Inari Sami people Inari Sami people Inari or Aanaar Sami are a group of Sami people who inhabit the area around Lake Inari, Finland. They speak the Inari (Aanaar) Sami language, which belongs to the eastern Sami languages. There are an estimated 700–900 ethnic Inari Samis in Finland, of whom approximately 300 speak Inari Sami. They are the only group of Sami who live within one state and one municipality. Inari Sami are indigenous peoples of their area. The traditional homeland of Inari Sami is the shores of the Lake Inari and the surrounding areas. Historically they are believed to have inhabited a
Inari Sami people Inari Sami culture was fishing and hunting. Fishing lost its importance because Lake Inari was being overfished in the 20th century. The main hunting game was Finnish forest reindeer, but their numbers collapsed in the 18th century. Inari Sami moved between winter and summer homes, though this practice disappeared quite early. Inari Sami mythology had some of the same gods as Finnish mythology did. Most important of them was "Äijih", who had similar characteristics as Finnish Ukko had. Other gods included "Piäiváž" and "Čäcialmai". Holy sites of Inari Sami ("Sieidi") were often on islands of Lake Inari. Most important of