View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Helsingin yliopiston digitaalinen arkisto Cultivating a Sense of Belonging – The Orthodox Church as a Part of the Collective Memory of Skolt Sámi in Finland Mira Rantakeisu University of Helsinki Department of World Cultures Master’s Degree Programme in Intercultural Encounters Study of Religions Master’s Thesis Spring 2015 TABLE OF CONTENT 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................................................ 5 2.1. Previous research on Skolt Sámi .............................................................................................................................. 6 2.2. Key concepts ............................................................................................................................................................ 9 2.3. Aspects of collective memory ................................................................................................................................ 13 2.3.1. Collective memory and religion – a belief in belonging ................................................................................. 14 2.3.2. Ethnicity and religion – a link to the chain of memories ................................................................................ 15 3. RESEARCH CONTEXT ............................................................................................................................................. 17 3.1. A short history of Skolt Sámi ................................................................................................................................. 17 3.2. Skolt Sámi people and culture ................................................................................................................................ 20 3.3. Introduction of Skolt Sámi religiosity .................................................................................................................... 22 4. METHODOLOGICAL ORIENTATION ................................................................................................................... 26 4.1. Research data and its credibility ............................................................................................................................. 26 4.2. Researcher’s position.............................................................................................................................................. 29 4.3. Tool for collecting the data - thematic interview .................................................................................................... 30 4.4. Method for data analysis - qualitative content analysis .......................................................................................... 32 5. ANALYSIS: THE ORTHODOX CHURCH AS A PART OF THE COLLECTIVE MEMORY OF SKOLT SÁMI ................................................................................................................................................................................. 34 5.1. Symbols – ethnic markers in religious sphere ........................................................................................................ 37 5.1.1. Visible signs – example of Skolt Sámi traditional dress ................................................................................. 39 5.1.2. Abstract symbols – example of Skolt Sámi language ..................................................................................... 43 5.2 Narratives and rituals– bringing religion to ethnic sphere ....................................................................................... 47 5.2.1 Narratives of Trifon the Pechenga ................................................................................................................... 47 5.2.2 Rituals – example of funeral preparations ....................................................................................................... 50 5.3 Landscape and feeling of belongingness ................................................................................................................. 54 5.3.1 Meaning of locality in religious life ................................................................................................................ 55 5.3.2. Differences between villages .......................................................................................................................... 57 5.3.3 Role of the Pechenga monastery ..................................................................................................................... 60 5.4 Manifold minority experiences in the heart of memories – relationship with others ............................................... 64 5.4.1. Minority inside a minority church – Skolt Sámi and their view on the Orthodox Church ............................. 65 5.4.2. The Lutheran effect ........................................................................................................................................ 69 5.4.3. Religious minority inside an ethnic minority– religion as a factor in inter-Sámi relationships ...................... 75 5.5. Intergenerational aspect of collective memory ....................................................................................................... 81 5.5.1. The meaning of family ................................................................................................................................... 81 5.5.2. Differences between generations .................................................................................................................... 85 5.5.3. A look into the future: the role of Orthodox collective memory in the Skolt Sámi revitalization movement. 92 6. CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................ 96 SOURCES ....................................................................................................................................................................... 101 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................................................... 101 ATTACHMENTS ........................................................................................................................................................... 112 2 1. INTRODUCTION I am originally from Ivalo, a small village located in Northern Lapland in Inari municipality. Inari municipality is the only municipality in Finland, which has four official languages; Finnish, Northern Sámi, Inari Sámi and Skolt Sámi. Indeed, multiculturalism or interculturality in Finland usually conjures up images of southern Finland but it is often forgotten that interculturality likewise exists in most northern parts of Finland, where the co-existence between three different indigenous Sámi groups and Finns has embroidered the culture of Lapland for centuries. Even though I am born and bred in Ivalo and have always been in touch with Sámi cultures, it has not been until recently that I have become more acquainted with the smallest of the Sámi groups, the Skolt Sámi. Skolt Sámi are an indigenous Sámi group, living in northern Scandinavia and Kola Peninsula. Historically Skolts have lived in the northwest parts of Kola Peninsula in current Russia. Nowadays, Skolt Sámi are scattered between three states, Finland, Russia and Norway. Depending on how one defines them, there are about 600-700 Skolt Sámi living in Finland, half of them living in Skolt area in the villages of Sevettijärvi, Nellim and Keväjärvi.1 Unlike the other Sámi groups in Finland, Skolt Sámi represent a strong eastern cultural heritage, rising from the Byzantine-Russian influence. This influence has had an effect on their history, religious life, language, oral and material traditions and on the whole lifestyle. Additionally, Skolt Sámi are distinguished from other Sámis due to their eastern cultural influence. The majority of Skolt Sámi in Finland belong to the Orthodox Church of Finland. This makes them a religious minority in relation to the majority of Finns, but also in relation to other Sámi people. Moreover, the Orthodox Church is present in many Skolt Sámi cultural events, even though they are not primarily religious by nature. Skolt Sami religion and religiosity have been studied for many decades. Skolt Sámi Orthodoxy, however, has received less attention in the academic field - especially studies concerning Skolt Sámi Orthodoxy in the late 20th or 21st century are practically non- existent. In this sense the academic literature is outdated, since during the past two decades the Skolt Sámi community has undergone major changes, which have had an effect on religion as well. The importance of my study rises from this "gap" in the research history. 1 Jeffremoff 2010, 160: Saa´mi Nu´ett 2015 (Skolt Sámi Cultural Foundation) 3 My theoretical focus and the overall approach towards the topic takes influence from the field of sociology of religion. This kind of sociological focus in the research of Skolt Sámi religion has also been less addressed but I feel the approach offers a good opportunity to study the societal development behind the religious change and also the