Between breakfast and lunch, we worked on the
Blog. At lunch we shared a table with
Shirley and Charlotte of St. Paul, MN.
We discussed that area first, and then talked about the Sami
people. As we parted company, we found
out that they are not just sisters, but twins!
Our ship’s excursion was scheduled for 4:30 PM
today and was only two hours long.
During that time, first we were bussed through Hammerfest, which didn’t
take long; the city has a population of about 10,000. Our tour guide was Harmon from the
Netherlands.
Hammerfest was almost totally destroyed by
the Germans in World War II because orders came from Berlin that nothing was to
remain that could be of use to the Russians – a “scorched earth policy” was
normal for the Germans. The only building
left standing was a small cemetery chapel built in 1937. We also passed by St. Michael’s Church, built
in 1957, the northernmost Catholic Church in the world. Some buildings reveal a Russian influence
from the early days of trading with Russia, until that was stopped at some
point by a Soviet leader. Today,
Hammerfest is almost a “boom town” because of the thriving oil industry. Our guide told us that jobs are plentiful
here, and he thinks it’s a wonderful place to live.
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| Sami Hut |
Who are the Sami? They are an ancient people who have lived in
this area (Lappland) since before written history, much like the Eskimos
inhabit the frigid area of North America. It seems likely that they, the Ainu of Japan, and
the Eskimos (and perhaps the Native Americans, also) share DNA. The ancient Sami followed the herds of
reindeer seasonally, having separate winter and summer homes. Today, the Sami in Norway and Finland own all
of the reindeer – there are no completely wild reindeer. (No one is allowed to hunt them.)
This particular Sami whom we saw today has
the name of Michael. His pants were
crafted from heavy, soft leather; his shoes were also distinctive; and his
shirt looked a little like a Native American’s.
We listened to Michael tell about his life and family. (Sally had difficulty in hearing all of what
he said, due to his soft voice. Although
he has an accent, his English was surprisingly good since the Sami people have
their own language in addition to Norwegian.)
Michael and his wife have two sons and one daughter. Since only males can own the reindeer, the
females are free to attend school. As a consequence,
daughters are well educated and sons are not!
Of course, herding has changed in recent years; the herders move about
on snow mobiles, not snow skis, and the reindeer are tagged so that their
locations are always known, and their movements are tracked by computer. The Sami also use drones to keep an eye on reindeer
in remote locations.
Someone asked what happened to the Sami
people during World War II. He answered
that some of them left Norway and went to Sweden or Finland, but Germans killed
the reindeer that remained in Norway.
Another question was about difficulty in keeping their traditions in
modern society. Michael answered that,
since the 1970’s, it has become more and more difficult. Especially with the advent of the internet;
this has made it more tempting for young people to leave.
Sally was most surprised by the physical
appearance of the Sami. Although she had
expected them to be dark (like Eskimos), they look like the rest of the
Norwegians who live in the area. Although
they might have tried to stay “separate,” their DNA has obviously mixed with
Caucasians over the centuries.
For the last few minutes of our encounter
with the Sami, we were provided samples of reindeer meat to eat by Michael’s
wife and son. His wife’s jacket was
trimmed with fringe which, again, was reminiscent of a Native American’s clothing.
Very near the Sami hut was a lookout point,
from which could be seen much of the city and surroundings. Before getting on the bus, most people walked
there to see the view.
Back
on the bus, our guide joked about Norway’s weather. A saying from Bergen, Norway says, “There is
no such thing as bad weather – just bad clothing!” Another joke told goes thus: “In Noah’s time,
it rained for 40 days and 40 nights.
Here we call that ‘summer.’”
Although this was a rainy day, it was barely misting, if even that, when
we were getting on and off the bus. So,
it could have been much worse.
After returning to the ship, we danced for 45
minutes before dinner. Some bread treats
were brought to our table – whether just brought by the waitress because we’ve
been there so much, we didn’t know…. Tonight
the pianist played some electronic music and we couldn’t see how it
worked. Then, at their break, she
(Nadia) showed us that the piano, though it looks like a grand piano, the
structure is actually fake; it’s an electric keyboard. Nadia introduced herself, as did the bass
player (Brad). The drummer (Mike) had
already left for his break.
By the time we went to the Lido Market for
dinner, most people had eaten, and so we ate alone. Some dishes were supposed to be “Viking,”
though we didn’t try any. Sally enjoyed
the baked cod and cooked red cabbage.
Today, the Prinsendam had docked near an Aida
(German cruise line) ship, which left at about dinnertime. The Prinsendam set sail at 10:00 PM.
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