Sami+-+CA+-+SP12

Gabby Smith and Sarah Minnick

__Language:__ The language within the Sami group is closely related to Finnish and Estonian as well as Hungarian. The Sami have a total of ten different languages spread amongst them. Six of the ten languages are written and taught. Along with the ten languages, there are dialects which vary depending on the region you live in. The different languages of the Sami are closely related, but they are not all mutually understood. Meaning, people who speak Northern Sami cannot understand Southern Sami, and vise versa. For many years, Sami children in Russia were sent to schools at the age of two, and returned at the ages between 15 and 17, and had no knowledge of their language or culture. This unique language was mainly spoken back in the 1800s, now, many Sami speak the language of the countries they live in, Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish and Russian. __Beliefs__ The Sami’s have three major religions ; Lutheranism, Russian Orthodox and Shamamnism. A thing important to Shamamnism is the Shaman also known as noaidis. The Shaman was able to predict the future and wellfair of others. They did this by using drum beats to go into a trance and talk to the spiret world. Noaidis were known so much for their sorcery that even vikings came to them to hear their future. Cristianity was spread by catholic missionaries but didn’t really spread till the eighteenth century. Between 1773 until 1958 the chants they used called Yoik was baned in Norway. __Values__  The Sami are not located in tribes but in a family groups of up to fifty people in them. In the nineteenth and twentieth century the Samis were close to nature due to their most popular job reindeer herding. Reindeer herding was so important to the Sami that they even prepared a symbolic meal after they killed a reindeer. Sami’s value their marital status and it is shown by the various patterns and jewellery a woman owns. The type of patterns they own tells what region they come from. __Behaviors__ The Sami kept to themselves for many many years. They were greatly influenced by the Norwegian vikings. The Sami are a very tightly knit community. They do not marry outside the Sami culture. Sami live and travel with their extended family, and the groups do not usually exceed 50 people. They are nomads, and they move from place with their reindeer herds. Today, only a small amount of Sami herd reindeer today, and none consume reindeer anymore, because its illegal, and there are health issues to eating reindeer. __Cultural Change: Technology, Commercialism and Travel__ The Sami have been introduced to many modern world ideas. The women of the Sami group now have more schooling than the men. They also watch television, and live in permanent houses instead of moving with the herds. Their main source of reindeer is starting to be lessened in their diet. The hunting and gathering aspect of their culture is mostly gone. They have more interaction with the outside world, they manufacture knives and sell them to outsiders as a form of income. Even their clothing has changed over time. Clothing is no longer made of reindeer hide, they are now made of more modern materials like silk, cotton and wool. Herding isn’t as much work as it used to be due to modern technology. Within in the Sami group, there is a high cancer rate due to exposure to radiation from eating reindeer.

__Citations:__

Print Sources: [|__http://divepurplepointes.tumblr.com/post/236958624/love-this-white-reindeer-herded-by-sami-people__]

everyculture.com

Primary: Fabricius, Karl. "Before the Fall of the Reindeer People." Environmental Graffiti. Environmental Graffiti, 2009. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. <http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/before-fall-reindeer-people/18225>.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Genrup, Kurt. "Lapps - ENotes.com." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. ENotes, 2003. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/lapps-reference/lapps>.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Other Sources:__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Sami - New World Encyclopedia." New World Encyclopedia. New Workld Encyclopedia, 4 Apr. 2008. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Sami>.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Vikings and the Sami (Lapps)." History Forum ~ All Empires. History Forum, 16 Sept. 2004. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. <http://archive.worldhistoria.com/vikings-and-the-sami-lapps_topic641.html>.