![Shaman](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Shaman.jpg)
The Christianization of the Sámi people in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and
Sweden–Finland
Sweden–Finland ( fi, Ruotsi-Suomi; sv, Sverige-Finland) is a Finnish historiographical term referring to Sweden from the twelfth century to the Napoleonic Wars. In 1809, the realm was split after the Finnish War. The eastern half came to cons ...
took place in stages during a several centuries long process. The Sámi were
Christianized
Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
in a similar way in both
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and
Sweden–Finland
Sweden–Finland ( fi, Ruotsi-Suomi; sv, Sverige-Finland) is a Finnish historiographical term referring to Sweden from the twelfth century to the Napoleonic Wars. In 1809, the realm was split after the Finnish War. The eastern half came to cons ...
.
Background - Christianity presence
There were Christian missionaries in
Sápmi
(, smj, Sábme / Sámeednam, sma, Saepmie, sju, Sábmie, , , sjd, Са̄мь е̄ммьне, Saam' jiemm'n'e) is the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sámi people. Sápmi is in Northern and Eastern Europe and includes the ...
already during the Roman Catholic
middle ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, and
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
co-existed with traditional
Sámi shamanism
Traditional Sámi spiritual practices and beliefs are based on a type of animism, polytheism, and what anthropologists may consider shamanism. The religious traditions can vary considerably from region to region within Sápmi.
Traditional Sámi ...
. In 1389, the Sami
Margareta (missionary) Margareta (c. 1369 – c. 1414) was a Swedish Sami people, Sami missionary. She was given permission by the Swedish crown to preach and convert her fellow Sami to Christianity. Her position was unique for her as both a Sami and a woman.
Biogra ...
travelled south to request Christian missionaries.
It was however not until the 17th-century, when the kingdoms of
Denmark-Norway and
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
started to colonize
Sápmi
(, smj, Sábme / Sámeednam, sma, Saepmie, sju, Sábmie, , , sjd, Са̄мь е̄ммьне, Saam' jiemm'n'e) is the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sámi people. Sápmi is in Northern and Eastern Europe and includes the ...
, that Christianity truly made its presence known.
Christianization by coercion
Denmark-Norway
In the Kingdoms of Denmark-Norway, the Sami religion was banned on death penalty as witchcraft. During the 17th-century, the persecution of the followers of Sami religion were more intensely persecuted than before by Christian missionaries, and several Sami were persecuted for sorcery because they practiced the Sami religion.
[Trolldomsprosessene i Norge ]
/ref> A fifth of all charged with sorcery in Norway are estimated to have been Pagan Sami.[https://snl.no/heks#-Trolldomsprosessene_i_Norge] During the 17th-century, a more intense Christian mission was launched in Norway to convert the Sami people to Christianity. However, there was an awareness' that this campaign only caused the Sami to behave outwardly as Christians and kept practicing their own religion in secrecy. This fact was pointed out by the Sami missionaries, who stated that it would not be possible to truly convert the Sami people if the Sami religion could not even be discussed, which was not possible when Pagans were afraid to be accused of witchcraft if they admitted to be Pagans.
Sweden-Finland
The Protestant church was hostile to Sámi shamanism, which it considered to be Pagan idolatry, and wished to exterminate it and Christianize the Sámi people, in parallel with the royal powers wishing to assert their political dominance over the territory and use its economic resources. In the first half of the 17th-century, churches were built in Sápmi by the order of king Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX, also Carl ( sv, Karl IX; 4 October 1550 – 30 October 1611), reigned as King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I () and of his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, the brother of King Eric X ...
, and the Sámi people were compelled to subject themselves to the law of Sweden by attending them.
Svenska folkets underbara öden / IV. Karl XI:s och Karl XII:s tid
'
They were however silently allowed to practice Sámi shamanism in private until the second half of the 17th-century, when Swedish authorities forced them to abandon their religion, burning their Sámi drum
A Sámi drum is a shamanic ceremonial drum used by the Sámi people of Northern Europe. Sámi ceremonial drums have two main variations, both oval-shaped: a bowl drum in which the drumhead is strapped over a burl, and a frame drum in which the dr ...
s, banning the joik
A joik or yoik (anglicised, where the latter spelling in English conforms with the pronunciation; also named , , , or in the Sámi languages) is a traditional form of song in Sámi music performed by the Sámi people of Sapmi in Northern Europe. ...
singing and forcing them to subject to the doctrine of the church both in public and private.[ Lundmark, Lennart: ]
Stulet land: svensk makt på samisk mark
'
Conversion in practice
Denmark-Norway
In the 18th-century, the Christian mission among the Sami in Norway achieved actual success, after the Christian missionaries convinced the authorities to grant the Sami amnesty from the witchcraft law, which made it possible for Pagans to openly discuss their religion without the risk of getting arrested for witchcraft. In parallel, the Pietist
Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life, including a social concern for ...
Mission in Copenhagen sent the missionary Thomas von Westen
Thomas von Westen (13 September 1682 – 9 April 1727) was a Norwegian Lutheran priest and missionary. He was a driving force in the Sami mission, and founded the education institution ''Seminarium Scholasticum'', the later Seminarium Lapponic ...
to the Norwegian Sami people in Finnmarken
''Finnmarken'' is a local newspaper published in Vadsø, Norway. It covers eastern Finnmark. It was established in 1899 by Adam Egede-Nissen and others.
In 1942 ''Finnmarken'' was taken over by the national socialist occupant regime. They incorp ...
where he was active in 1716-1727. Thomas von Westen used a new method. Instead of doing as the previous missionaries and force the Sami to practice outward Christianity, such as to attend church, he focused on personal theological persuasion. It was he who convinced the authorities to grant declare the Sami religion no longer illegal: he then informed himself of the religion, and convinced the Sami to convert with a focus on the idea of personal conviction and confession, which proved very efficient.
Sweden-Finland
The Sámi people still continued to practice Sámi shamanism in secrecy until the second half of the 18th-century, when missionaries of first the Pietism
Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy and ...
and then eventually the Laestadianism
Laestadianism, also known as Laestadian Lutheranism and Apostolic Lutheranism, is a pietistic Lutheran revival movement started in Sápmi in the middle of the 19th century. Named after Swedish Lutheran state church administrator and temperanc ...
sect had true success in their mission and the Sámi people converted to Christianity.
The mission of Thomas von Westen in Norway proved so efficient that the Swedish Pietists under Daniel Djurberg
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), ...
made use of it during their mission among the Sami in Sweden. In contrast to the coercive 17th-century mission, which forced the Sami to outward Christianity, the 18th-century Pietist mission appears to have been truly successful, although the conversion progressed slowly. Around the 1770s, the Sami people were reportedly Christian, talked about the Sami religion as the religion of their ancestors rather than their own and were reported to have good knowledge about Christianity by the Sami priests. The Christian mission among the Sami did however continue until as late as the mid 19th-century, when Laestadianism
Laestadianism, also known as Laestadian Lutheranism and Apostolic Lutheranism, is a pietistic Lutheran revival movement started in Sápmi in the middle of the 19th century. Named after Swedish Lutheran state church administrator and temperanc ...
became very successful among the Sami people.
See also
* Lars Nilsson (shaman)
Lars Nilsson (died 1693) was a Sami who was burned at the stake for being a follower of the old Sami religion in Arjeplog in Sweden during the time of the Christianization of the Sámi people.
Background
In 1691, the authorities of the church a ...
* Rijkuo-Maja Rijkuo-Maja or Rika Maja (Sami or Swedish for "Rich Maja"; 1661–1757) was a Sámi noaidi from Mausjaur. She was known for her influence and wealth in the contemporary Sámi community and became a famous figure of the Sámi history and the subje ...
*''Sampo Lappelill
''Sampo Lappelill. En saga från Lappland.'' (''Sampo the Little Lapp Boy. A Tale from Lappland'') is a fairy tale by Finnish writer Zachris Topelius about an adventurous Sámi boy who defies the Mountain King creature. "Lapp" is the historical t ...
''
* Arjeplog blasphemy trial of 1687 The Arjeplog blasphemy trial of 1687 took place in Arjeplog in 1687 against two Sami, Erik Eskilsson and Amund Thorsson, who were put on trial accused of blasphemy for being followers of the Sam shamanism during the Swedish Christianization of the S ...
* College of Missions#Sami_mission
References
* Henrysson, Sten, Samer, präster och skolmästare: ett kulturellt perspektiv på samernas och Övre Norrlands historia, Centrum för arktisk forskning, Univ., Umeå, 1993
{{Authority control
Christianization of Europe
Persecution of Pagans
Sámi history
Persecution of Sámi people
17th century in Sweden
18th century in Sweden
17th century in Norway
18th century in Norway
17th century in Finland
18th century in Finland