Preceden

Sami History Timeline

(Prehistory–Present)

Sami History traces the experiences, traditions, struggles, and cultural renewal of the Indigenous Sami people across northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Less

Go to: Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Origins and migration

Nganasan-related ancestry reaches northeastern Europe

2000 BCE

An admixture event involving Nganasan-related Siberian ancestry and Y-chromosome haplogroup N1c was estimated by ALDER dating to have occurred around 2000 BCE.

Proto-Sámi develops in South Finland or Karelia

500 BCE

Comparative linguist Ante Aikio has proposed that the Sámi proto-language developed in South Finland or Karelia around 2,000 to 2,500 years ago before spreading into northern Fennoscandia.

Bolshoy Oleny Island genetic evidence is reported

2013

Reporting on a larger group of individuals from Bolshoy Oleny Island identified frequent mtDNA haplogroup U5a1 and other U and C subclades associated with Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, alongside atypical D, T and Z lineages.

Nganasan-related introgression is reported

2018

A 2018 study reported the earliest recorded introgression of Nganasan-related Siberian ancestry and Y-chromosome haplogroup N1c into northeastern Europe, contributing to research on the population history associated with the Sámi.

Political and economic history

Norse settlement expands along Finnmark’s coast

1300 - 1399

A further wave of Norse settlement along the coast of Finnmark was triggered by the fish trade during the 14th century.

Sámi come under increased pressure

1400 - 1499

From the 15th century onward, the Sámi came under increasing pressure from neighboring states and expanding settlement.

Sámi become subjects of neighboring states

1400 - 1599

From the 15th century, Sámi communities were traditionally subjects of Sweden, Norway, Russia and, for a period, Denmark.

Sámi subsistence remains based on fishing and trapping

1400 - 1499

Up to around 1500, Sámi communities were mainly fishermen and trappers, often combining both activities in a nomadic lifestyle shaped by reindeer migrations.

Reindeer-raising tributes increase

1500 - 1599

Although the starting date of reindeer raising remains unclear, possibly around 500 AD, tax tributes connected with it were raised during the 16th century.

Monetary taxation becomes established

1500 - 1599

Since the 16th century, Sámi people paid taxes in monetary currency, a development that some historians connect with the emergence of large-scale reindeer husbandry.

Large-scale reindeer hunting causes decline

1500 - 1599

Around 1500, excessive hunting, intensified by the need to pay taxes to Norway, Sweden and Russia, caused the number of reindeer to begin declining.

Gustav I claims authority over all Sámi

1500 - 1599

In the 16th century, Gustav I of Sweden officially claimed that all Sámi should fall under the Swedish realm.

Per Brahe promotes settlement in Kainuu

1600 - 1699

In the 17th century, Governor General of Finland Per Brahe encouraged population growth in Kainuu by granting settlers a ten-year exemption from taxes.

Lappers j Nordlanden is recorded

1607

The work titled “Lappers j Nordlanden, the Caijaners” king” is associated with the year 1607 in the historical record.

Nasa silver mine operations end

1659

Mining at the Nasa silver mine proved unprofitable and ended in 1659, after contributing to forced labor and Sámi movement into Torne lappmark during the 1640s and 1650s.

Lapponia is published

1673

Johannes Schefferus’s Lapponia, the oldest detailed source on Sámi culture, was published in late 1673 and later translated into French, German, English and other languages.

Sámi lose access to Swedish land

1700 - 1799

After the 17th century, many Sámi families lost the right to use Swedish land because poverty prevented them from paying tribute like other subjects.

Sámi cultural influence strengthens in Northern Norway

1700 - 1799

During the 18th century, low fish prices and depopulation among Norwegians in Northern Norway helped strengthen the Sámi cultural element, as Sámi communities were less dependent on supplies from southern Norway.

Sámi movement reaches Lake Femunden

1700 - 1799

According to Yngvar Nielsen’s later hypothesis, Sámi movement southward reached the area around Lake Femunden during the 18th century.

Lapp Codicil is adopted

1751

The boundary agreement between Sweden and Norway, known as the Strömstad Treaty, included the Lapp Codicil of 1751, which established important cross-border rights for Sámi communities.

Finland is separated from the Russian Empire

1809

In 1809, Russia seized Finland, creating a new international border through the Sámi area.

Norwegian-Russian border is fixed

1826

The Norwegian-Russian border treaty of 1826 finally drew the border between Norway and Finland-Russia, ending a period in which extensive territories had been governed with very light joint control.

Sámi cross-border movement is restricted

1826

The Sámi had crossed the Norwegian-Finnish-Russian border freely until it was closed in 1826, while inherited rights under the Lapp Codicil preserved movement between Sweden and Norway until 1940.

Nielsen investigates Sámi land history

1889

The Norwegian government commissioned historian Yngvar Nielsen in 1889 to investigate Sámi historical settlement in connection with contemporary land-rights questions.

Sámi emigration to Alaska begins

1898

In 1898, some Sámi emigrated to Alaska in response to requests from the American government.

Sámi emigration to Newfoundland occurs

1907 - 1908

Some Sámi emigrated to Newfoundland in 1907 and 1908 following requests from the American government.

Religion and assimilation

Russian Orthodox missions reach the Kola Peninsula

1500 - 1599

As the Russian Empire expanded during the 16th century, missionaries were sent to its distant regions and several Russian Orthodox chapels were built on the Kola Peninsula.

Norwegian Lutheran conversion occurs

1720

On the Norwegian side, the Sámi were converted to the Lutheran faith around 1720.

Sámi defendants are sentenced after church protest

Feb 1852

In February 1852, 22 Sámi were found guilty of hindering a church service, disturbing the peace, offending the state religion and insulting a public servant; they received prison sentences ranging from days to two years.

Kautokeino rebellion takes place

Nov 1852

In November 1852, 35 Sámi angry about religious persecution and forced Norwegianization marched into Kautokeino, killing two men and beating others, including the pastor.

Norwegianization intensifies

1900 - 1940

From around 1900 to 1940, Norwegian authorities intensified efforts to universalize Norwegian language and culture, placing severe pressure on Sámi cultural life.

War and cultural revitalization

Sámi visual art develops in the 20th century

1900 - 1999

Pictorial and sculptural art in the Western sense became a 20th-century innovation in Sámi culture, used to preserve and develop key aspects of a pantheistic culture shaped by seasonal rhythms.

Sámi serve in the Winter War

1939 - 1940

The first major fighting involving Sámi in the 20th-century account occurred during the Winter War, after the Soviet Union invaded Finland in 1939.

Image source: Winter War

Sámi serve in the Winter War

Operation Weserübung invades Norway

Apr 9, 1940

On 9 April 1940, Germany began Operation Weserübung and invaded Norway, transforming the northern Sámi region through occupation and war.

Image source: Operation Weserübung

Operation Weserübung invades Norway

Norwegian government goes into exile

Apr 20, 1940

On 20 April 1940, King Haakon and the Norwegian government fled to London with most Allied troops stationed in Norway and formed a government in exile.

Finland and Germany attack the Kola region

Jun 1, 1941

With assistance from the SS Nord, Finnish forces invaded the Kola region on 1 June 1941.

Image source: Continuation War

Finland and Germany attack the Kola region

Sámi resistance fighters destroy a German facility

1944

Sámi resistance fighters who had formerly served in the Norwegian Ski Brigade helped destroy a secret German nuclear base in Telemark in 1944.

Image source: Norwegian resistance movement

Sámi resistance fighters destroy a German facility

Northern Finland and Norway suffer war destruction

1944 - 1945

Heavy wartime destruction in northern Finland and northern Norway during 1944–45 destroyed existing houses and visible traces of Sámi culture.

Image source: Lapland War

Northern Finland and Norway suffer war destruction

Finnmark is liberated

Apr 26, 1945

Finnmark was liberated on 26 April 1945 during the final phase of the Second World War.

Sámi news begins on Norwegian radio

1946

News in Sámi began broadcasting on Norway’s national radio in 1946, creating an important public platform for the language.

Natural-resource conflicts fuel cultural reawakening

1950 - 1999

During the late 20th century, conflicts over natural-resource use helped produce a reawakening and defense of Sámi culture.

Sámi Parliament of Finland is created

1973

The Sámi Parliament of Finland was created in 1973, providing institutional representation for Sámi people in Finland.

Sámi national day is established

1992

Since 1992, the Sámi have observed their national day on 6 February.

Key Facts

  1. The Sami are the Indigenous people of Sápmi, a cultural region spanning northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia's Kola Peninsula.
  2. Sami communities have traditionally relied on diverse livelihoods, including reindeer herding, fishing, hunting, gathering, and handicrafts.
  3. From the Middle Ages onward, expanding states, taxation, settlement, Christianization, and land policies increasingly restricted Sami autonomy and territory.
  4. Assimilation policies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries suppressed Sami languages, traditions, and education, including through discriminatory schooling systems.
  5. Since the late twentieth century, Sami political and cultural movements have strengthened language revitalization, self-government, land rights, and recognition through Sami parliaments.

Source

This Sami History timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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