Lapland Attractions

On the Altafjord in western Finnmark is the important commercial town of Alta, formerly known as Bossekop in Alta ("Whale Bay", from the Sami word bosso, "whale"). The population live mainly by salmon-fishing and working the local slate. The landscape around the fjord, which can be surprisingly warm in summer, has a remarkably varied growth of vegetation.

130km/80mi south of Alta on Road 93, on the Finnmarksvidda, is Kautokeino, with a mainly Sami population of 1,600. Features of interest are the church (1958; replacing an earlier church of 1703 which was destroyed in 1944) and a silversmith's workshop. The Sami Institute of Kautokeino is a scientific and cultural center for the Sami of Scandinavian Lapland.

Kautokeino hosts several Sami events such as the Sámi Easter Festival, the Sámi Melody Grand Prix and the Sami Film Festival. A highlight of the film festival is an outdoor cinema made of snow.

Norwegian Lapland includes the counties of Troms and Finnmark, the coasts of which are much indented by fjords and inlets. In Troms arable farming is still possible and there is rich pastureland, but the country to the northeast becomes increasingly bare and inhospitable. From the high ranges of mountains in the west the land falls to low-lying plateau in the east, with occasional bare rounded hills. The chief towns of the two counties are Tromsø and Vadsø.

Norwegian Lapland includes the counties of Troms and Finnmark, the coasts of which are much indented by fjords and inlets. In Troms arable farming is still possible and there is rich pastureland, but the country to the northeast becomes increasingly bare and inhospitable. From the high ranges of mountains in the west the land falls to low-lying plateau in the east, with occasional bare rounded hills. The chief towns of the two counties are Tromsø and Vadsø.

From Alta, Road 6 runs northeast to the little settlement of Kistrand (beautiful wooden church), on the Porsangerfjord, which extends south for some 120km/75mi from Honningsvåg on the island of Magerøy. The road follows the head of the fjord and continues to Kirkenes.

Visitors to Porsangerfjord will enjoy learning about the Sami culture, viewing the northern lights or skiing at Skaidi ski resort.

In the whole of Lapland there are 30,000-32,000 Sami (Lapps), some 20,000 of them in Norway and 8,500 in Sweden. They call themselves Sabmek (singular Sameh), the "bog people". Their origins are obscure; they are short in stature, round-headed and broad-faced, with yellowish skin and dark hair. Their language is related to Finnish. Although Christian missions to the Sami began in the 17th century they have preserved certain pagan practices. Three broad groups of Sami are distinguished: the nomadic Mountain Sami, now steadily declining in numbers, who move between the forest and mountain regions with their herds of reindeer in regular migrations; the Forest Sami, who live a settled life with their herds in particular areas; and the Lake or Fishing Sami, who live by fishing.

Costume

The characteristic Sami costume, which differs little between men and women, consists of a knee-length skirt of blue or brown material, with red and yellow trimming, and close-fitting trousers, with a cap of the same material (which in Norway has four stiffened points and in Sweden is tall and topped with a red ball of wool). The shoes are of soft reindeer-skin, with turned-up toes (gabmagak; skalkomager, skin boots). The winter garment is of reindeer skin. The local costumes and articles of carved reindeer horn are now also made for the tourist trade.

Houses, transport

The normal Sami dwelling is a small timber or earth hut (gammen; Sami darfe goattek). The nomadic Sami have canvas tents (Finnish kota), with an opening at the top to let the smoke out. The pulka or akja, a boat-shaped sleigh hauled by a reindeer on a single trace, is now rarely used; in recent years the motor sleigh (snowmobile) has become the principal means of transport.

Reindeer

The main property of the Sami is their reindeer (Norwegian and Swedish ren, Finnish poro), a species of deer accustomed to cold conditions in which both sexes have antlers. There are estimated to be something like 750,000 reindeer in Lapland. A Sami requires at least 100-200 head for subsistence, but rarely possesses more than 500. With 800 he is a rich man. Herds of several thousand are sometimes found, but these belong to nomadic families traveling together. The hooves of a herd of reindeer make a characteristic clicking sound as they move about on the hard ground. Since the vegetation takes many years to recover after being cropped by reindeer, the herds require very large areas for grazing. The Chernobyl disaster of 1986 did grave damage to the grazing grounds. In addition to their reindeer many Sami have other livestock and may grow certain crops.

Political and cultural autonomy

During the 1980s the Sami in the Scandinavian countries gained extensive political rights as a minority community. In Norway and Sweden they have their own autonomous parliament, the Sameting; there are radio and television programs in the Sami language, and many schools offer tuition in Sami as well as in the national language. On the other hand it is the case that many Sami are unable to live by the traditional economy and to follow their traditional way of life.

The Vadsø Jazz Festival is in August.