Seita - sacrificial stones and religious objects Seitas, (sieidi in the Sami language), were worshipping sites of the ancient Sami communities. There are hundreds of these sacrificial sites throughout Lapland. There are two types of Seita: stone or wood seitas.
Seitas, (sieidi in the Sami language), were worshipping sites of the ancient Sami communities. There are hundreds of these sacrificial sites throughout Lapland. There are two types of Seita: stone or wood seitas. Stone seitas are mainly natural rocks, whose form is somewhat peculiar. They usually appear as landmarks in the arctic tundra and treeless highland fell areas. Wooden seitas are found in forest areas. They are situated in places, which have had important meaning for Sami life styles and their annual moving cycles. Such seitas were generally situated by the shores of fishing waters or camping sites.
Stone seitas come in various sizes and forms. The smallest seita stones were transported by reindeer sleigh. Several seitas were either massive naturally formed boulders or large rock formations, in which there were cracks, caverns or holes. The stone seitas could also have on them sketches of people or animals. Several of these sketches were created naturally; stone engravements by people were quite rare.
Seita culture was probably a family or clan institute, organised by the Lapp village, Siida, system. Seita culture was maintained by families or the eldest members of the society. Different natural products were sacrificed at the seitas, such as fish, meat and blood. The aim was to get help or success in return for the gifts. The nature of the gifts or objects worshipped depended upon the situation and the aim. Reindeer herders usually worshipped their dead ancestors, different gods or those living in the lower dimensions. Sami people believed that the world had three levels - the present, the upper and the lower - and the shamen would have contact with all three dimensions. The lower dimension was for the dead people. Gifts offered to the seita were usually in the form of reindeer and deer horns, although the best parts of the newly slaughtered reindeer or wild deer meat were also sacrificed. Fishers and hunters worshipped their forefathers, water spirits or game animal spirits. Fishermen smeared their seitas with fish fat, whilst hunters offered meat to their seita stones. In order to receive good luck in hunting, sacrificial promises were also made to the seitas.
The spread of christian belief destroyed many seita stones, since seitas were regarded as representing the paganist Sami (heathen) religion. In 1920, a famous Finnish anthropologist, Samuli Paulaharju, gathered a vast collection of information about seita stones. Thirty worshipping sites were mentioned from the Enontekiö area. Many seita stones known by folklore, which were either destroyed or could not be exactly localised, were discarded from this list. Among the well preserved significant stones in the Enontekiö area, are Näkkälä seita stone by the shore of Lake Näkkäläjärvi, as well as Kilkkasjärvi and Somasjärvi seita stones in the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area. Traditional legends and stories have been preserved in abundance. One such story is that of the seita stone, which stood on the western slope of Jyppyrä hill, in Hetta village. Jyppyrä’s seita stone was valued amongst wild reindeer hunters. In the area there are abundant reindeer pits and also many remains of ancient dwellings. Local inhabitants tell that the seita stone of Jyppyrä was rolled into Ounasjärvi lake, when Hetta church was built by Christians in 1864. This is believed to be the reason that there are so few fish in Lake Ounasjärvi.
Further information:
Itkonen, T.I. (1946): Heidnische Religion und Späterer Aberglaube der Finnischen Lappen. - Mémoires de la Société Finnougrienne LXXXVII. Helsinki.
Itkonen, T.I. (1984): Suomen lappalaiset vuoteen 1945. Porvoo [1948].
Paulaharju, Samuli (1932): Seitoja ja seidanpalvontaa. - Suomi V:15. Helsinki.
Paulaharju, Samuli (1977): Lapin muisteluksia. Porvoo [1922].
Pentikäinen, Juha (1995): Saamelaiset - pohjoisen kansan mytologia. Helsinki