Inari and Sami Culture
The cultural heart of Sami Finland, 55 km from our door, visited with a local guide or a herder.
Inari, the heart of Sami Finland
The Sami are the Indigenous people of the north of Finland, Norway, Sweden and the Kola Peninsula in Russia, a land they call Sápmi. They are the only Indigenous people in the European Union, and their status is written into the Constitution of Finland. In Finland their homeland covers Enontekiö, Utsjoki, the north of Sodankylä and all of Inari, where we live.
Inari is Finland's largest municipality, about 17,300 km², with some 7,200 people. It has four official languages: Finnish, Inari Sami, North Sami and Skolt Sami. Each of the three Sami languages has only a few hundred speakers.
Inari village stands on the shore of Lake Inari, 55 km from Muotkan Ruoktu, about 40 minutes by car. It is small and easy to walk, and it holds the two places that tell the Sami story best: the Siida museum and Sajos, the seat of the Sami Parliament. Plan half a day, or a whole one if you add the wilderness church.
What to see in Inari
Photo: Manfred Werner (Tsui), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Siida, the Sami museum
The Sami National Museum and a nature centre under one roof.
The main exhibition ties Sami culture to the nature of the north, and the open-air museum behind it shows traditional Sami buildings and the old ways of making a living. Metsähallitus has its customer service in the same building, with maps and advice for walks in the area. Check the opening hours before you go: in winter Siida is closed on Sundays.
Photo: Ben Morphett, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Sajos, the Sami cultural centre
The seat of the Sami Parliament of Finland, on the Juutua river.
Opened in 2012, Sajos houses the Sami Parliament, whose 21 members the Sami elect every four years, together with the Sami archives and education centre. Its name is an Inari Sami word for a place where you love to arrive and stay for a while. The café-restaurant Čaiju serves lunch, a good stop between the museum and the river.
Photo: Trogain, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Pielpajärvi wilderness church
A red wooden church in the forest, reached only on foot.
Built between 1752 and 1760, the church still stands alone in the forest by Lake Pielpajärvi. A marked path of about 5 km leads to it through the forest from the parking area outside Inari village. It is a good walk in the snow-free months, with the church as your reward.
Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Lake Inari
Finland's third-largest lake, frozen for half the year.
Lake Inari covers about 1,043 km² and is dotted with islands. In summer boat trips leave from Inari village; in winter the ice turns it into a white plain, and we take you out on it by sledge for an afternoon of ice fishing. On a clear night the northern lights dance above its bays.
Visit with respect
A visit here is a visit to someone's home, not to an attraction. Metsähallitus, the state agency that runs Finland's national parks and wilderness areas, asks visitors for five simple things: respect the Sami cultural surroundings, treat the fragile Arctic nature with care, keep dogs on a lead, give reindeer and herding work their space, and choose genuine, locally run services.
In practice: ask before photographing people and their animals, stay out of herding enclosures and private yards, and be wary of anything that dresses Sami traditions up as a show.
In 2018 the Sami Parliament of Finland published ethical guidelines for Sami tourism, so that tourism benefits the Sami and tells their story truthfully. They are short and worth reading before you travel.
Questions ? Your Little Guide to Lapland
Free, with local tips from those who call Lapland home.
When to visit Finnish Lapland, what to wear, how to get here and what is myth or reality: the questions we hear most, answered from our own local experience to help you prepare, travel better and enjoy the real Lapland.
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With a local guide or a herder
Two ways to meet Sami culture through the people who live it, both from our village.
News from the fell
A short letter when there is something worth telling, never more than once a month.
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Keep planning
Inari is one half of the picture. The other is the wilderness on our doorstep.
Responsible travel
Small groups, local guides and respect for the wilderness and Sami culture, recognised by three sustainability labels.
How we protect the place
