Assimilation of the Kola Sami (Part II)

During 2000 AD, groups of the Sami population living on Kola Peninsula were assimilated by ancestors of Veps, Karelian, and Russians or pushed partially away to the far north. The earliest data about Sami of Kola Peninsula (the “Terffinns”) appears in the end of the ninth century. 

The first contacts between the Sami of the Kola Peninsula and the eastern Slavs were recorded in the eleventh century. In the thirteenth century, the eastern territory of peninsula became a part of the Novgorod state.

The manuscripts of the Solovetskogo monastery established in 1436 describes “Lapp… wild animals living in uninhabitable deserts, stone caves, without property and temples, not having needs in normal human necessities, animals, wilds, birds and sea fish are only food, deer skin is only cloth for them…” 

Taxation by a tribute of Lapland was the International matter and appeared in peace treaties upon termination of wars. Sami began pay taxes on regular basis since the ninth century, when Norwegian Konung gave to his confidants the right to collect taxes from Sami and to trade with them.

Besides Norwegians, Kola Sami paid taxes to Swedes, Finns, Karelians, and Russian too. Tributes were often paid by furs and fish to several collectors who often came at once. Because of ruthless taxation and moving to the north, Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish peasants left to the Sami less of their land that was suitable to continue a traditional way of their life, and this forced them to move to the uninhabitable territories.

The Swedish king in the middle of fourteenth century promised to release from taxes all citizens who would move to Lapland. The same promise was repeated in second half of the seventeenth under the rule of Charles the Eleventh.

Sami have been pushed to convert into Christianity since the eleventh century. However, collecting tribute was more successful, rather than converting Sami to a new fate.

Considerable number of Sami lived on the territories that were inaccessible to the majority of other people. Lutheran churches were built in the western suburbs of Sami territory from the sixteenth century while on Kola Peninsula, and also in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, orthodox monasteries enslaved Sami who were living nearby.

Monasteries often took into their possession the best places for fishing and hunting. Monks sometimes forged official papers, and this deceived the local Kola Sami. It was hard to prove the authenticity of documents.

The Kola Peninsula was too far away from capitals, and Sami were not literate. The Orthodox faith very slowly extended among Sami, and even in the twenty-first century, there are still adherents of traditional beliefs/shamanism.                                 

© Rachel Madorsky