The Skolt Sami & Skoltebyen in Neiden
The Skolt Sami, also often called the Eastern Sami, are a minority group within the Sami community that follow the Eastern Orthodox religion. Their centre in Norway is located about 40 minutes from Kirkenes at a place called Neiden, and within the village is a cultural heritage site called Skoltebyen, or the Skolt Town. It is regarded as one of the best-preserved cultural heritage monuments in the whole of Northern Norway.
What makes it so special?
So many things! The Skolt Sami themselves are a unique group with their own culture separate from other Sami groups, and the buildings that have been preserved as some of the oldest wooden buildings in Finnmark.
As part of my trip across Eastern Finnmark in September 2023 I visited Skoltebyen to learn a little more about the Skolt Sami. Here’s my guide if you wish to visit the site too.
In this article...
About the Skolt Sami
Who are the Skolt Sami?
The Skolt Sami are a distinct indigenous group with a rich cultural heritage, residing in the northernmost regions of Finland, Norway, and Russia. Despite their relatively small population, the Skolt Sami people have managed to preserve their unique traditions and way of life in the face of numerous challenges, making them an inspiring example of cultural resilience and adaptation. The Skolt Sami are unique from other Sami groups as they have been more closely inspired by Russian culture and traditions. They follow the Eastern Orthodox faith compared to other Sami groups who follow the Lutheran faith.
Historically, the Skolt Sami were semi-nomadic reindeer herders, but their traditional livelihoods have evolved over time. Today, many Skolt Sami people are involved in reindeer herding, fishing, hunting, and small-scale agriculture. These activities are deeply intertwined with their cultural identity, as the natural environment plays a central role in their traditions.
Forced Settlement and Assimilation
The Skolt Sami have faced numerous challenges throughout their history, including forced assimilation, displacement, and suppression of their language and culture.
The Skolt Sami used to move freely throughout Norway, Finland and Russia. They moved within a large geographical area – from the Varangerfjord to almost the tip of the Kola Peninsula.
In 1826 ,the Norway-Russia border was established by treaty and Sør-Varanger was the last land area to be incorporated into the kingdom of Norway. The border drawings led to a separation of the Skolt Sami families who lived here. It is believed that the Skolt Sami families who settled in Norway chose to do so because of the rich salmon fishing in the Neiden River. Most Skolt Sami settled in Russia, however.
The most significant disruption occurred during the Soviet era when they were forcibly relocated to different areas in Russia, away from their ancestral lands. The Skolt Sami in Russia do not get the same protections as the Skolt Sami in Norway, and a lot of their culture is considered endangered.
Skolt Sami Today
Despite these challenges, the Skolt Sami have shown remarkable resilience. In recent years, there has been a revival of Skolt Sami cultural practices, including language revitalisation programs, cultural festivals, and educational initiatives. Efforts are underway to preserve their unique cultural heritage, and there has been a resurgence in Skolt Sami identity and pride.
There are estimated to be around 1,000 Skolt Sami living in Norway, Finland and Russia. The number in Norway is very small. The Skolt Sami language is considered to be highly endangered and is not actively spoken in Neiden.
The Importance of Neiden
Neiden had been known to the Skolt Sami long before the borders were laid out, which is evident by the fact that many of the buildings here are older than the land borders. There were seven Skolt Sami communities that travelled through Neiden throughout the seasons, and they spent some time at Neiden because of the rich salmon river.
Originally the settlement spread across the Norwegian and Finnish border, but in 1852 Neiden was split in two. The reason for the separation was the tready between the Kingdom of Sweden-Norway and the Grand Duchy o fFinland, which prohibited nomadic reindeer herding and fishermen moving over the border.
The Skolt Sami who settled at Neiden considered the land to be common between all the families, as part of the culture prohibits land ownership. However, in 1903 the residents were visited by the sheriff who told them that the Skolt Sami settlement in Neiden had to be divided into five equal parts and that each family should own their part. The division was carried out and it destroyed the common principle that the Sami had held onto for hundreds of years. Fights broke out amongst the five families. From being almost dominant in their areas, they became poorer and poorer. Neiden is considered to be one of the poorest regions in Finnmark and the Skolt Sami have one of the lowest education levels in Finnmark.
Neiden Chapel
A true testament to the forced assimilation of the Skolt Sami is Neiden Chapel. The chapel was built in 1902 and represents Norwegian sovereignty over the area. Many Norwegian farmers had requested a Lutheran church be built here, and the government wanted to secure the border from Finnish-Russian expansion, so it was an easy decision.
The church was deliberately designed to look like a Norwegian stave church as it is an expression of Norwegian culture and national cohesion on the border. At the time, there were “Norwegianisation” policies in place to try and force the Sami people to convert to a more Norwegian culture.
Skoltebyen
Now we get to Skoltebyen. The area where those five Skolt Sami families settled is now a protected cultural heritage site called Skoltebyen. It came under cultural protection in 2000. The site contains a self-guided walking trail with a number of different monuments, including a Russian Orthodox graveyard, the ruins of a smoke sauna, sixteen sites of traditional turf huts known as gammer and a tiny Russian Orthodox chapel called St. Georg’s Chapel.
All together, the site represents the permanent settlement that came after the borders were defined. Only one person lives here now, compared to the several families that used to be here.
The site has been protected because of its historic and religious important, and today it is the most important cultural heritage site for the Skolt Sami and their surviving culture in Norway. The goal is to communicate, maintain and develop the Skolt Sami culture.
When you arrive at the site, there is a large parking lot where you can park for free. You can also look at a map that shows you where all the sites are.
Here are the highlights.
Skolt Sami Burial Ground
The first point of interest is just after the car park. This is a historic burial ground for the Skolt Sami who settled here. In 1915 the Anatomical Institute did some excavations here and removed the remains of 94 people. They studied the skulls especially, trying to understand what makes the Sami people different. The oldest remains were from the 14th century.
Burial Mound
Near the burial ground is the burial mound with a small house with an Orthodox cross on the roof. The mound has the excavated remains that were taken back in 1915. The remains were placed back here during a ceremonial and physical reburial in 2011, with an apology from the Norwegian authorities about what had been done.
St. Georg's Chapel
The highlight of the site is St. Georg’s Chapel. It was built in 1565 and is only 10m2. It was not built for liturgical use, but was probably built as a prayer house and burial chapel.
The chapel is dedicated to St. Tryphon of Pechenga, an important Russian historic figure. He was a Russian monk in the Eastern Orthodox Church who is considered to be the “Enlightener of the Sami” as he worked a lot across the Kola Peninsula as well as the area in Norway and Russia. He built many churches in the area to convert the Sami, but today St. Georg’s Chapel is the only one still standing.
The interior of the chapel has 16 Russian panel icons, an altar and old Orthodox crosses that come from the cemetery.
Annual fairs at the chapel were discontinued in 1925 and after that the chapel was used as a storehouse and shed by the locals. During World War II, the Nazis used it as an ammunition storage building.
Skolt Sami Museum
The Skolt Sami Museum is located in Neiden on the other side of town from Skoltebyen. The museum is a collection of artefacts from the Skolt Sami period. Much like Skoltebyen, the purpose of the museum is to strengthen the Skolt Sami culture, language and identity.
Conclusion & Further Reading
Overall I really enjoyed visiting Neiden and Skoltebyen. While it is small and very basic, there’s no denying the significance of the site and importance to the Skolt Sami people. There is a certain sadness to visiting the site, especially considering everything that happened to the Skolt Sami 100 years ago. However, the fact that today it’s possible to visit the site and learn a little makes it special and meaningful.
While researching this article I came across a number of excellent articles about the Skolt Sami and Neiden.
Here’s one from Riksantikvaren: https://www.riksantikvaren.no/kulturhistorie/skoltebyen-i-neiden-bare-i-finnmark/
And here’s a blog post from someone who visited the site: https://norge.sandalsand.net/skoltebyen-og-st-georgs-kapell-i-neiden/
Have you been to Skoltebyen? Please mention if you have in the comments section below. Feel free to ask any questions too.