In the early morning the Endeavour anchored outside Mortensnes, Varangerfjord in Finmark. She was the first passenger ship to visit the interior of this fjord since 1877! As the Zodiacs brought us ashore we were greeted by Sami people in traditional dress. Our aim for the day was to learn about the history and culture of these unique people.
The Sami people live in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and parts of Murmansk in Russia. Exactly when they settled in the area has not been established but their lifestyle has always been closely tied to the reindeer. They speak a non-Indo-European language and still keep the old traditional culture alive. They originate from areas near the northern Ural mountains and in northern Siberia you still find tribes that are related.
During the day we visited two different sites and learn more about the very interesting culture of each area. In the late evening, after dinner, we cruised all the way to the northeastern tip of Norway through deep fjords and could see into Russia. The proximity to Russia was emphasized during the afternoon as we visited a very old Russian Orthodox church near Neiden, Norway.
The Sami people live in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and parts of Murmansk in Russia. Exactly when they settled in the area has not been established but their lifestyle has always been closely tied to the reindeer. They speak a non-Indo-European language and still keep the old traditional culture alive. They originate from areas near the northern Ural mountains and in northern Siberia you still find tribes that are related.
During the day we visited two different sites and learn more about the very interesting culture of each area. In the late evening, after dinner, we cruised all the way to the northeastern tip of Norway through deep fjords and could see into Russia. The proximity to Russia was emphasized during the afternoon as we visited a very old Russian Orthodox church near Neiden, Norway.
