Stability and change in Saami Band structure in the Varanger area of Arctic Norway, AD 1300–1700

The Saami hunter‐gatherers of northern Fennoscandinavia became increasingly involved in transactions with other societies during the period AD 1300–1700 due to the expansion of the European market economy. As a consequence of these transactions, most Saami hunting bands (sii'das) underwent drastic social changes. The Skolt Saami sii'das, however, continued their traditional way of life up to the early twentieth century. Focusing on the Varanger area, this disparity in social responses to external transactions is evaluated with respect to the role of contradictions and ideology in social reproduction.