Meeting place of different cultures

Since prehistoric times, the Pasvik River Valley and Inari area have been the meeting place of different tribes and cultures. Through the centuries, a multi-cultural population has formed in the area. The Skolt Sámi and Inari Sámi are the indigenous people of the Pasvik River and Lake Inari. Finnish, Norwegian and Russian peasant settlement spread northward from the 17th century onwards, and the border between the Sámi and settlers gradually vanished. Nowadays, Inari Sámi, Skolt Sámi and also Northern Sámi are living in three different countries: Finland, Norway and Russia.