Sami dwellings on the Kola Peninsula, among the hills and lakes, the Sami built dwellings for centuries, adapted to a nomadic lifestyle and harsh nature. Their homes changed along with their way of life: from light portable structures to solid log cabins. We tell how Sami housing evolved — from the vezha to two-story houses.
Vezha: Ancient Sami Dwelling
The Sami vezha is a frame structure of pyramidal shape, covered with turf and birch bark. At the end of the 19th century, it was widespread throughout the Kola Peninsula, but by the 1920s it had almost lost its residential significance, surviving only as a summer fishing dwelling for fishermen.
The construction of the vezha differed in the western and eastern regions. In the west (among the Lovozero and Voronye Sami), four thick poles were stuck into the ground at the corners, the upper ends were crossed in pairs, and a horizontal "smoke pole" was passed through the holes. The frame was covered with poles, bark, and turf. In the east (among the Seven Islands and Yokanga Sami), the base of the vezha was a small log cabin of 2–3 courses of slabs, and the structure itself was slightly sunk into the ground — by 15–20 cm. The area of the vezha was about 3×3 meters, height up to 2 meters. Inside, a hearth burned, smoke escaped through an opening at the top. Sleeping places were arranged along the walls: the place of honor opposite the entrance, closer to the fire.
The vezha was the main Sami dwelling until the appearance of log structures. The first mentions of log cabins among the Sami date back to the end of the 18th century — they were noted by N. Ozeretskovsky among the Sami of Lake Imandra. By the end of the 19th century, log houses had spread everywhere, but as early as 1849, V. Vereshchagin wrote that the Lapps had few log huts, and they lived mostly in vezhas.
Tupa and Pyrt: Sami Log Houses
The Sami log dwelling was called pyrt (among the Kola Lapps) or tupa (among the Scandinavian Sami). It was a single-chamber structure made of pine or spruce logs with a flat, slightly sloping roof of boards covered with turf. The area of the pyrt was from 10 to 16 square meters, height 1.5–2 meters. The entrance door, no more than a meter high, led to a hallway made of boards or branches. Inside — a plank floor, a ceiling of slabs, small windows. The pyrt was heated by a kamelek — an open hearth of stones, smoke escaped through an opening in the roof.
The appearance of log houses is associated with Russian influence: ancient Novgorodian routes passed through the Imandra region, and contacts with the Russian population led to the borrowing of log construction technology. By the end of the 19th century, pyrt became the main winter dwelling, and the vezha turned into a summer fishing dwelling. Some wealthy Sami already then built pyrt with gable board roofs.
Kuvaksa: Portable Dwelling of Reindeer Herders
Kuvaksa is a light conical structure of poles covered with canvas or birch bark. Its frame consisted of 12–25 poles about 3 meters long, converging at the top. In the center — a hearth, over which a cauldron was hung on a pole. Kuvaksa was used by reindeer herders during movements across the tundra, as well as by fishermen on the fishing grounds. Unlike the vezha, kuvaksa was a temporary dwelling: it was easy to disassemble and transport. Among the eastern Sami, it was called "oadai" (sleeping hut).
Kuvaksa appeared on the Kola Peninsula, probably, together with the ancestors of the Terek Lapps, who moved from Karelia in the 18th century. In literature, it is first mentioned in the 1880s. In the 20th century, kuvaksa survived as a summer dwelling for reindeer herders, and in winter it was replaced by the chum — a structure of 24–40 poles covered with reindeer skins and cloth, borrowed from the Komi-Izhemtsy at the end of the 19th century.
Barns on Poles and Outbuildings
The Sami outbuildings — barns on poles — served to store food supplies, equipment, and clothing. They were placed on one or four poles (stumps) to protect supplies from animals. A barn on one pole was a plank box with a gable roof, raised to a height of about 3 meters. They climbed into it using a log with notches. Such barns were an integral part of Lappish villages. By the beginning of the 20th century, they began to be replaced by storerooms in the hallways of houses.
At fishing sites, there were "fish barns" — structures of the vezha type with a deep pit in the floor for storing fish in barrels.
Modern Sami Houses
In the 20th century, the Sami transitioned to a sedentary lifestyle. In the 1920s–1930s, as a result of collectivization and consolidation of collective farms, large villages emerged — Lovozero, Tuloma, Yokanga. Traditional villages gave way to street planning. The modern Sami dwelling is a log five-wall house with a hallway, half of which is partitioned off as a storeroom. The house is placed on stones or wooden blocks, the roof is gable on rafters. Area — about 20 square meters. Inside — a Russian stove or a kamelek with a chimney, beds, modern furniture. In Lovozero, there are also two-story apartment buildings.
However, traditional structures have not completely disappeared. The vezha is still used as summer housing for fishermen (in Varzino, Lovozero). Kuvaksa remains a temporary dwelling for reindeer herders and fishermen. And the chum is the winter home of herders, where the hearth is increasingly replaced by an iron stove, and the floor is covered with boards.
Sami dwellings are not just architecture, but a reflection of a way of life where nomadism and sedentism, traditions and borrowings are intertwined into a unique culture of the Kola North.