The Sami People

Northern Tribes * Winter Study Unit *

Northern Hemisphere

The Sami people are the indigenous people of the Nordic countries,

also referred to as Lapps or Saami, live in the Lapland which is an ar-

ea in Northern Europe. Lapland is an area that stretches across Nor-

way, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Many live above the Arctic Circle.

The Sami have 10 different languages, however, only six can be writ-

ten down. Traditionally they called themselves the Baozovazzi, mean-

ing ‘Reindeer Walker’.

February 6 is ‘samenes nasjonaldag’, the Sami National Day. This

marks the first Sami congress that was held in Trondheim in 1917. It

was during this congress that Norwegian and Swedish Sami came to-

gether to address common problems. It’s customary to give the greet-

ing Lihkku Beivviin “congratulations” on this day.

Today the Sami of Norway do have their own parliament situated in

Karasjok, however, like all native people their history is one of hard-

ship and injustice. In Norway even their singing, Joik, was banned,

whilst children were removed and sent to boarding schools.

The Lapp nomads, also known as the Reindeer herders, lived

amongst their reindeer herds. The herders survived off a diet of

meat, fish and dairy, a nose to tail diet, using every part of the ani-

mal. They did not have access to much veg at all. Clothing was tradi-

tionally made from reindeer skins and wool. The wool was generally

sourced from their herding dogs the Samoyeds. Their tents were also

made from reindeer skin. Their wool clothing was very bright and

pretty.

The Lapps would live with, travel

with and protect their reindeer

herds. They would move with the

herd as they moved from sum-

mer to winter pastures and back

again. The reindeer pulled sleds,

however for quick journeys many

of the Sami people also had Sled

Dogs, such as the Samoyeds. The

reindeer were generally used to

pull supplies.

The lapps lived in nearby homes

made of sod or logs. Winter

clothing would be made from

reindeer skin, they would layer

up just like we do here. The bot-

tom layer would have the fur

facing in towards the body

whilst the top layer would have

the fur facing out. Boots were

also made of reindeer fur and

lined with either grass or Samo-

yed fur. Each evening they

would remove the lining, drying

it in front of the fire, ready to be

used the next day.

Today only a few tribes/ families

still follow the reindeer herds.

Many now live amongst family

small holdings and small farms.

Image url- https://intercontinentalcry.org/new-finnish-forestry-act-could-mean-the-end-of-sami-reindeer-herding/

Gakti is the name of Sami cloth-

ing. There has been a huge rise

in people making clothing from

Samoyed fur in recent years in a

bid to keep the traditions alive.

Originally the Gakti was made

solely from Reindeer skin/fur,

however , once they were also

raising Samoyed dogs they natu-

rally incorporated their fur into

their day to day lives, Samoyeds

shed a lot as discussed in our

Samoyed Fact File, so it makes

sense to utilise their fur, which

is similar to Angora than to let it

go to waste. The clothing differed

for men and women.

THE GAKTI

The Gakti is a loose tunic style

design, it is belted around the

middle and worn by both men

and women. The Wom-

en's Gakti are traditionally longer

the mens and resembles a

dress.

Underneath their gakti, men and

women also wear leggings, these

were traditionally made of hide

and lined with reindeer fur. Re-

cent styles can now have high

collars decorated with silver or-

naments. Most gakti are brightly

coloured with blues, reds, and

yellows. Over this, women can

drape a silk shawl they hold in

place with brooches.

Today, the Sami people tend to

only wear their furs while herd-

ing in winter. Some choose to

wear traditional outfits as day-to

-day wear, whilst others

keep their gakti for special oc-

casions. Some younger genera-

tions have left their Sápmi way

of life and wear modern Western

clothing.

https://www.slideshare.net/_MarionPrince/womens-role-in-sami-

culture

Samoyed Fur processed into

wool

Sweden

Capital: Stockholm

Language: Swedish

Money: Swedish Kroner

The Countries of Northern

Europe

Finland

Capital: Helsinki

Language: Finish

Money: Euro

Iceland

Capital: Reykjavik

Language: Icelandic

Money: Icelandic

Kroner

Denmark

Capital: Copenhagen

Language: Danish

Money: Krone

Norway

Capital: Oslo

Language: Norwegian

Money: Norwegian

Kroner

http://every-day-is-special.blogspot.com/2015/12/

december-29-language-goes-extinct-kinda.html

Sweden

The Countries of Northern

Europe

Finland

Iceland

Denmark

Norway

Oslo

Copenhagen

Stockholm

Helsinki

Reykjavik

CUT OUT AND MATCH UP

WITH THE RIGHT COUNTRY

The Countries of Northern

Europe

Compare these two graphs and answer the questions below

Which Country has the coldest climate?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

What is the coldest temperature in Helskini?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

What is the coldest temperature in London?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Which month is the coldest month in Helsinki?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Sami Recipes

To try at home

BIDOS

Bidos Is a traditional Sami stew that was served at weddings and other special

occasions. It consists of slow cooked reindeer meat, including organ meat

such as the heart along with potatoes and carrots. Before potatoes in the 18th

century it was served traditionally with sweet flat breads called Gahkko. No

seasoning needed to be used due to the natural flavour of their grass fed free

range reindeer. The taste reflecting their diet and exercise.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp Flour

Butter

400g Reindeer Meat

1 tbsp Mustard

0.5l Water

6 Shallot Onions

2 Carrots

2 Potatoes

Salt and Pepper for Seasoning.

Lingonberries/ Lingonberry jam (op)

METHOD

Season the meat and mix with the

flour in a bowl

Melt the butter in a wide pan. Fry

the meat until it turns a grey

Add the mustard and water, bring

to the boil

Peel veg, cube. Add to the pan, boil

for about 45 mins until meat is ten-

der

https://northwildkitchen.com/bidos-sami-reindeer-stew/