Sáhkku was considered a sinful game by Christian missionaries and Laestadian evangelists. As a result of this religious pressure - in addition to official Norwegianization policy’s pressure to abandon all aspects of Sámi culture and identity, and the destruction of Coast Sámi material culture during World War II - sáhkku began to fall out of use in Sámi communities after the 1950s. In some localities the game was still played regularly during the 1960s (often in secrecy to avoid negative reactions from those with religious objections to it) but it eventually fell out of widespread usage.