against white backgrounds show up in high contrast for a reindeer.
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
#4 Reindeers are adapted to the cold weather
Their fur traps air providing them with excellent insulation. It also keeps them buoyant in the water while migrating across rivers and lakes.
Their noses warm the air they breathe before it enters their lungs keeping their mucous membranes moist.
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
Exploring the Sami Tents
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
Sami tents, commonly known as Lavvu, are temporary dwellings used by the Sami people. It is designed similarly to a Native American tipi but is less vertical and more stable in high winds. It consists of three or more forked poles and several straight poles. The forked poles have a two-stem fork at the top end and are interlocked so that they form a tripod. Upon the assembly of the forked poles, the straight poles are laid in a circular fashion.
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
Inside the lavvu, there is a fireplace in the middle used for heating. The smoke escapes through the smoke hole in the top of the lavvu that is usually left open. Occasionally a rough blanket is wrapped around the smoke hole to make the opening smaller, but not to the point where smoke would be prevented from escaping. In order to prevent smoke from building up inside, proper air circulation is maintained by leaving an opening between the ground and the cover, or leaving the door slightly open. Keeping the fire hot enough to let the heated smoke rise through the smoke hole is necessary.
Traditionally, there was a smaller door in the back of the lavvu, opposite the front door, called the bear door. This was used for ceremonial purposes, such as removing the dead (not appropriately out of the front door) and similar functions.
Image by Chantelle Flores | www.kzaravisual.com
This is a Sami storeroom, that was built to return to as they moved from place to place herding reindeer. These storerooms were tucked away, safe, in remote locations.
Images and content by: Chantelle Flores
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