The Sàmi People's Faith And Religion. Poem by Tor Magnor Solvang

The Sámi people's Faith and Religion then and now.

The wind whispers secrets through ancient trees,
A language the Sámi know on the breeze.
Every mountain a soul, every river a dream,
In nature's embrace, life's a flowing stream.

The rocks hold spirits, the reindeer their grace,
A world full of wonder, in this sacred space.
Juksáhkká watches, where boys learn to aim,
The bow mother's blessing, whispering their name.

The Noaidi drums, a heartbeat so deep,
To call on the spirits, while the village sleeps.
Rune symbols spinning, a future unfolds,
Hunting and fishing, in stories untold.

Sieidi stones stand, in the moss and the light,
Offerings given, to make futures bright.
A balance maintained, with respect and with care,
For the earth that sustains them, the air that they share.

Worlds above, below, and the world we can see,
Connected together, eternally.
But shadows crept in, with tales of a new god,
The old ways grew fainter, where spirits once trod.

Christianity came, with its comforting song,
Mixed with old magic, where it didn't belong.
Though change has arrived, like the winter's cold hand,
A flicker of memory, remains in the land.

For deep in their hearts, a whisper remains,
Of spirits that linger, in the forests and plains.
The old ways forgotten, but never all gone,
The Sámi still listen to the land they call home.

Tor M.Solvang