Sami hunting and gathering

Hunting, trapping, and fishing follow an old Sami tradition in Southern-Troms and Northern Nordland, with roots back to our region’s original hunting and trapping population. The transition to other lifestyles has happened gradually and has not been absolute.

From the end of the 12th century, the written source Passio Olavi tells of Samis who took part in seasonal fishing. Participation in the fisheries could be combined with hunting and trapping, which was still an important source of Sami income in the 14th century. It is likely that there have been local variations in livelihoods during the Middle Ages, which have also included Sami farming, and cattle and small cattle livestock keeping. The transition from wild reindeer hunting to domesticated reindeer herding cannot be set in absolute time either, and has developed through several stages. The Norwegian chieftain Ottar describes domesticated decoy reindeer around 890 AD. Archaeological investigations from Hoantas in our region support domestic reindeer husbandry in Ottar’s time.

The earliest written sources we have of life in the Sami areas describe a hunting people called the Fenni (Tacitus, 98 AD). From the 5th century, skridfinner is used as a term for Sami. The term has roots in Old Norse and can be translated to skiing Samis. It is also used in the meaning of hunter and tracker.

According to the written sources, women participated in the hunt. Being a good hunter was not necessarily a trait linked to gender. Archaeological investigations support the written accounts. Sami women’s graves containing hunting tools have been found. An important tool in the hunt was skiing. The oldest ski found on the Norwegian part of Sápmi comes from a Sami woman’s grave in Finnmark.

Also from our region, Southern-Troms and Northern Nordland, archaeological finds indicates a widespread Sami hunting and trapping practice that spans several thousand years. On Sauøya in Lofoten, a 2,000-year-old ski has been found that is linked to the Sami skiing tradition. Several trapping facilities for wild reindeer have been found on Hinnøya. The facilities are not dated, but probably extend over a long period of time. A bog find at Senja have revealed a bow made according to Sami tradition. Such two-wood bows are known from written sources to be in use from the Late Iron Age and the Middle Ages. However, the bow from Senja is dated to 1610-1445 BC. and shows that artefact finds can reveal a far older tradition than the written material points out.

Highly valued Sami knowledge

In the Late Iron Age (550 AD – 1050 AD) Sami competence, knowledge and craftsmanship were highly valued and sought after. Sami hunters knew the movements of the game, and also the landscape by heart. They were specialists in procuring luxury goods that the Norse power elite depended on to maintain their own power. These goods included fine furs, leather goods, hunting falcons, walrus teeth and rope made from walrus hide. Cod liver oil extracted from marine mammals was a Sami specialty and was used as lamp oil and impregnation of boats and other equipment used at sea. The market for such goods was large outside Norway. The Norse demand for luxury goods formed a cornerstone of the Sami economy at this time.

On the spiritual level, Sami noaidevuotha (spiritual powers) was highly respected and considered stronger and more powerful than the Norse seid. The Icelandic saga material from the 13th century tells of the Northern Norwegian chieftain’s daughter Gunhild who was apprenticed to Sami noaids (Sami shamans). It was also not unusual for chiefs in conflict with each other to seek help in Sámi noaidevuotha. When Thorir Hund (Tore Hund) from Bjarkøy went to Stiklestad, he was wearing a garment of reindeer fur with very special powers, which protected him from attacks by any weapon. It went well with those who had the Sami as allies.

Sami crafts have long been adapted to the resources that nature in our region could offer. Through generations, the knowledge was passed on with new improvements and adaptations. Sami craftsmanship was considered top class. Sami built the best boats, the best skis and the best bows. This is reflected in the saga texts.

In the battle of Svolder in 999/1000, Snorre tells that Einar Tambarskjelve, Norways best archer, was defeated by an arrow from a Sami archer that completely destroyed his bow. Einar must make do with Olav Tryggvasson’s bow, which turns out to be far too bad. Einar therefore sees himself having to keep on fighting with shield and sword. From Snorre we also hear about Sigurd Slembe who stays for a winter in Tjeldsund in the 12th century. He had two large Sami ships built for him, which few could keep up with.