The Kola Sami: Past, Present and Future

University of Lapland Kola Peninsula Excursion Day Six, 2007. Group members:  Elina Hakala, Scott Mickelson & Lauri Lakiasuo, Photographs by Scott Mickelson

 

 

Introduction

 

This is a report reflecting the personal experiences of the Day 6 Assignment Group of the University of Lapland Kola Peninsula Excursion 2007 concerning the Kola Sami. The Group consisted of the following University of Lapland students: Elina Hakala, Scott Mickelson and Lauri Lakiasuo. The Excursion took place 18.3.-24.3.2007 and was conducted under the academic instruction of Scott Forrest. The purpose of the Excursion was for the participants to gain first-hand knowledge of the Kola Peninsula, the environment, people and culture and thus enable the participants to reflect on the issues affecting the Kola Peninsula with more depth and understanding. The Day 6 Group was assigned the topic of Kola Sami in keeping with the theme of the day, visiting the community of Lovozero, the heart of the Kola Sami culture. The Report has been divided into three sections each of them dealing with a specific perspective concerning the Kola Sami – the past, the present and the future. Each member of the Group was assigned a personal perspective for analytical purposes and produced a single piece of analysis for the Report which is now presented for academic evaluation.

 

Kola Sami – The Past

 

Records confirm that the Sami were already well established on the Kola Peninsula’s landscape prior to the 7^th century. The Kola Sami's long history in this area provides proof of their ability to adapt and their resilience to unfavourable historical circumstances. They have lived through many different periods of colonization and have witnessed many political and social changes within the Kola Peninsula. The in-migrations of other northern indigenous groups and Russian people to this resource rich and once fertile land have had a dynamic effect on Sami culture and identity over time.  Our day in Lovozero was a confirmation from the geography of the town, the visit to the Sami Cultural Centre, and the reindeer slaughter house that the Sami are currently in balance between the past and the futures social and political changes. The recognition of the Kola Sami’s history is important for understanding the present and future status of these people.

 

 

Along with adapting to the taiga and tundra ecosystems of the Kola Peninsula for its productive seasonal properties for reindeer herding there has been many imbrications of different cultures of migrants and colonizer with the Sami culture. Early surveys and census records highlight that since that 18^th century the Kola Sami had an approximate population of 1300. The Kola Sami populations has since grown slightly and stabilized around 1600 to 2000 up near the end of the Cold War. The populations of other groups now outnumber the Sami in the Kola Peninsula considerably. Throughout much of the history of the Sami people, colonizing groups have exploited them by forcing them to pay taxes and tributes with their wares and seasonal food productions. Despite this they have managed to survive on the Peninsula.

 

This picture is called 'master of the tundra' and it was taken by Alexander Stephanenko.

I found it on the wall in my room at the Hotel Covas in Lovozero.

 

 

 

At the Sami centre the mix in cultures that has taken place during the last centuries was evident throughout the performances, in the dress and music. The influenced of Komi, Nenets, Sami and Russian cultures were all present. This perhaps is a testament to the Kola Peninsulas history of migrations, colonization and agricultural collectivization during the Cold War. Through collectivization the above mentioned people were forced in to village centres such as Lovozero and into reindeer herding brigades thus providing evidence of the dynamic and evolving character of culture throughout history.   

 

 

The unwelcome in migrations of the Komi and Nenets people in the late 19^th century has had an irreversible impact on reindeer herding. Since they came reindeer herding has taken on a more expansive and commercial character within the Peninsula.[1] Traditionally, Sami have practised less intensive subsistence herding by leaving the reindeer to graze freely during the summer period and relying on fishing.[2]  Many of the colonizer outsiders saw the Komi commercial herding as progressive while the Sami subsistence practices was seen as backwards.[3]  The support of the more commercial reindeer herding has been a common characteristic on the Kola Peninsula since the arrival of the Komi and has continued in to the present.

 

 

The Soviet agricultural policy further supported and created measures to increase commercial herding for reindeer meat was practises on the Kola Peninsula’s geography. During the period of Stalin’s collectivisation policy a new environment for reindeer herding on the Peninsula emerged. The implementation of this planned ideology for reindeer herding was to consolidate the Kola's reindeer peoples and gain greater control over reindeer herders of the Peninsula. The first measure was the creations of collective farms called Kolkhoz in the 1930s then in the 1970 state farms were created called Sovkhoz.[4] Within this new type of organization eight to ten person herding ‘brigades’ (or bragadi) were created to manage specific quantities of reindeer.  Two villages that were created were Lovozero and Krasnoshchelie which became the two economic centres for reindeer herding on the Peninsula. Evidence of Soviet relocation in Lovozero as a product of Stalin's collectivisation policy were the concrete housing blocks that are also present in most Eastern bloc cities. These buildings scatter the modest skyline as with older wooden seasonal houses, some Sami buildings and the Soviet style school with modern buildings (i.e. the reindeer slaughter house). This provided evidence of the social and political changes that have taken place over the last half century.

 

This picture from Lovozero. It is of a shack and of a Soviet style residence with a smoke

stack in the distance.

 

 

 

Through Soviet collectivisation two state farms were created called the 'Tundra' and the Pamyet’ 'Lenia’ (‘Memory of Lenin’). These became the economic and administrative centres for the herders. The creation of the state farm/brigade reindeer herding system had a paternalistic function in terms of management for the Sami, Komi, Nenet and Russian herders.[5] The Soviet collectivisation also allowed for a “privateinthecollective” practice, where extra meat production and other goods were allowed to be sold.[6] This compromise was one of the primary advantages of the Kolkhoz and Sovkhoz times and perhaps is one reason why some of the nostalgia of the past is present in the current situation of reindeer herding in the Kola Peninsula.[7] The effect of the strong handed modern planned economic approach to create efficient meat production has caused many cultural, social and economic changes that are having an effect on the present transition period in the post-Soviet period.

 

Kola Sami - The Present Situation in the Perspective of Reindeer Herding

 

With population of roughly 3100 in 2002 of which one fourth are of Sami origin, Lovozero is considered as the capital of Kola Sami. The radical changes in economical circumstances after the collapse of Soviet Union in 1992 have had a great affect on the lives of the people in the area, both Sami and non-Sami. Despite of scarce sources of income and social problems, the village and Sami people in the area are in the process of cultural revitalization through increasing contacts to the Nordic countries. How this is visible in reindeer herding, a traditional Sami livelihood, is described in the following.

 

 

The visit to the reindeer slaughter house in the outskirts of the village, gave a good idea of the effect of foreign capital. It was build according to western standards standing out in the shabby grey concrete over all impression of soviet constructions.  Providing work for number of people in the village during the slaughter season (from November till April) and also buying berries in the summer, makes the company an important actor in the village.

 

 

These pictures are from the reindeer slaughter house in Lovozero.

 

 

The visit also confirmed the some of the notions read in the studies of Konstantinov (1997). According to her the change from state regulated soviet economy to market based has resulted in confusion and uncertainty. As a result, the reindeer herders previously working for the collective ‘sovhose’ are unwilling to start again as private reindeer herders and instead, rely on the big companies reconstructed from the previous ‘sovkhoz’. The systems of accountancy seem too difficult and the risks of losing both the minimum economic security as well as the social networks are too big. Therefore, most of the meat sold is produced within the companies like Memory of Lenin Ltd. and sold to the market only through them.

 

 

As the manager at the Swedish-Russian owned Norfryss-Polarica slaughter house confirmed during our visit, that the company would prefer to buy the meat from private owners. The annual amount of meat purchased had been in decline. According to the manager, the reindeer herders would be more motivated in taking better care of the animals if they would get the income straight from the buyer and not from the ex-sovkhoz companies. Besides lack of motivation, a reason for decline in meat available to the market might be lack of knowledge in herding and degrading pasture lands. As Konstantinov (1997:18) describes, some of the herders had adopted the occupation rather recently and it is easy to imagine that transition from cinema mechanist to reindeer herder does not happen overnight. These herders new in the field are not Sami by their ethnicity but Russians, Komi and Nenets. The Russians among them are in the region as a result of soviet policies of labour migration and Komi and Nenets due to a great migration in the end of 19th century when an epidemic was destroying reindeer herd in the Yamal, Northwest Russia (Sabev,?).

 

 

In addition to the apparently shallow knowledge and short practise of reindeer herding, the different methods used in herding until now may have also caused accumulating difficulties. The old herding method practised by Sami meant that the reindeer were let graze rather freely in the summer and only in the winter was the herding more intensive. However, the Komi arriving in the area a good hundred years ago tended their herd continuously. After the Soviet collectivisation of herds common methods were developed, leading the Sami also to tend the herds throughout the year. Unsuitable methods and increasing herds led to destruction of pasture land (Sergejeva, 1995:185, Konstantinov 1997:14).

 

 

Yet another challenge for reindeer herding and meat production are the competing demands for land use. As witnessed in the area, seen in the Changing Traditions - film and read in the research articles, the mining of minerals and heavy presence of military all over the Kola Peninsula posses a great threat to reindeer herding. Pollution, mining, military practise and poaching from the military bases which all hinder the natural grazing and migration patterns of the reindeer.

 

 

Yet the ethnic processes of Sami and non-Sami reindeer herders were not off course present or visible at the slaughter.  An example of cooperation in the sphere of reindeer herding between the Sami in Nordic countries and in Kola is for example educational exchange between Lovozero and the Sami educational centre in Inari, Finland as one of the members of our group pointed out. The co-operation especially within the Sami culture and closely related fields was made possible only at the end of the Soviet era and has remained active ever since (www.sogsakk.fi).

           

Kola Sami ­- The Future

 

According to J. M. Keynes predicting is difficult and especially difficult is predicting the future. However, in order to project security into human future, predictions need to be made. A comprehensive evaluation into the present of the Arctic populations, including the Kola Sami, has been made by the Arctic Human Development Report (AHDR).[8]

 

 

Based on the report it is possible to forecast the future for the Kola Sami based on Arctic macro-trends observable in the report. A major trend in the Russian Arctic is the decline of population: in 2000 the average level of childbirth in Russia was 1.23 and in the Russian Arctic it was 1.17. The effect of this declining birth rate is also present in the declining birth rate of the Russian Arctic indigenous peoples: from 1960s the birth rate has been steadily declining and in 2000 was almost half of the 1960s numbers. The average life expectancy for Russian Arctic Indigenous Peoples is 60 years, 5.3 years less than average Russian population. Also the Russian Arctic is experiencing a population loss due to migration, which will considerably curtail the economic, education etc. opportunities available in the region.

 

 

The Global warming is currently emerging as a major source of insecurity and discontinuity in all the polities of the World. The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) paints somewhat gloomy picture of the projected change ahead and how it will affect the Arctic Indigenous Peoples. “For the indigenous population, and particularly for those people who depend on hunting, herding, and fishing for a living, climate change is likely to be a matter of cultural survival, however. Their uniqueness as people with cultures based on harvesting marine mammals, hunting, herding caribou and reindeer, or fishing, is at risk because climate change is likely to deprive them of access to their traditional food sources... Indigenous peoples have adapted to changes in the past through careful observations and skilful adjustments of their traditional activities and lifestyles, but the addition of climate and UV radiation changes and impacts on existing social, political, and other environmental stresses is already posing serious challenges…while they experience stress from other sources that threatens their lifestyles and cultures, climate change magnifies these threats.”[9] Based on these macro-trends present in the Arctic one might feel somewhat discouraged about the future of the Kola Sami.

 

 

However, these macro-trends are countered by the micro-trends that were observable during the Excursion. Lovozero is the largest Sami community in Russia and is thus a valuable observation point as representative of the Kola Sami. Lovozero is a small community that is set on, not only surviving, but thriving in the future. Unlike other places visited during the Excursion, e. g. Murmansk, the people are friendly and welcoming and seem interested in communicating with visitors. With graffiti if no other medium for communication is available. Indeed it is the official position of the Kola Sami that all nationalities are welcome: in the local Sami cultural centre a group of Komi ladies dressed in the traditional manner performing traditional songs and dances is an integral part of the presentation of local culture arranged for the benefit Excursion Group. This openness enables the Sami community to accept foreign influences, e. g.  technologies, of various kinds to better deal with challenges of the future. 

 

 

As industry in the Kola region is not the main source of employment new sources of income will have to be found. Tourism may prove to be industry of the future for the region and its people. Several micro-signals in Lovozero suggest this. The local hotel staff is friendly and welcoming, making an effort to ensure that the guests have the best service and comfort possible. This is a major point when tourism is planned as a major source of income for the Kola Sami in the future. Certainly in terms of attitude toward visitors the Kola Sami, and the wider local community, should have no difficulty in being successful. Providing the infrastructure and improving the existing one for tourism will be a major challenge in the future, and is already under way with refurbishment work at the local hotel.

 

 

In the global marker place for Tourism the advantage that will make any product a winner is uniqueness, a quality that no other product will be able to offer. As a travel destination Kola Peninsula is exotic, interesting, different but yet close enough to Nordic countries to make it feel “close to home” for wealthy international tourists. These are all major competitive strengths in marketing Kola (and Lovozero) to tourists who have seen everything and these advantages should be taken an advantage of in the future. In the capacity of being the local natives with distinct culture the Kola Sami are in a position to benefit greatly from this in terms of market opportunities for traditional craft products and employment. Also the value of new intra-personal contacts should not be underestimated, for example, in terms of business contacts.

 

 

Also the traditional livelihood of the Kola Sami, reindeer herding, is expected to have a good future by the director of the local slaughter house. The slaughter house owned by a Russian company is a state-of-the-art facility in the outskirts of Lovozero with a Swedish director who has created the current organization based on principles imported from Sweden. In this process he has successfully accommodated the working habits of the locals who work with reindeers and thus ensured a good working atmosphere: the working hours are flexible but all workers are expected to show up at work in a working condition. An example of how, if there is will to succeed, cultural obstacles can be overcome to benefit all. The business is successful and is expected to become even more so in the future as the quality of meat is expected to improve with private ownership of the reindeer to be introduced in the near future. Also the company buys other products of the region such as berries, a good additional livelihood for the locals including the Sami and one that warrants further development to increase the value-added in the local products and thus to earn more money for the local economy. Traditional Sami cuisine may prove to be of great value in this process.

 

 

These micro-signals present in the Kola Sami community mean that, provided the transition from Post-Communist interregnum is made successfully, the Kola Sami have every opportunity for thriving in the future. The gloom and doom of Arctic populations’ future expressed in the reports quoted above need not be by necessity the only future possible: there are signals pointing to alternative futures.

 

 

These pictures are of a performance in Sami Culturual Centre and of our tour group setting up for a group photo near

the end of our visit to Lovozero.

 

Conclusion

 

The Excursion was a successful learning experience for the members of the Group: much was learned but, above all, a personal perspective that counts for so much was developed by all. This was possible only for having visited Kola Peninsula in person and having engaged with the people concerned: having visited the Kola Sami the members of the Group were in a position of advantage when it comes to producing an analysis concerning the Kola Sami and remain so. During the Cold War analysis concerning the Soviet Union was frequently produced by people who had never visited the object of analysis and who thus had no personal contacts, experiences or first-hand knowledge to work with. As a result, in hindsight, the analysis seems often highly inaccurate and irrelevant. Such flaws can be remedied by means of getting to know the object of analysis as the members of the Group have done. Adding an element of personal “human intelligence” to one’s analysis is always a good way to ensure that the connection to human  reality is maintained and that the analysis does not become removed from the object of analysis producing possibly even damaging effects.

 

Literature

 

Arctic Climate Impact Assessment: Scientific Report 2005 (available on-line at http://amap.no/acia/, retrieved 29.3.2007)

 

Arktisen Alueen Inhimillisen Kehityksen Raportti (Arctic Human Development Report), Ympäristöministeriön Raportteja 4, 2007 (Ympäristöministeriö: Edita Prima Oy, Helsinki 2007)

 

Konstantinov, J. 2005. Reindeer Herding on the Kola Peninsula Today. 18 p. Information article related to the DVD  "Northern Visions, Northwest Russia seen through the Afbare Film Archive”. p. 6.

 

Konstantinov, 'From 'Traditional' to Collectivized Reindeer Herding on the Kola Peninsula: Continuity or Disruption? ', Acta Borealia, 22:2 (2005), 171.

 

Sabev, Dessislav, An Economic View from the Tundra Camp: Field Experience With Reindeer Herders in the Kola Peninsula

 

Sergejeva, Jelena(1995) The Situation of the Sami People in the Kola, in Gayim & Myntti eds. Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ Rights - 1993 and After. Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law

 

Databases

 

www.sogsakk.fi

 

Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovozero_%28village%29,

 

In addition to these the reading-list material for the Module