The Skolt Sámi or Skolts are a
Sami ethnic group. They currently live in and around the villages of
Sevettijärvi,
Keväjärvi,
Nellim in the municipality of
Inari
Inari may refer to:
Shinto
* Inari Ōkami, a Shinto spirit
** Mount Inari in Japan, site of Fushimi Inari-taisha, the main Shinto shrine to Inari
** Inari Shrine, shrines to the Shinto god Inari
* Inari-zushi, a type of sushi
Places
* Inari, ...
, at several places in the
Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast (russian: Му́рманская о́бласть, p=ˈmurmənskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, r=Murmanskaya oblast, ''Murmanskaya oblast''; Kildin Sami: Мурман е̄ммьне, ''Murman jemm'ne'') is a federal subject (an oblast) o ...
and in the village of
Neiden in the municipality of
Sør-Varanger. The Skolts are considered to be the
indigenous people
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
of the borderland area between present-day
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
and
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, i.e. on the
Kola Peninsula
sjd, Куэлнэгк нёа̄ррк
, image_name= Kola peninsula.png
, image_caption= Kola Peninsula as a part of Murmansk Oblast
, image_size= 300px
, image_alt=
, map_image= Murmansk in Russia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Murmansk Oblast ...
and the adjacent
Fenno-Scandinavian mainland. They belong to the eastern group of
Sámi
The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, R ...
on account of
their language and traditions, and are traditionally
Orthodox rather than
Lutheran Christians like most Sami and Finns.
History
As a result of the
Treaty of Tartu (1920), the Skolt homeland was split in two: the western part,
Petsamo, became part of Finland and the eastern part became part of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. The border became a threat to the identity of the Skolts as it grew difficult for them to live as they traditionally had with reindeer husbandry, hunting and fishing as the source of their livelihood. Many Finnish immigrants moved back to their traditional Skolt homeland. In 1926, one-quarter of Petsamo's population were Skolts, and in 1930 the proportion dropped to one-sixth.
After the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
(1939), Finland lost its portion of the
Rybachiy Peninsula to the Soviet Union and after the
Continuation War
The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrie ...
(1941–1944), it lost Petsamo, too. As a result, the Skolts living in
Suonikylä and
Paatsjoki
The Paatsjoki River ( fi, Paatsjoki, sms, Paaččjokk, sme, Báhčaveaijohka, no, Pasvikelva, sv, Pasvik älv, russian: Паз or Патсойоки, ''Paz or Patsoyoki'') is a river that flows through Finland, Norway, and Russia.
Since 1826 ...
were evacuated to Finland, with the Suonikylä Skolts settling in
Sevettijärvi, the Paatsjoki Skolts in
Keväjärvi and along the
Rautujoki River of
Sevettijärvi, and the Petsamo Skolts in the villages of
Mustola, and
Sarmijärvi in
Nellim.
Demographics
Current estimates put the number of ethnic Skolt Sámi at around 1250, of whom approximately 400 can speak
Skolt Sámi
Skolt Sámi ( , "the Sámi language", or , "the Eastern Sámi language", if a distinction needs to be made between it and the other Sámi languages) is a Uralic, Sámi language that is spoken by the Skolts, with approximately 300 speakers ...
. Most of them live in Finland today.
In Finland, Russia and Norway they number about 700, 400 and possibly more than 150.
Religion
250px, The wooden Skolt Sámi Orthodox Church in Nellim
Saint
Tryphon of Pechenga converted the Skolts to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...
in the 16th century and even today, the majority of Skolts are members of the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...
.
250px, The Skolt Sámi Orthodox Chapel in Neiden
References
External links
Skolt Sámi on Siida's websiteSkolt Sámi Culture Across borders
{{Authority control
Sámi
Sámi in Finland
Sámi in Norway
Sámi in Russia
Indigenous peoples of Europe
Indigenous peoples in the Arctic
