Kola Saami and Soviet Epoch, Russia (Part VI)

Kola Peninsula was transformed into an independent Murmansk province from 1921 to 1927 and later became a part of Murmansk district of the Leningrad province. Soviets have formed nine ethnic villages. In 1929, the formation of collective farms began by converting Saami to the settled way of life. Winter pastures of Saami were confiscated.

The first step was the creation of the collective farms called Kolkhoz in the 1930s, and in the 1970, state farms were created called Sovkhoz. The implementation of this planned ideology for reindeer herding was to consolidate the Kola's peoples and gain greater control over reindeer herders of the Kola Peninsula. Enormous territories that belonged to Saami have been given to the heavy industry and military. Creation of reindeer-breeding collective farms was extremely unprofitable for Saami families having big numbers of reindeer.

In 1938, in response to restlessness of Saami tribal communities, employees of NKVD (People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs) began an investigation of "Lappish business" or "Lappish plot" in which criminal charges were brought against thirty-four people. Fifteen people, including mostly Saami with Komi and Russians, were executed. Reprisals have touched also Saami teachers. The new wave of collapse of Saami culture started.

In Soviet time of national education, some progress took place, and literacy extended. In 1933, training in Lappish language was conducted at seventeen schools. In Murmansk, groups of teachers were prepared for Saami schools.

In 1933, a literary language was developed for the Kola Saamion the basis of Latin, which was then suddenly forbidden in 1937 when Moscow ordered all Saami publications destroyed. After the Second World War, the process of Russification was accelerated and was promoted by reorganizations of economic and change to the traditional ways of life for the Saami.

Finland opened their borders and encouraged the Kola Saami to relocate to their country to enlarge own Saami community after World War Two. Many Saami, remembering collectivization and the repressions of 1937 to 1939 and World War Two took the chance and decided to move out, leaving behind relatives and the land of their ancestors. 

In 1970, the traditional nomadic way of Saami life had come to the end because of destruction of their inhabiting territory. Saami had lost thirty-two settlements in which they were an ethnic majority.

Government used orders to relocate most of Saami families into the Lovozero area. Officials promised to them jobs, housing, and service – everything to convince them to move. However, more than one hundred reindeer breeders lost their jobs by moving into Lovozero village, and housing is still a problem.

Now, sixty percent of the Saami population living here suffers from unemployment. Resettlement has been associated with needs of the state industry, mines, building of military facilities, and transformations of collective farms to state farms.

© Rachel Madorsky