The ways of the textword’ in church tradition: Christian mission schooling among the Saami in Torne and Kemi laplands in the 1700s

Abstract

This article discusses some features of Christian missions among Saami. The focus is on the conditions in Torne and Kemi Laplands in the Barents region during the 1700s. The population was mostly Saami (>85%). In addition there were a few permanent settlements. During the 1600s, the organization of the Church and the establishment of parishes took place as part of the colonization. A few churches were built where complete divine services were held regularly, and the parishioners were obliged to attend church a stipulated number of times depending on the distance between the domicile and the church. Even so, neither the migrant Saami nor the stationary farmers could attend frequently, many of them less than once a year, owing to the distances. This was not satisfactory and special solutions had to be made, such as pupils being taught at school how to perform baptisms and how to conduct divine services. At issue are two examples of duties/services conducted by a layman, instead of the ordained minister, as ...