Experiencing a Ritual Space – Results of Phosphate Analyses from Four Sámi Offering Places

Abstract

Sieidis are offering places of Sámi ethnic religion. Between 2008 and 2010 seven sieidi places were studied in Finnish Lapland, revealing mostly bones originating from offerings. Some of the known sieidi sites were nevertheless archaeologically empty. In this article, we use the results of phosphate analyses to study the traces of ritual practices that have left no bone material. Different use of space can be seen in the variation of phosphate levels. Most of the activities seem to be concentrated in the close vicinity of the sieidi. On the contrary, the space consecrated by a sieidi could extend further than the marks of ritual activities provide evidence for. Some parts of ritual activities could be experienced from further away.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors give warmest thanks to all of the colleagues, students and locals who helped during the fieldwork. They also wish to thank two anonymous reviewers as well as the researchers from the University of Oulu, Anna-Kaisa Salmi, Sanna Lipkin and Mirette Modarress-Sadeghi for their comments that helped to improve this article.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ We use the term ethnic religion here because it does not carry such negative connotations as the term primitive religion. Ethnic religion is better suited than pre-Christian religion to the situation in which Christian elements and ethnic traditions lived side by side for a long time (see, for example, Äikäs and Salmi 2013, 2015). The term indigenous religion could also be used, but it can have connotations of a static religion without contacts with the outside world (Mebius 2003, pp. 12–13). We are aware of the fact that also the term ‘religion’ is an etic, theoretical concept and does not necessary describe the Sámi worldview.

² Calibrated OxCal V3.10, atmospheric data from Reimer et al. (2004) with 1δ.

³ The animal bone assemblages are described in detail by Salmi et al. (2011).

⁴ English terms are based on Granö (1997).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Academy of Finland project ‘Human–Animal Relationships among Finland’s Sámi 1000–1800 A.D.’ [project number 122623]; Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation; Alfred Kordelin Foundation.