Inari Sami people
|
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Finland
|
approx. 700 - 900 |
| Languages | |
| Inari Sami and Finnish | |
| Religion | |
| Lutheran | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Finnic peoples | |
Inari Sami are a group of Sami people who inhabit the area around Lake Inari, Finland. They speak the Inari Sami language, which belongs to the eastern Sami languages. There are an estimated 700–900 ethnic Inari Samis in Finland, of whom approximately 300 speak Inari Sami. They are the only group of Sami who live within one state and one municipality. Inari Sami are indigenous peoples of their area.
The traditional homeland of Inari Sami is the shores of the Lake Inari and the surrounding areas. Historically they are believed to have inhabited a much wider area. According to historic sources and place names, they have inhabited the area which borders Saariselkä and Ivalo River in the south; Lemmenjoki, Vaskajoki and Aksujärvi in the west; Syysjärvi, Säytsjärvi and Iijärvi in the northeast; and Lake Inari in the east. The northernmost border has possibly been at the Norwegian side of the Inari River. Their traditional homeland was divided to 11 family areas. Today their traditional homeland is in Inari municipality, where they form a minority of the population.
The first traces of human activity in the Inari area are dated to 8000–7000 BC. The first inhabitants are believed to have belonged to the Komsa culture. Most of the artifacts found from early inhabitants are linked to hunting and fishing. The Bronze Age and Iron Age in Fennoscandia lasted from 2000 BC. to 1300 AD. There is only one discovery of bronze items from Inari. It was found on Lusman Island in Lake Inari, and it is dated to 900–700 BC. Similarly, there is only one finding of an iron item from the early Iron Age. Most of the findings from the later Iron Age were imported. There were active trading connections with the east, west and south. In the Middle Ages, Norway, Sweden and Novgorod started competing for control of Lapland. Joint areas of taxation were born after the border treaty between Norway and Novgorod in 1326. The first written documents about Inari Sami are from the 1550s.
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Wikipedia