Saami religion

Sami ritual stone, in Salangen, Troms county, Northern Norway. In Saami language it is called Akko, because the stone is shaped like a woman. This stone is shaped like womans face. The face looks towards a Sami holy mountain called Basečohkka. A part of the stone has two cracks. The stone is located up to an older abandoned road. During survey it was stabbed in the soil with soil drills. Some carbon was found. It is an oral tradition of the rock. In the oral tradition it is called "Andasteinen" that means "soulstone". Oral tradition, shape and location tell us that this is a Saami ritual site.

When investigating the Elwha and Alta Dams, I have found the similarities to be a bit overwhelming. Not only are there environmental issues that have, and are being faced; there is also the respect factor of the indigenous people that have called the two areas home for thousands of years. In the research put into this paper, I seek to investigate and summarize not only the historical reliance of the Sami and Lower Elwha-Klallam Tribe on the Alta-Kautokeino and Elwha River areas for subsistence fishing, reindeer migration for herding, and established living areas to include villages; but also the lack of importance given their indigenous voice regarding their existence, future wellbeing as a people, and native knowledge of the areas to be developed and changed

In the article, a multidisciplinary method for studying past religions is introduced and applied to indigenous South Saami religion. The etymologies of the religious lexicon and the archaeological sacred remains of the South Saami area are systematically examined and the results of the two disciplines are correlated according to the theoretical model for the correlation of archaeological and lexical data. Special attention is paid to studying how archaeological material reflects the phenomena seen in the vocabulary. The lexical and archaeological data are collected from various dictionaries, historical descriptions, etymological and archaeological research, and archaeological fieldwork reports. Correlations between archaeological and lexical data are seen in the offering tradition, burial traditions, and matters relating to death. The bear cult is highly visible in both materials, but the age of the bear cult seems suspiciously young in the archaeological and lexical material. Sometimes, as in connection with the shaman institution, lexical and archaeological materials do not reveal much about the origin or dating of religious phenomena. Non-material concepts such as deity names are not visible in archaeological data. A very tentative correlation is drawn between the faunal osteolog-ical material at offering sites or scree graves and the saajve animal tradition. Such a correlation will, however, need more research to be verified.

In this paper, we study the role of power animals in contemporary Saami shamanism and how past and present are entwined in the presentation of power animals. In the old Saami worldviews, in addition to animals, spirits and sacred rocks (sieidi, SaaN) were also considered to be able to interact with people. Animals were an important part of offering rituals because livelihood and rituals were intertwined. Past “religions” are used as an inspiration for contemporary shamanistic practices, in line with one of late modernity’s core concepts, namely creativity. Present-day shamanistic practices can be described as ritual creativity, and they combine traces of old and new ritual activities. At the shamanistic festival Isogaisa, organized in northern Norway, these different roles of animals and ritual creativity become evident. Here, animals appear as spirit animals, as well as decorative elements on drums and clothes and as performance. In this paper, we combine material culture studies, ...

Popular scientific paper presenting a tale about the Saami sacrificial site of Unna Sájvva (Lillsaivis) in Jiellevárre (Gällivare) municipality, Sweden, noted down in the Lule Saami Forest dialect in 1912. Two shorter texts, noted down at the same time, treat the Saami ceremonial drum and traditions related to the Saami bear cult.

Full reference: Kejonen, Olle. 2021. Om offer – en berättelse från 1912. In: Andersson, Kerstin (ed.). Unna Saiva – en skändad samisk offerplats. Stockholm: Vulkan. 24–27.

La thèse analyse le rituel du seiðr (pratique utilisée entre autres pour la divination, la guérison et la guerre sur des plans surnaturels) des anciens Scandinaves et celui du noaidevuohta (rituel chamanique pratiqué par les Sâmes) chez les Sâmes. Le seiðr était pratiqué surtout par des femmes qui se déplaçaient d’une ferme à l’autre. Il était directement lié au dieu Óðinn, tel que décrit dans l’Ynglinga saga. Quant au noaidevuohta, apparemment l’apanage des hommes, il participait au complexe circumpolaire des chasseurs/éleveurs du renne ou du caribou. Les deux complexes rituels ont été intégrés dans leur culture respective, tout en possèdant des différences. Il est impossible, dans l’état actuel de la recherche, de déterminer s’il y a eu des emprunts de part et d’autre. Selon les conclusions de nos recherches, les deux rituels sont de nature chamanique, s’inscrivant au nouveau paradigme circumpolaire des études contemporaines. En revanche, il n’existe pas de consensus au sujet de la nature chamanique ou non, ni au sujet de l’origine, des rituels en question. Il y a très peu de recherches en langue française sur le sujet, la majorité des études ont été réalisées en langue anglaise ou dans des langues scandinaves. Les textes originaux ne sont d’ailleurs pas tous traduits en français. Notre thèse contribuera de manière significative à la recherche. Nous avons établi un lexique des catégories « prêtre », « sorcier » et « chamane » de la Scandinavie préchrétienne. De plus, nous avons remis dans leur contexte culturel les textes et les objets de la culture matérielle, en utilisant des méthodes de l’anthropologie culturelle et de l’histoire, tout en intégrant les recherches archéologiques pertinentes et l’étude des textes. L’objectif de cette thèse est de démontrer 1) que le seiðr et le noaidevuohta sont apparentés et de nature chamanique, et 2) qu’il est impossible de déterminer la direction (des anciens Scandinaves vers les Sâmes ou le contraire) des échanges et des influences pour chacun des deux rituels.

Any historical study of Sámi religions links religion to the history of the language. Here, Proto-Sámi language spread is reviewed and the fundamental (and often implicit) assumption that religion spread with Proto-Sámi language is challenged. An alternative model that language spread as a medium of communication adopted by different cultures is proposed and tested against the Common Proto-Sámi lexicon. The finding is a lack of positive evidence for the spread of religion with Proto-Sámi language, while the name of the central sky-god / thunder-god in Sámi languages on the Kola Peninsula is identified as a loan from an indigenous language, indicating some degree of religious continuity through language change. The lack of positive lexical evidence for a spread of religion combines with evidence that vocabulary and apparently traditions linked to ritual and belief spread through the Proto-Sámi language networks subsequent to its spread. In addition, the archaeological record does not present positive evidence of spread of religion with the language and instead archaeological cultures seem to exhibit continuities through the relevant period. The paper concludes that religion formations documented among later Sámi language groups cannot be assumed to derive from a common Proto-Sámi religion or even to have an Uralic background.  Instead, it is possible or even probable that the diversity in later Sámi religions could be an outcome of multiple other linguistic cultural groups shifting to Proto-Sámi language while maintaining their vernacular religion, or at least parts of it. Consequently, generalizations about 'Sámi' religion, claims about common Sámi religious heritage, and also uses of Sámi evidence in comparisons with Uralic traditions should be built on arguments rather than assumptions.

In this article, I introduce the terms and concepts semantic correlation and semantic disambiguation as tools for examining aspects of mythological thinking that interface with the lexicon. Semantic correlation describes a phenomenon whereby the name of the god and of the phenomenon become the same. In other words, a change in the theonym affects a change in the common noun or vice versa. In a culture where semantic correlation is a basic principle of mythological thinking, theonym and noun co-vary so that the god ‘Thunder’ is always called the same thing as ‘thunder’, the god ‘Sky’ and phenomenon ‘sky’ are called the same thing, and so on. Semantic correlation reflects the iconicity of the god, which becomes built into the lexicon. Semantic disambiguation describes the change from a theonym and corresponding noun being the same to becoming lexically distinct: either the name of the god or the noun for the phenomenon change independent of the other. Semantic disambiguation is an indicator that the god is no longer iconic of a natural phenomenon per se: a god may be identified with the sky as a location or be identified as producing thunder by, for example, driving a chariot, but the agent does not converge with the phenomenon. Recognizing semantic disambiguation can be significant because it is an indicator of change in a fundamental principle of mythological thinking.

Discussion is organized in three case studies. The first is of Uralic sky-gods. This study by language family includes discussion of the development spread of a Finnic theonym Ilma-ri to Udmurt, Sámi and probably Chuvash, and also addresses the problem of Finnic juma-la ['god']. The second case study explores an isogloss of changes in the Mari and Mordvin branches of Uralic and the Baltic and Germanic branches of Indo-European, as well as probably an Indo-Iranian language which was in contact with Finnic as well as potentially other languages subsumed by Finnic language spread. In these languages, the inherited theonym 'Sky' disappears as does the corresponding noun, and in its place appears a common noun 'God' as a theonym. This process is proposed to derive from a spread of religious change that moved across languages, quite possibly already in the Bronze Age. The third case examines names of the thunder-god in the Circum-Baltic area, revealing an isogloss in which the theonym underwent semantic disambiguation in some, but not all, branches of Finnic, Germanic and Sámi languages.

Many readers may only be superficially familiar with the history of some of the languages discussed, and even readers familiar with these languages may not be aware of the transformations in understanding that have developed during the past decade in particular. In order to make the discussion accessible to a wider range of readers, information on the historical spread and change of these languages is introduced as it becomes relevant. Although the individual case studies may each stand on their own merits, the overarching aim here is to illustrate the phenomena of semantic correlation and disambiguation and to illustrate their value as tools for examining historical changes encoded in a lexicon.

i Føreord Heilt sidan grunnfagstida har eg tenkt at det framleis er mykje å hente i å granske gammalnordisk og samisk tru og praksis i samanheng, og det slo meg tidleg at gand burde granskast naerare. Men at gand vart doktorgradstemaet mitt, var heller tilfeldig. Gjennom magisteravhandlinga, der eg prøvde å rehabilitere eddakvedet Fj lsvinnsmál, vart eg inspirert til å sjå naerare på seksuelle skapingsmodellar i norrøn mytologi, og i samband med det granska eg S rla þáttr. Fordi Loke der skaper seg om til både fluge og loppe, ville eg setta meg inn i trua på gandfluger i seinare folketru, og dermed var eg i gang. Stipend frå Noregs forskingsråd har gjort denne studien mogeleg, gjennom programmet Samiske studiar og samisk forsking. Elles vil eg takke rettleiar Else Mundal for rask og poengtert tilbakemelding, Hans Mebius, Oddvar Nes og Ola Heide for gjennomlesing av utkast til avhandlinga, Oddvar Nes også for etymologihjelp, Rune Hagen for kjeldetips, Håkan Rydving for hjelp med omgrepsmedvett, samisk etymologi og kjelder til samisk religion, Nils Jernsletten for ymis samiskhjelp fyrste halvåret, og Trond Trosterud for tips om faglitteratur om samisk språk. Eg vil òg takke kollegaene ved Senter for mellomalderstudiar på Universitetet i Bergen. Det har vori veldig greitt berre å kunne "stikke bort i gangen" for å få hjelp og tips, anten det gjeld latin, arkeologi, gresk, norrøne kjelder, historisk kjeldekritikk eller andre ting. Hjelp med dei klassiske språka har eg saerleg fått av Lars Boje Mortensen, Sigbjørn Sønnesyn og Åslaug Ommundsen.

In this article, I discuss whether there is a connection between the Sámi tradition of Stállu and the Southern Norwegian tradition of Ståle and Stålesferda. Stállu is a kind of troll in Sámi tradition, but one variant of it, the Juovlastállu ‘Yule Stállu’, is connected to Christmas and greatly overlaps with the Oskoreia / Juleskreia / Julereia tradition of the Wild Hunt, which in the district of Setesdal is called Stålesferda, a name indicating that it is led by Ståle. This, and the fact that Stállu seems to be a loanword because it has an initial consonant cluster, which Sámi in principle does not have, is the basis for a suggestion that the character Stállu and much of the tradition connected to him is a loan from an early Scandinavian Ståle tradition. I agree with this, but argue that the Scandinavian word that has been suggested as the source is implausible. Instead, I suggest a different etymology for Stállu / Ståle and argue that the essence of the tradition of the Juovlastállu / Stålesferda / Oskoreia etc. is the swarming host – of dead spirits, elves, or other, with their riding or draught animals. Therefore, I suggest an Old Norse *stál as the source for Stállu and Ståle. In the Modern Norwegian dialects, this word, stål, is common in meanings such as ‘a compressed mass of live beings; a crowd, flock, school’, which fits very well. Even if the term Stállu and other elements in the Sámi traditions surrounding it seem borrowed from Scandinavian, the Sámi may well have had similar traditions prior to borrowing the term.

The Sámi are an indigenous Northern European people whose homeland, Sápmi, extends across the territories of four states: Finland, Norway, Russia and Sweden. For the Sámi of the Nordic countries, a long period of cultural repression gave way to a renaissance of sorts during the last half of the twentieth century. During the last decades of the century, their indigenous rights were recognized, they experienced a cultural and linguistic revival, and popularly elected Sámi parliaments were established in each of the three Nordic states. In contrast, the Soviet Sámi had little opportunity to develop independent ethno-political organizations and were largely isolated from their ethnic kin across the Norwegian border. The Soviet–Norwegian frontier was one of only two short stretches where the USSR and NATO shared a direct land border (the other being between Turkey and the USSR), and it remained tightly sealed until 1989. After the Soviet Union collapsed, its borders opened. In the decades that followed, the Russian Sámi attempted a linguistic revival; they began mending the Cold War scars across Sápmi and established their own independent ethno-political organizations. This period saw numerous struggles over the right to define the interests of the Russian Sámi and represent them, laying the foundations for current Russian Sámi politics. This book tells the story of what happened once the Soviet borders opened up. In this volume, we follow the development of an ethno-political movement on the periphery of the Russian Federation: the tensions that arise when a small people attempts to organize itself, reconstitute its culture and identity and reach out across the old Iron Curtain to ethnic kin in the West. As this border has been one of the most important dividing lines in modern history, the tale of the Sámi people and their efforts to mend their divisions is a case study of not only an indigenous movement, but indeed a microcosm of Russian–Western relations, replete with idealism, opportunism, misunderstandings, cultural exchange and intended and unintended consequences.

Popular scientific text presenting four short stories about contagious diseases, noted down in Swedish in the Lule Saami forest area by clergyman Otto Lindgren (1884–1952) in the early 1900s.

Full reference: Kejonen, Olle. 2021. ”Tauta är ett levande väsen” – skogssamiska berättelser om sjukdom och smitta. Samefolket. 102 (5): 34–35.

In this paper, we study the role of power animals in contemporary Saami shamanism and how past and present are entwined in the presentation of power animals. In the old Saami worldviews, in addition to animals, spirits and sacred rocks (sieidi, SaaN) were also considered to be able to interact with people. Animals were an important part of offering rituals because livelihood and rituals were intertwined. Past “religions” are used as an inspiration for contemporary shamanistic practices, in line with one of late modernity’s core concepts, namely creativity. Present-day shamanistic practices can be described as ritual creativity, and they combine traces of old and new ritual activities. At the shamanistic festival Isogaisa, organized in northern Norway, these different roles of animals and ritual creativity become evident. Here, animals appear as spirit animals, as well as decorative elements on drums and clothes and as performance. In this paper, we combine material culture studies, ...

In the circumpolar area of the Northern Arctic shamanism and use of drums are strongly connected. Recently, three South-Saami shaman drums were discovered in Norway, in the mountains in Helgeland and Nord-Trøndelag. These drums together with their accessories were analysed and the meanings of the drums and their symbols were interpreted. The ways other shaman drums arrived in Norwegian museums were traced. The contexts of the drums are discussed, especially how and when they were used. The role of the drums as important ethnic markers is discussed as well as the consequences for the drums in the time of the activity in Norway by the Danish College of Missions in the beginning of the 18th century. The background aim for the Saami mission is also illustrated. How the use of drums has been understood by the missionaries and earlier authors is discussed with the basis in their narratives. The fact that the narratives, also younger narratives, almost always are written down by others than those who used the drum is stressed. Some remarks are given in an archaeological light to the question of when the use of drums started in the north of Scandinavia.

The author discusses the relationship between people and animals in a time perspective of millennia. The starting point is the pre-Christian, Scandinavian, animal graves of dogs and horses, the Saami bear-graves, as well as animal burials of modern time. The occurrence of animal graves in pre-Christian time and the wide range of ways to dispose ofhuman and animal bodies complicate our understanding of the concept of a grave. The relationship between people and animals is complex. The animal burials reflect the existence ofa longstanding and very close bond between people and animals, which is based on emotion, prestige and the ritualising of a dynamic nature. It seems that people position themselves in their surroundings with a kind of mentality that has a long time span. This gives unexpected views of the cultural inheritance, of the idea of people as the crown of creation, and of the way in which the main threads are interwoven in our cultural history.

The seite (spelled variously) is an important component of the cosmological world of the traditional Sámi. 1 The seite appear in many forms: man-made or natural, made from various materials, with sizes ranging from pocket-sized to large gathering areas, and are used by individuals, families, or whole communities. The seite was an integral part of traditional Sámi religious life and tied to other areas, such as shamanism and animism, through the idea of sacrifice. This paper reviews the scholarly discussions of seite, and attempts to arrive at an explanation of the traditional Sámi seite which can account for all its appearances and known aspects. In doing so, I find it necessary to examine the context in which the seite exists-that of Sámi traditional animism. 2 Using this framework, I suggest that analysis of the seite complex may be able to provide us with a glimpse into the cosmological views of the traditional Sámi, particularly in the role of spirit forces in the physical world.

In this paper, we study the role of power animals in contemporary Saami shamanism and how past and present are entwined in the presentation of power animals. In the old Saami worldviews, in addition to animals, spirits and sacred rocks (sieidi, SaaN) were also considered to be able to interact with people. Animals were an important part of offering rituals because livelihood and rituals were intertwined. Past “religions” are used as an inspiration for contemporary shamanistic practices, in line with one of late modernity’s core concepts, namely creativity. Present-day shamanistic practices can be described as ritual creativity, and they combine traces of old and new ritual activities. At the shamanistic festival Isogaisa, organized in northern Norway, these different roles of animals and ritual creativity become evident. Here, animals appear as spirit animals, as well as decorative elements on drums and clothes and as performance. In this paper, we combine material culture studies, ...

Abstract: The Sámi are peoples of Finno-Ugric origin habitating the territories of current Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Kole Peninsula on the northern part of Russia. They have their own languages and religiosity, Before conversion to Christianity, Sámi indigenous religion was polytheist, animistic and of ritualistic and shamanistic character. Our aim is to contextualize their religiosity in the feld of the Science of Religion, demonstrating how it can offer a better comprehension of this religion. We are going to discuss the development of Science of Religion
epistemologically, also analyzing some defnitions of the word religion and some of the main problems of this concept throughout History. Finally, we are going to present the central
aspects which constitute ancient Sámi religion, in an attempt to bring this religion to the light of the Science of Religion.

Resumo: Os Sámi são vários povos de etnia Fino-Úgrica que habitam territórios da Suécia, Noruega, Finlândia e a Península de Kola, na Rússia, e possuem seus próprios idiomas e religiosidade. Antes da conversão ao cristianismo, a religião Sámi era politeísta, animista e de caráter xamânico e ritualístico. Nosso objetivo é contextualizar essa religiosidade no âmbito das Ciências das Religiões, demonstrando o que elas podem oferecer para melhor compreensão dessa religião. Assim, traçaremos uma breve trajetória das Ciências das Religiões a nível epistemológico, analisaremos algumas definições do étimo religião e discutiremos alguns de seus problemas e limitações ao longo da história. Por fim, traremos alguns dos principais aspectos que constituem a religião Sámi antiga, numa tentativa de trazê-la para o debate das Ciências das Religiões. Abstract: The Sámi are peoples of Fino-Ugric origin habitating the territories of current Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Kole Peninsula on the northern part of Russia. They have their own languages and religiosity, Before conversion to Christianity, Sámi indigenous religion was polytheist, animistic and of ritualistic and shamanistic character. Our aim is to contextualize their religiosity in the field of the Science of Religion, demonstrating how it can offer a better comprehension of this religion. We are going to discuss the development of Science of Religion epistemologically, also analyzing some definitions of the word religion and some of the main problems of this concept throughout History. Finally, we are going to present the central aspects which constitute ancient Sámi religion, in an attempt to bring this religion to the light of the Science of Religion.

Os Sámis são vários povos de etnia Fino-Úgrica que habitam territórios da Suécia, Noruega, Finlândia e a Península de Kola, na Rússia, e possuem seus próprios idiomas e religiosidade. Antes da conversão ao cristianismo, a religião Sámi era politeísta, animista e de caráter xamânico e ritualístico. Nosso objetivo é contextualizar essa religiosidade no âmbito das Ciências das Religiões, demonstrando o que elas podem oferecer para melhor compreensão dessa religião. Assim, traçaremos uma breve trajetória das Ciências das Religiões a nível epistemológico, analisaremos algumas definições do étimo religião e discutiremos alguns de seus problemas e limitações ao longo da história. Por fim, traremos alguns dos principais aspectos que constituem a religião Sámi antiga, numa tentativa de trazê-la para o debate das Ciências das Religiões.

In this paper, we study the role of power animals in contemporary Saami shamanism and how past and present are entwined in the presentation of power animals. In the old Saami worldviews, in addition to animals, spirits and sacred rocks (sieidi, SaaN) were also considered to be able to interact with people. Animals were an important part of offering rituals because livelihood and rituals were intertwined. Past “religions” are used as an inspiration for contemporary shamanistic practices, in line with one of late modernity’s core concepts, namely creativity. Present-day shamanistic practices can be described as ritual creativity, and they combine traces of old and new ritual activities. At the shamanistic festival Isogaisa, organized in northern Norway, these different roles of animals and ritual creativity become evident. Here, animals appear as spirit animals, as well as decorative elements on drums and clothes and as performance. In this paper, we combine material culture studies, interview data, and participatory observations in order to reflect the meanings and use of power animals in contemporary spiritual practices. How are traces of the past used in creating contemporary spirituality? How are animals and their artistic presentations entangled in contemporary shamanism?

Institutionen för arkeologi och antik historia Centrum för genusvetenskap Uppsala universitet Uppsala universitet Tack till Miliana Baer för översättning till nordsamiska. /Redaktörerna Håkan Tunón Märit Frändén Centrum för biologisk mångfald Institutionen för nordiska språk SLU/Uppsala universitet Uppsala universitet Carl-Gösta Ojala May-Britt Öhman Institutionen för arkeologi och antik historia Centrum för genusvetenskap Uppsala universitet Uppsala universitet Tack till Karin Tuolja för översättning till lulesamiska. /Redaktörerna Tack till Ellen Bull Jonassen för översättning till sydsamiska. /Redaktörerna Åvtebaakoe G ïjren 2009 akte dåaresthfaageles viermie Uppsalesne tseegkesovvi, gusnie dotkijh mah iedtjem utnin dotkemen jallh jïjtse dotkemen bïjre saemien aamhtesi bïjre. Uppsalan akte guhkies aerpievuekie saemien dotkeminie, jïh aaj daan biejjien jïjnjh ovmessie aamhtesi bïjre dotkeminie, goh båatsoe jïh eatnemevaarjelimmie jïh saemien gïelh jïh saemien nomme-vuekieh. Akti veajkoej dle sijjieh ohtselamme gusnie dah dotkijh ovmessie faagesuerkijste, mah dam saemien vuajnoem ektesne åtneme, lin maahteme govlehtalledh. Gosse Uppsam tseegkeme, Uppsalan viermie saemien dotkemasse, akte tjåenghkies gaavne-sjimmiesijjie sjugniesovvi dotkijidie saemien aamhtesigujmie, saaht mennie institusjovnesne jallh saaht mennie universiteetesne dah lin. Dïhte våarome darjoemisnie lea jaabnan lunsjeseminaarh, fïereguhten aejkien Uppsalan universiteetesne jïh Sveerjen laanteburrieuniversiteetesne. Gïjren 2011 dle viermie akten dotkijeseabran jorkesi, jïh njoktjen 23.b. raejeste daan jaepien dle mijjen byjjes nomme Uppsam-Siebrie saemien dotkemasse Uppsalesne. Uppsalan akte ållesth aerpie goh jarnge dotkemasse jïh ööhpehtaemman gellie tjuetie jaepieh, dennie aktene bielesne vihkeles våarhkoe jïh tjöönghkeldahkh, dennie mubpene bielesne akte guhkies aerpievuekiedotkeme saemiej bïjre, uvtemes akte vuajnoe ålkoelistie. Geografijen mietie dle mijjieh ålkolen dam mij daelie Saepmine ryöknesåvva, men Uppsala jïh dan byjreske aktem guhkies histovrijem åtna saemien hööltestimmeste. Tïjji tjïrrh dle aaj jïjnjh studenth jïh dotkijh saemien maadtoste Uppsalesne gïehtelamme. Akte vuesiehtimmie lea dïhte saemien hearrastudente Nicolaus Lundius, guhte 1670-låhkoen Descriptio Laponi tjeeli, mij lea daan reektehtsen åvtesaejrosne. Dotkemevearelden sisnjelen dle dah saemien gyhtjelassh dannasinie gåetesne Uppsalesne. Daesnie akte stoerre aerpievuekie ööhpehtimmien sisnjelen, akte vetenskapeles gamtoe-jïh baaltele, hijven nuepieh aaj dejnie dotkeminie viehkiehtidh maam barkoevoelph darjoeh, mah eah saemien aamhtesi bïjre åvtelhbodti daejrieh. Suehpeden 4. jïh 5. b. 2011 Uppsam sov voestes symposijumem öörnedi, "Saemien dotkeme Uppsale-snedaan biejjien jïh båetijen biejjien". Symposijesne luhkievïjhte håalijh ovmessie suerkijste viehkiehtin sjyöhtehke saemien dotkemh vååjnesasse darjodh, mah leah Uppsalen universiteetide ektiedamme. Symposijesne gyhtjelassh faamoe-ektiedimmiej bïjre jïh aaj dotkemen etihken bïjre. Dah leah aamhtesh mah bååstede båetieh, seamma aaj dah aamhtesh guktie mijjieh goh dotkijh Uppsalesne, byöroeh dåemiedidh Uppsalan ånnetji geerve histovrijen aarpan, våarhkose jïh tjöönghkeldahkide daan biejjien. Guktie maahta dam saemien sisnjielistie-vuajnoem åvtese lutnjedh, jïh guktie ålkoelistie-jïh sisnjielistievuajnoeh maehtieh sinsitniem bööremeslaakan elliesåbpoe darjodh? Guktie maehtebe ektesne, saaht mehtie jïjtse maadtoste jïh saaht mij aamhtesigujmie barkeminie, aktem buerebe saemien dotkemem buektiehtidh båetijen biejjien? Dah tjaalegh daennie reektehtsisnie våaromem utnieh dejstie åehpiedehtemijstie symposijesne. Naan gille håalijh leah veeljeme ajve aktem åenebe åeniedimmiem baejhkoehtidh. Dïhte redaksjovnemoenehtse mij viehkiehtamme dejtie baejhkoehtamme tjaalegidie gïetedidh, leah gellijste suerkijste båateme, mij dorjeme guktie reektehtsen dåaresthfaageles otnjegem naennnoesåbpoe dorjeme. Meehti symposijem tjirrehtidh viehkine dåarjoste dehtie Göran Gustafsson Stiftelse eatnamassejïh byjresasse Lapplaantesne. Juktie reektehtsem darjodh dle aaj dåarjoem daejstie åådtjeme, Saemiedigkie, Sveerjen Saemiej Rijhkesiebrie (SSR), Silbonah Samesijda, Stockholm Sameförening, Centrum för genusvetenskap jïh Naptek/ Centrum för biologisk mångfald. Mijjieh gaajhkide beetneh-dåarjojde gijhtebe! Uppsala gålkoen 9.b. 2011 Håkan Tunón Märit Frändén Centrum för biologisk mångfald Institutionen för nordiska språk SLU/Uppsala universitet Uppsala universitet Carl-Gösta Ojala May-Britt Öhman Institutionen för arkeologi och antik historia Centrum för genusvetenskap Uppsala universitet Uppsala universitet 6 Preface D uring the spring of 2009, an interdisciplinary research network was founded in Uppsala by researchers interested in or having their own research focus on Sámi related issues. Uppsala has a long tradition of Sámi related research. The Sámi related research in Uppsala of today includes numerous aspects of Sámi life and culture, for example, reindeer herding, nature conservation, Sámi languages and Sámi surname patterns. For a long time, there has been a lack of space for exchange between researchers with the Sámi perspective in common, but being active within different scientific disciplines. Through the foundation of Uppsam, the Uppsala network for Sámi related research, a common meeting space for researchers was formed. The basis for the activities consists of recurrent lunch seminars, alternately at Uppsala University and at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU. In the spring of 2011, the network was transformed into a research association, and from March 23, our formal name is Uppsam-the Association for Sámi related research in Uppsala. Uppsala has a complex legacy as a centuries-old centre for research and education, with on the one hand important archives and collections, and on the other hand a long tradition of research on Sámi from primarily an outside perspective. Geographically we are outside of what is today counted as Sápmi, but Uppsala and the surrounding areas have a long history of Sámi presence. Through the ages, many Sámi students and researchers have been active in Uppsala. One example is the Sámi student Nicolaus Lundius, who in the 1670s wrote Descriptio Laponiae, represented on the front of this report. Sámi issues have been represented in the Uppsala research world for a long time. Here we find a solid educational tradition, a scientific width-and, in addition, many opportunities to contribute to the research by colleagues who are not familiar with Sámi related issues. May 4-5 of 2011, Uppsam organized its first symposium, "Sámi related research in Uppsala-today and in the future". During the symposium fifteen presenters from different scientific disciplines contributed to make visible current Sámi related research going on in Uppsala. During the symposium, questions regarding power relations and research ethics were recurrent themes. In addition, questions about how we, as researchers in Uppsala of today, should relate to the sometimes problematic historical legacy of Uppsala and methods and representations of Sámi, as well as the existing collections and archives were also raised. How can Sámi inside perspectives be promoted, and how can outside and inside perspectives find ways to complement each other? How can we, irrespectively of our own background and disciplinary affiliation, together work for a better Sámi related research in the future? The articles in this report are based on the symposium presentations. Two participants have chosen to publish only briefer abstracts. A multidisciplinary editorial committee has worked with editing the articles, this has further contributed to the interdisciplinary orientation of this report.

This article discusses evidence that connects Þórr’s weapon with wind and blowing and points to it having been understood, among other things, as a wind projectile. There is Old Norse textual evidence that Þórr (idols) could make dangerous winds by blowing through their beards, several Þórr’s hammers and probable Þórr figurines appear to blow through their beards, and Old Swedish thordyns blaster, literally ‘Þórr’s thunder blowing’, refers to thunder. In the Estonian version of the Þrymskviða myth, the precious object stolen from the thundergod is a wind instrument. If Þórr’s weapon could be understood as a wind projectile, this would fit with the variation of the depiction of this weapon and its use in the sources.

This paper presents archaeological findings described as Saami metal deposits. These well-known "Finds from Lapp Places of Sacrifice", objects from the Viking Age and Early Middle Ages, were mostly found in northern Sweden. The author also presents a research project dealing with prehistoric and medieval Saami graves from the south Saami area.

This article discusses how the Sami word noaidi and the word for the noaidi’s trade (noaidevuohta) have been translated in missionary texts and academic research. It traces context-related translations of these Sami concepts: first by clergy into terms connoted to ‘witchcraft’ and ‘sorcery’, then by scholars into the technical terms ‘shaman’ and ‘shamanism’, and finally by contemporary scholars by translating them back into indigenous terms. The article is divided into three parts that explore changes in translations of noaidi and noaidevuohta from three slightly differing perspectives: the translations from Sami to other languages, the translations of the Bible into Sami languages, and the academic practice of translating technical terms back to Sami. These changes open a window into the research history of Sami religion and the power asymmetries between the Sami and majority cultures: through this window one sees that translations are situated, context-bound, and laden with implicit assumptions.

Arctic transformation concerning culture and identity features has been understood to be related to the changes lumped together under the term "globalization", like many other peripheral places in the world. As a result, we can see the consequence is the increased connections between the communities of the north and the south and therefore cultural enrichment and identity complexity. According to the Arctic Human Development Report 2014, it is an interesting fact that such kind of transformation is actively influenced by Artic persons and people in the contemporary context. And indigenousness is often a popular agenda in the discourse of the articulation and development of the Arctic identity . Regarding to this fact and my own interests and educational background of being a pre-service teacher of foreign languages, this essay is going to analyse a contemporary case of Saami indigenous language education, the Saami University of College, and examine how it demonstrates the transformation of Arctic identity in the modern sense by the Saami indigenous groups in Norway, with references to its website, its language courses and degree programmes, several sources about Saami and the Arctic Human Development Report (AHDR) 2014.

When writing about politically and culturally sensitive topics, term use is of great relevance. Sámi religion is a case in point. Words organise and create the world around us, and labels have direct consequences on how religious phenomena are perceived. Even labelling a phenomenon or an action “religious” carries certain baggage. Term use is, of course, easier when writing about historical materials and describing rituals whose practitioners have been dead for centuries. Nonetheless, contemporary practitioners of age-old rituals or people who use ancient symbols in their everyday lives often see themselves as carriers of old tradition and wish to identify with previous generations regardless of opinions that might deem their actions as “re-enacting”, “neoshamanism”, or “neopaganism”. If, for example, outsider academics wish to deem modern-day Indigenous persons as “neo”-something, issues of power and essentialism blend in with the discourse. This paper critically explores terms used around the Sámi religion in different time periods and attempts to come to suggestions that could solve some of the terminological problems a student of modern practitioners of indigenous religions inevitably faces.

This article describes an international network of scholars and priests in and around Sápmi in the 19th century. Information about and writings of Jacob Fellman (1795–1875) are used to trace and map this network that crossed state borders as well as borders between various academic fields. The scholarly work of these scholars and priests included botany, zoology, the study of languages, sociology, history, and mythology or religion.

In my MA -thesis I focus on studying religious history of the Saami, particularly the role religious and cultural changes play in changing attitudes towards animals and nature. I review texts written in the 17th, 19th and early 20th centuries and thus attempt to paint a picture of the consequences of Christian missionary work in nature relations among the Saami. My focus is mainly in Finnish Lapland, but have included some complimentary sources from the Russian side as well as some works that deal with Saami religion on a larger geographical scale. The sources are written in Swedish, English and German and include nine works.

The focus of my study is to use various theoretical lenses in an open-minded way. In order to analyse historical texts with a critical, multidisciplinary and comprehensive way I use theories from cognitive science of religion and cultural ecology, but try to include intracultural and interpretational views in the study as well. The metatheoretical discussion that results from my multidisciplinary view and research focused on the contexts of my source material make this work a more theory-oriented one. I have, however, tried to focus on the interplay of sources and theories in order to balance this orientation. A key focus is in finding recurrent patterns from historical texts that concern the Saami in order to shed light on changes in animal relations.

My method of analysis is conctructed of systematical analysis, ethnohistory and historical ethnography combined in order to make a three-fold scheme of research. First of all I probe into the birth histories and contexts that concern my source material in order to track the biases and prejudgements of the authors. By this I intend to proceed to filter the relevant information from the irrelevant and the biased, thus naming recurrent patterns and organizing them into heuristic concepts. In the last part of my three-fold scheme of analysis I use three theories that have their basis in cognitive psychology and cultural ecology. I have chosen these particular viewpoints based on my hypotheses and research question that are presented in the introductory section of the work. I try to mould these theories based on my sources and some critical remarks that have been previously made. By this scheme I try to both explain and understand the attitudes and beliefs concerning animals and nature in the religious sphere of the Saami.

The possible broader impact concerning my work lies in critical research of religious history. Studying the history of colonization that has partly been ignored at least in Finland and a critical re-evaluation of historical sources are both areas that should not be ignored in studying religious and cultural history of the Saami people. I feel that also more recent discussion concerning the Saami can gain new insights from this study.

The whole paper can be found by following the link attached.

- It is well known that Finno-Ugric peoples, like people further east, had a notion that the polar star was a nail in the top of an invisible world pillar. It is also known that among the Baltic Finns, the mythic object Sampo seems to have been this world pillar, but also the firmament (revolving around the polar star) understood as a gigantic mill, as well as a magic hand mill that grinded out prosperity for its human owner in mythic times. To what extent were such notions shared by the (Germanic) Scandinavian neighbours?