With nature as a pantry

Handmade Damascus Hunting Knives    

The Sami have not always been reindeer herding people. Although the reindeer has long been the most important animal for the Sami, only a small proportion of the population, both historically and today, have based their lives on the reindeer. The vast majority survived by hunting and fishing. The coasts of the sea, lakes and rivers gave the most reliable trawls.
 Sápmi was populated shortly after the interior ice had melted. Northern Scandinavia was inhabited 9,000 years ago. Small groups of hunter-gatherers colonized the land from different directions. The only thing they had in common was that they settled where there was a quarry. When the game or the fish failed, they went ahead. These were the people who much later became Sami. The hunting of animals such as reindeer and elk required considerable knowledge and organization of hunting.
  There are descriptions dating back to the late Middle Ages of how the coastal Sami lived in Norway. In the winter they lived near the mouth of the fjords, mainly spending their time fishing. In the summer they lived at the head of the fjord. There they were able to fish and hunt. They were close to both the forest and the mountains.
  Organized huntingTraces of moose hunting and organized reindeer can be found around Sápmi. Once they learned how the animals moved, they dug complete trap systems. When the deer or elk approached them, they were led to the traps. This form of hunting required the participation of many people. Hunting by placing traps near a reindeer herd in the winter required fewer people. If the hunters could make the animals shoot out into the traps, there was a good chance of catching something. Another effective method was to hunt using temptation in the fall when the reindeer were zealous. A domesticated female reindeer was tied and the hunter waited nearby. When the bull of the reindeer in heat arrived at the female, it was an easy prey.
The most common hunting method was with a bow and arrow. Everyone could use this weapon, and it was possible to catch different types of animals. This included everything from small animals such as martins and squirrels, to larger prey such as reindeer and even bears. Already in the thirteenth century, the Sami are described as hunting people who have a great ability to use the bow and arrow.
  Rules and taboos to bear hunting.The bear hunt was closely linked to the religion of Sami society. The hunt was a ceremony, complete with many rules and taboos. In the pre-Christian religion, the bear was considered the bearer of the message of the Sami gods and the observer on earth, so it was important that it be treated correctly. It must be treated with respect, from the method of its killing and killing to the burial of its bones. Each bone must be placed on the ground in the order in which it had been in the living bear. All these ceremonies were motivated by the desire to safeguard the continued existence of the bear and the belief that after his death, the bear reported what he had seen on earth to the gods to which he returned.
  The valleys of rivers rich in fish were colonized from the beginning. In the relatively fertile lands around the water, it was possible to grow products. In the summer, for example, salmon fishing provided subsistence to a large number of people. In the Tana River, people have been using salmon trap fences for a long time. These are a type of trap for salmon that migrate, and they are emptied regularly, often with a good catch.
Skins in great demand.Surrounding groups of people began to trade with the Sami from an early stage. The most common goods that the Sami could supply were the skins of squirrels, martins, otters, beavers, foxes, gluttons, lynxes, bears and reindeer. Other common commercial goods included the gray cuckoo, the capercaillie, the black grouse and the capercaillie. Neighboring countries also began to demand taxes from the Sami. During a period in the seventeenth century, the tax burden was so high that too much pressure was exerted on forest animal populations and, consequently, they were seriously depleted.
  Hunting and fishing is not that important nowadays. The coastal Sami, who have long kept themselves from fishing along the northern coast of Norway, have been overtaken by the floating fish factories that suck the sea of ​​fish. Fishing in lakes and rivers is seasonal and, therefore, is only a secondary occupation. The hunting of hair animals is also a secondary occupation practiced by many Sami. However, for many Sami who graze reindeer, hunting and fishing are still important complements for reindeer husbandry.