Sámi Religion

Traditional Sámi spiritual practices and beliefs are animistic, polytheistic, and feature shamanism. Traditions can vary considerably from region to region within Sápmi. This region overlaps the borders of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. It is bounded by the Barents Sea, on the west by the Norwegian Sea, and on the east by the White Sea. The area was historically referred to as Lapland, but its inhabitants currently regard the term Lapp as pejorative. As animists, the Sámi believe that significant natural objects such as animals, plants, and rocks possess a soul. As polytheists, traditional Sámi worship embraces a multitude of spirits including those of animals and ancestors. Maintaining a good relationship with local animals that sustain the people, such as reindeer and bears, is essential for Sámi kinship groups. Some Sámi people venerate Horagalles, a thunder god, and Rana Niejta, the daughter of the green, fertile earth. Like Finnish beliefs, Sámi cosmology is symbolized by the world tree or pillar which reaches up to the North Star. Laib Olmai is the forest spirit of some of the Sámi people. Laib Olmai is traditionally associated with forest animals, which are regarded as his property. His favor was so important for a successful hunt that believers prayed to and made offerings to him every morning and every evening. Each family or clan has its local spirits, and every clan has its own hill of sacrifice. The Storjunkare are described as stones which bear some likeness to a man or an animal. These were set up on a mountain top, or in a cave, or near rivers and lakes and were honored by spreading fresh twigs under them in winter, and leaves or grass in the summer. The Storjunkare exercised power over all animals, fish, and birds, and granted fortune to those that hunted or fished for them. Reindeer were often sacrificed to the Storjunkare. Shamans were called noaidi and served as mediator between the human world and saivo, or the underworld, on behalf of the community, typically using a Sámi drum and a domestic flute called a fadno during ceremonies. The names of Sámi deities vary between regions and many also overlap. In one region, a single deity can appear as several separate deities. In another region, several deities may be united into just a few. Despite this confusion, some major deities can be identified. The principal god is, Radien-attje, the creator of the world and chief divinity. The Sámi regard him as being passive or asleep, so he is not frequently included in religious practice. With his spouse Raedieahkka, Radien-attje created the souls of human beings. Lesser gods and goddesses are the Akka (a group of fertility goddesses that includes Maderakka, Sarakka Juksakka, and Uksakka), Beaivi (goddess of the sun and the mother of human beings), Bieggagallis (husband of the sun goddess and the father of human beings), Bieggolmai (god of the winds), Biejjenniejte (goddess of healing and medicine and daughter of sun goddess Beaivi), Horagalles (the god of thunder, equivalent to Thor), Jahbme akka (goddess of the dead), Lieaibolmmai (god of men and the hunt), Madder-Attje (husband of Maderakka and father of the tribe.  Maderakka gives newborns their bodies and Madder-Attje gives them souls created by Radien-attje and his wife), Mano (or Manna, or Aske, god of the moon), Mubpienålmaj (the god of evil, influenced by Christian conceptions of Satan), Radien-pardne (the son of Radien-attje and Raedieahkka who serves as the proxy of his passive father by performing his father's tasks and carrying out his will), Ruohtta (god of sickness and death who is depicted as a horseman), the Stallo (feared cannibal giants of the wilderness), and Tjaetsieålmaj (the god of water, lakes, and fishing). Currently, there are between 80,000 and 100,000 Sámi. Some have migrated to regions beyond their homeland such as Canada and the United States. Many have settled in the northern parts of Minnesota.