The Skolt Lapps Today (Changing Culture Series) - Field Study

In this review of The Skolt Lapps Today the emphasis is on the book's strengths as an anthropological field study and historical account. Tim Ingold's 1976 examination of the Skolt Lapps' resettlement after the Second World War serves readers who want a careful, contextualized look at how forced relocation reshaped a small indigenous community. The book is best purchased for its detailed ethnographic observations and historical framing, making it valuable to students, researchers, and thoughtful general readers seeking a grounded study rather than a sweeping overview.

Key Features

• Historical context: Provides a clear account of postwar conditions when Petsamo was ceded and the Skolt population lost their homes, helping readers situate the community's plight in wider geopolitical events.
• Ethnographic focus: Concentrates on the Sevettijarvi reservation to document everyday social organization and community life after resettlement.
• Analysis of resettlement: Examines the fixed template of the official resettlement plan and how it shaped relationships and activities on the reservation.
• Discussion of ecological change: Addresses the ecological imbalance created by technological innovation and commercial penetration in the Skolts' environment.
• Concise case study: Offers a focused study from 1976 that can serve as a primary reference for comparisons with later research on displacement and cultural adaptation.

Who It's For

The Skolt Lapps Today is primarily for anthropology students, social scientists, and historians who need a close, field-based study of a displaced indigenous community and the institutional mechanisms affecting them. Its measured, academic tone suits readers who appreciate methodical ethnographic description over polemic or travel narrative.

Readers seeking a broad contemporary overview of Sami peoples across Scandinavia or a modern policy guide to indigenous rights should look elsewhere; this book is a time-specific study centred on one reservation and the social consequences of mid-20th century resettlement.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Detailed, place-based ethnography that illuminates community organization in the Sevettijarvi reservation.
• Strong linkage between historical events and local social change, useful for comparative research.
• Thoughtful treatment of ecological effects from technological and commercial pressures on traditional livelihoods.

Cons

• As a focused 1976 study, it does not provide recent developments or contemporary follow-up on the Skolt community.

Specifications

Title	The Skolt Lapps Today (Changing Culture Series)
Author	Tim Ingold
Subject	Ethnography of the Skolt Lapps and resettlement
Geographic focus	Sevettijarvi reservation, northeastern Finland
Historical focus	Post Second World War resettlement (circa 1940s-1970s)
Approach	Field study with analysis of ecological and social effects

Our Verdict

The Skolt Lapps Today is a valuable, narrowly focused ethnographic study that merits purchase for students and researchers interested in displacement, indigenous community organization, and the social consequences of resettlement plans. While it lacks contemporary follow-up, its careful documentation and analysis of ecological and institutional change make it good value as a primary historical source.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this book cover the historical reasons for the Skolts' displacement?
Yes, it explains that Petsamo was ceded after the Second World War and situates the Skolt resettlement within that historical context.

Is the book a broad survey of all Sami groups?
No, it focuses specifically on the Skolt Lapps in the Sevettijarvi reservation rather than the wider Sami population.

Will I find contemporary updates on the Skolt community here?
No, the study is from 1976 and provides a snapshot of that period rather than modern developments.