Shamanism
The Arctic peoples, whose economic base was based on hunting, fishing, handicrafts and barter, adhered to a belief system that European ethnologists have grouped together under the term shamanism. Characterized by the cult of nature, ancestors and spirits, shamanism continued in Lapland until the beginning of the 20th century. The shaman, a wise sorcerer, provided the link between the world of the living and the world of the spirits.
Thanks to his knowledge and certain techniques, described by the Western world as magical, he enjoyed real authority among the Ural-Altaic peoples. In this universe, gnomes and elves played an important role, as did certain deities such as the god of Thunder, Ukko, the god of Winds and Storms, Ilmarinen Ahti, and the god of Forests, Tapio. Väinämöinen, the hero of the Kalevala, is inspired by this mythology. The spirits of the dead were treated with respect and reverence. The kalmisto (cemetery) was a place of offerings. Trees and rocks with singular shapes or animals such as bears were the object of local cults. Shamanism was gradually eradicated with the arrival of Protestantism and today seems to be little practiced and followed.
Lutheranism
Finland's conversion to Catholicism, then belonging to the Kingdom of Sweden, was followed three centuries later by a conversion to Lutheranism. In the middle of the 16th century, King Vasa I decided to adopt the principles laid down by Luther in Germany. The Reformation was imposed throughout the whole of the Swedish kingdom, including Finland. Emphasis was placed on catechism and literacy. The intransigence of Protestant theological currents was nevertheless responsible for the destruction of most of the superb wall paintings in the old Catholic churches. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, whose head is the President of the Republic, is divided into eight dioceses, and the Bishop of Turku has the title of Archbishop. Bishops are appointed by the President of the Republic. The 20th century saw the development of Anglo-Saxon Protestantism: Baptists, Methodists, Adventists and especially Pentecostals (2% of the population). Summer camps for 15-year-olds (the equivalent of the Second Communion in France) are very popular: almost 95% of one age group takes part in them. Even if not all of them, far from it, are practicing.
Orthodoxy
During the Russian domination (1809-1917), Orthodox churches multiplied. Today, the Greek Orthodox Church retains some influence in the eastern provinces and in Karelia. Small chapels, the tsasuna, are still accessible in the eastern communes and villages, where a large number of Karelian refugees flocked after the USSR's annexation of part of Karelia between 1940 and 1945. See in particular the superb collections of ancient icons in Kuopio. Although freedom of worship was recognised by the Republic of Finland in 1923, the state and the church were not separated.
Saami traditions
The Saami have traditionally always been a nomadic people living from hunting, fishing or gathering on a territory shared by several families called siida. The Saami once used reindeer as pack animals, especially to pull their sleds. Their milk and meat were a highly valued source of food, while the skins were used for clothing and for the protection of makeshift dwellings. The kota was a kind of tepee covered with reindeer skins and other smaller tents were used during migration. Of course, this phenomenon came to an end with the advent of snowmobiles and the beginning of settlement. In the clothing department, their taste for colour is reflected in the making of clothes with often very bright shades of blue, red and yellow. Reindeer fur is still used for coats, leggings and mittens.
In these boreal latitudes, where mankind fights incessantly against the elements, nature has become capital among the ancients who venerate the Wind, the Earth (the mother) and the Sun (the father) with the presence of sacred places called seita. It is not surprising that shamanism has found favourable ground there. Serving as an intermediary between the world of the spirits and the world of the living, the noaidi (or shaman) could, by entering into ecstasy, interpret the secrets of the beyond in order to transmit them to his people. He did this with the help of his kunnus (magic drum) or the joik (ancestral haunting song). The magic drum, oval in shape, is divided into three parts representing the spirits of Heaven, Earth and man himself. Each of these parts is decorated with symbolic drawings that the sorcerer knows how to interpret. These designs are painted with saliva reddened by alder bark. The sorcerer places the divining rod (arpa) on the drumhead, then sings while beating the kunnus and, most often, goes into a trance. In the past, the fame of the Saami shamans was widespread throughout Scandinavia. They are already mentioned in the Icelandic sagas. In the account of his trip to Lapland, the 17th century playwright Jean-François Regnard (one of the first Frenchmen who ventured "as a tourist" to the Far North), says he witnessed some rather surprising events. The Tsar of Russia, Ivan the Terrible, visited Lapland himself for the sole purpose of consulting a sorcerer "from the end of the world". His court astrologers were unable to interpret the passage of a long-tailed comet in the sky of St. Petersburg as he intended. During the forced evangelization of the Saami, Lutheran missionaries burned the magic drums (only 71 kunnus remain today). The animist cults gave way to the great Christian festivals such as Easter. The Siida Museum in Inari dedicated to Saami culture is an obligatory and exciting stop for all curious people who want to learn more.
