THE UNKNOWN LAPLAND?
THE SAMI (sápmelaččat) - THE ONLY NATIVE PEOPLE IN FINLAND
• Sápmi = area in North Finland, Lapland, Norway, Sweden, Russia. 75 000 - 100 000 Sami
people in the whole area
• The Sami people: in the 19th Century c. 1 000, now in Finland ca 9 000
• Today a considerable number of the Sami people (even 60%) live outside the Sapmi area
• Native language Saami (sámegiella) is spoken by 30 000. The language has now an official
status in Finland, but there was a time (f.ex. still in the 1970s) when speaking the saami was
strongly even aggressively discouraged
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Originally the Sami people were hunters, reindeer herders and nomads
Siida = village or community had a right to use certain area for reindeer herding and certain
waters for fishing
Elements of the Sami belief: nature, animals, sun, moon, tokens
Seita = a sacred stone or wood. Boassu (posio) = the farthest (holy) corner of kota. Sàiva =
water, holy lake or river
Mystifying Lapland: The movie The White Reindeer by Erik Blomberg 1952,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlfwXXpOm7I (custom trailer)
Joiku, a expression in voice and rhythm. Listen to some old examples:
http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2013/11/01/ylen-vanhoilla-aanitteilla-joikattiin-junia-radiota-japresidentteja
Modern and Contemporary joiku, Wimme Saari:
http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2011/02/10/wimme-saari-joikasi-itsensa-maailmalle
Joiku fitted into folk music, Angelit (Angelin tytöt):
http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2008/01/24/angelin-tytot-alkoivat-kiertaa-suomea-ala-asteiassa
THE OTHER WITHIN – A RACIST HISTORY
• Since the Medieval era the Sami were often presented as opposed to Europeans, as a nation
which did not belong to European religion, geography or origin
• In the late 19th Century theories about race – popular in Europe at that time - turned the idea
of ”racial development” another way round. Previously it had been thought that the
development had led into a degeneration (like f.ex. the Sami people) of the original, ideal type.
Now the development was seen to evolve from ”black to coloured and white” races. In this idea
the Sámi were seen as predecessors between ”the white and the yellow” or a “relic” of the first
race, out of which the ”white” (Caucasian) and ”yellow” (Mongolian) race were developed
• Although the Sami could be considered as the native people of Europe, they were seen
belonging to the past (by f.ex. Swedish zoologist and amateur-anthropologist Sven Nilsson,
German anatomist Rudolph Virchow)
• French naturalist Buffon formulated a race description in which he separated six different
races, one of them the northern Lapps (the Sami people). Yet he questioned whether they
should be considered only as a degenerated branch of the Tatars: ”In the Tatarian Lapland and
northern coasts we find a clumsily built, small in size human race. Their facial expressions are just
as wild as their manners. These people seem to constitute a degenerate species. They are large in
number and they inhabit large areas.” Buffon describes the Sami people: ”a wide face, yellowishbrown or black tinged eyes, eyelids that widen towards the temples, protruding cheekbones, large
mouth, thin and inwardly turned lips, squeaky sound, black and soft hair, a yellowish brown or
slightly dark skin, scrubby and hunched body”. According to him the Lapps were an opposite to
the Caucasian race: "clumsy, superstitious and stupid.”
• The French Armand de Quotrefages and the Germans Rudolph Virchow and Johannes Ranke
saw the Sami as related to the Finnish race, but the Finnish Zacharias Topelius wrote: ”A Lapp
is neither a half-brother nor a cousin to the Finn. He is [...] a nature’s child, missing both
externally and internally the elementary features and depth of the Finnish type”
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For a long time the Sami people became recognized as a lower or inferior race. In some
historical texts the Finnish settlement in Sami areas was presented as a righteous battle
between the two races, in which the weaker (The Sami) must give way to the more powerful
conqueror (the Finns)
Maybe some of these attitudes are reflected in the jokes of Manitbois, a popular Finnish TV
comedy show from 1992
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERAZihboh2M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P516NVyzb0U
LAPP CARAVANS IN EUROPE
(anthropological exhibitions in a circus, theatre, amusement park or zoo)
 First 1875, then from the early 1910s until early 1930s
 Authenticity, sensuality and natural mysticism gave ideal raw material for the arts and
amusement
 http://www.veli-pekkalehtola.fi/UserFiles/files/Karavanpakattu.pdf (Veli Pekka Lehtola, Lapp
caravans off the path, cultural envoys on tour? Performing Sá mi culture in anthropological
exhibitions at the beginning of the 20th Century. Summary on page 346)
 http://www.hetan-jussa.fi/136466979 (a site including pictures and a short film clip of an
“Ethnographic zoo”, Völkershau in Hagelbecks Tierpark)
FROM DESTRUCTION TO TOURIST ATTRACTION
 The tourism in Lapland started to develop during 1920 and 1930s. A major growth only began
slowly in the 1950s (after the World War II) as mail coaches started to offer an alternative
vehicle for transport and simple lodging and camping was afforded. Since 1970s tourism has
become a major source of income
 In the aftermath of the WWII German troups (at first brother-in-arms with the Finns) were
forces to withdraw from Finland. On their way out to Norway they destroyed large areas of
Lapland (Lapland war, 1944-1945). The destruction was massive. F.ex. in Muonio, Sodankylä
and Salla 273 of the buildings were demolished. The city of Rovaniemi, which was burned to
the ground and built anew according to Alvar Aalto’s reconstruction plan (1944-1945)
 After the war a Gold Rush to Lemmenjoki River resulted in a romantic legends and
adventurous fatality giving subjects to movies and popular entertainment, f.ex. the film
“Rovaniemen markkinoilla” (at the Rovaniemi fair) by Jorma Nortimo, 1951
 Romanticism continued as Finnish design made Lapland one of its marketing tools symbolizing
something original, native, pure and sincere. Same development has continued in the Lapland
tourism which still highlights the nature, romantic North, peace and quiet but which also has
brought many of the features in urban life into the tourist centres like Levi nearby Kittilä
THE POOR BUT BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY
 A wretched picture of life in Lapland was portrayed in the film “Maa on syntinen laulu” (The
Land is a Sinful Song”) by Timo K. Mukka, 1964. It dealt with people and nature, sexuality,
religion and death in a way which was considered the most shocking. The unembellished
reality of life can still be a cultural shock for many
 Lack of jobs and high hopes for a better standard of living led many people to leave Lapland as
well as North and East Finland for Sweden in the 1960s and 1970s. Many of the expatriates
never returned. Today they form a Finnish speaking minority n Sweden and most of their
children have been integrated into the Swedish society
LEGEND OF THE KING
• The Last King of France Louis Philippe I was forced into exile in his youth. He travelled to
Scandinavia in 1795 and lived one year in Muonio under the name ”Müller”. He stayed in the
house of a local priest, Mathias Kolström. After he left the sister-in-law to the vicar of Muonio,
Beata Caisa Walbom, gave birth to a baby boy, Erik. The child was considered an illegitimate
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son of Louis Philippe, but the information has never been confirmed. Beata Caisa and Erik lived
later in Norwegian Lapland and Finnmark. In Muonio some people are still telling a story of
the Bourbon prince, and French noble blood is believed to flow in Lappish veins.
After becoming the king Louis Philippe sent an expedition to Scandinavia led by a naval officer
Paul Gaimard, 1838 - 1840. The expeditions artist Barthélemy Lauvergne sketched landscapes
in Finland, which were published as lithographs
Artists in and from Lapland
 Juho Kyyhkynen (1875-1909)
 Gabriel Engberg (1872-1953)
 Alvar Outakka (1897-1951)
 Andreas Alariesto (1900-1989)
 Einari Junttila (1901-1975)
 Reidar Särestöniemi (1925-1981)
 Kalervo Palsa (1947-1987)
 Esko Männikkö (s. 1959)
 Jorma Puranen (s. 1951)
 Merja Aletta-Ranttila (s. 1960)
 Marja Helander (s. 1965)
 Markku Laakso (s. 1970)
 Suohpanterror Group
and more: in, out or inspired of Lapland
 Alexander Lauréus (1783-1823)
 Johan Knutson (1816-1899)
 Werner Holmberg (1830-1860)
 Otto Wallenius (1855-1925)
 Eemil Halonen (1875-1950)
 Aukusti Koivisto (1886-1962)
 Anton Lindforss (1890-1943)
 Eero Nelimarkka (1891-1977)
 Maija Kellokumpu (1892-1935)
 Aukusti Tuhka (1895–1973)
 Aimo Kanerva (1909-1991)
 Marja Vuorelainen (1911-1990)
 Kullervo Koivisto (1913-1944)
 Maija Karma (1914-1999)
 tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985)
 Otso Pietinen (1916-1996)
 Teuvo-Pentti Pakkala (1920-2010)
 Heikki Tuomela (1922-1991)
 Viktor Kuusela (1925)
 Matti Saanio (1925-2006)
 Simo Hannula (1932)
 Pentti Tulla (1937-1988)
 Antero Takala (1939)
 Kari Huhtamo (1943)
 Timo K. Mukka (1944-1973)
 J-O Mallander (1944)
 Markku Keränen (1945)
 Pekka Hermanni Kyrö (1950)
 Rosa Liksom (1958)
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Ilona Kivijärvi (1960)
Sauli Miettunen (1961)
Helena Junttila (1963)
Marja Helander (1965)
Tuuli Mukka (1966)
Jussi Niva (1966)
Mark Roberts (1970)
Kalle Lampela (1973)
Vesa Ranta (1973)
Outi Pieski (1973)
Elina Juopperi (1975)