Indigenous in Europe: Lessons from the Saami
In many countries of the world, especially in the West but also in the Global South, we can see an alienation between indigenous peoples and the Church, as well as in many cases also Christianity in general. The Church is perceived as part of the majority culture in the country and has therefore in many cases sided with that majority culture during times of oppression of the indigenous peoples.
In this article I aim to look at possible ways of making Christianity relevant to indigenous peoples. I lean on experiences with the Saami in Scandinavia as well as other indigenous peoples around the world.
The Saami people are frequently referred to as the only indigenous people of Europe, even by Saami organisations themselves.[1] The Saami may be the only officially recognised indigenous people in Europe, as they are mentioned as such in the Constitutions of the Nordic countries. But we can also think about Frisians in the Netherlands, Sorbs in Germany, Setu in Estonia or Mari, Vepsians, and Komi in the European part of Russia as well as many others.
Even if the word indigenous has a broader meaning, the term “indigenous peoples” has become very much a technical term in international law. It builds on The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 169 which defines indigenous people as:
“Peoples in independent countries who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, or a geographical region to which the country belongs, at the time of conquest or colonisation or the establishment of present state boundaries and who, irrespective of their legal status, retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions.” [2]
The Convention also states that self-identification is crucial. One of the reasons for that is to prevent people from being excluded because they are considered to be “half” or “one quarter”. Note that the definition is not about who was there first.
Even if there are difficulties with any definition, and it is true that there are differences in interpretation in different areas, there is broad acceptation of the UN/ILO way of using the term. Also, most international Christian bodies like the World Council of Churches, the Baptist World Alliance, the Word Communion of Reformed Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Methodist Council, and others have adopted this definition. Jim Memory in his article in Vista 47[3] applies principles connected to mission among indigenous peoples to the majority cultures in different European countries, like Swedes, Germans, Italians etc. However, I think we need to be careful not to cause confusion in the dialogue both within the international Christian community and in the society in general. Therefore, I use the term indigenous people in the sense of ILO 169. What distinguishes an indigenous people from the majority people in a country is that the former inhabited the area before the national boundaries were established and have a culture and language distinct from the majority (national) culture.
But Memory’s article points to very important issues which are related to issues in the indigenous communities, and it is right that there is a need to lift up the role of local culture and language in mission work. He points to the importance of the local cultures in Europe, the importance of the language of the local community as opposed to the dominating position of English, and to the importance of the local musical traditions. I fully support his conclusion that mission to the peoples of Europe is a cross-cultural mission. Mission must always be contextualised into the local culture. The problem of dominance of (translated) North American worship songs for example is evident in Europe as well as in other parts of the world.
“The relationship between the Church and the Saami people has been complicated through history ”
The position of the European indigenous peoples in Europe is at times difficult. Many of them have experienced forms of oppression from the side of the national majority culture, and often the Christian church is perceived as part of that majority culture. The Saami for example traditionally live in the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola peninsula in Russia. Sápmi, as they call their land, has been colonised by those nations in much the same way as many “overseas” lands have been colonised by Europeans. The relationship between the Church and the Saami people has been complicated through history since “church,” until recently being a state church, was so closely connected to the majority people of the country. Church representatives were also representatives of an oppressing state, very often not standing with the oppressed but with the powerful. Churches have also denounced large parts of the indigenous culture as “pagan” and even the language has been forbidden at times. The use of indigenous languages have been set back in many countries.
Language as culture bearer
As Christian churches, we have been speaking about the importance of contextualisation in Christian mission and church work for some time and this now forms a natural part of theological thinking when we speak about mission in for example African or Asian countries. Jim Memory has also pointed out the importance of this in Europe today.[4] But the awareness of the importance of contextualisation is much less when it comes to indigenous peoples in their own country! Even the need of language material has been disputed (“They all speak Swedish don’t they?” is a comment I have heard too often). But, as Jim Memory pointed out in the cited article, language matters. The problem he notices around the dominance of English is even stronger when it comes to indigenous languages. Some Swedish hymns are translated into Saami languages but only one so far is translated the other way. Even if most people are in practice bilingual, it has shown to be of utmost importance to use the Saami languages in the churches in Sápmi. The language of the heart touches people as no other language does, because the language is such an important bearer of the culture. Since many years I use Saami in all church services in the Saami area. Which is appreciated even by those Saami who have more or less lost their own language due to state politics! Availability of both Scripture and Christian materials in Saami is important. It sends a signal that the people are and the culture is valued.
The same pattern can be seen in the case of other European indigenous peoples. Dewi Hughes has written about his own experiences as a Welsh person and the way the language and culture have been oppressed by the majority culture. In the past, speaking Welsh led to punishment in school.[5] And here is another example. I once met a Mari pastor, serving in a Mari village and speaking Mari with his family. I asked him to pray in Mari, which he did, apparently deeply moved. He told me that this was the first time he had ever prayed loud in his mother tongue. You were not supposed to do that in church. I could name many other examples. Since language is such an important culture bearer, majority cultures have often attacked the use of indigenous languages. This has happened in many countries in Europe as well as in other parts of the world.
It may surprise one that only as late as 2024, the first-ever New Testament in South Saami language was published! There are still quite a few languages in Europe where only parts of the Bible or nothing at all has been translated. Sorbian, Vepsian, Ölvdalian, Seto, Kabardian, to name just a few.
How to preach the Gospel in an indigenous context
The indigenous peoples of Europe are mostly in a far weaker position than the local national cultures of Europe. Language and culture are still often marginalised, and church is perceived as being part of the majority culture. Where many people see the need of contextualisation when it comes to overseas mission, and more and more also within the European cultures, the indigenous cultures in European (and other) countries are still overlooked. Clear missiological principles which have been cited many times before still need to be stressed upon when it comes to indigenous cultures. When I first came to Sweden in the early nineties there was very little understanding of the need of contextualisation into the Saami culture. Saami yoik (traditional chanting) was considered pagan. There was not even a part of the Bible available in any Saami language. Saami culture was viewed negatively on by both church and society. A Saami pastor from Norway I met was told that you cannot be a Christian and a Saami at the same time. Luckily, things have improved since then, even if there is still a long way to go.[6]
“Apart from language, we need to allow indigenous Christians to develop their own ways of doing church”
Apart from language, we need to allow indigenous Christians to develop their own ways of doing church, for example to use their own music or to form their own meeting place. Sweden needs a Swedish church, but the Saami need a Saami church built on the Saami culture. As long as the church is perceived as something belonging to the majority culture, this will be a hindrance for indigenous people.
I spoke with some friends who are Udmurts, an indigenous people in Russia. They evangelised through song and dance taken from Udmurt culture. One of the songs was about the story of Kyldeshin[7], a story deeply rooted in traditional Udmurt mythology. He was the Creator and leader of the people, but the people no longer followed him. He went away then, taking with him the Book of life. And they expect him to come back. From this story, those friends started to talk about how he in fact has come, and they talked about Christ. My friends told me about the reactions in the villages, where many came to Christ. “We thought of Christianity as something Russian. But this is our story!” My friends saw a revival among Udmurts and an Udmurt church growing. But it also brought them into serious conflict with their own church, unjustly accusing them of allowing paganism.
How do we preach in an indigenous setting? To be able to preach effectively demands a thorough knowledge of the culture. It is important that images we use are taken from every-day life as well as from the traditional mythology of the culture. Since the reindeer husbandry is so foundational for Saami culture I often refer to small practices and experiences in that area. There are elements in traditional Saami life that remind one of certain stories in the Old Testaments, not least the nomadic life of the era of the Patriarchs and the time in the desert. We can find metaphors there which speak perhaps more to the people than the usual metaphors from sedentary farmer settings we are so used to and which speak to the Swedish culture. And the fitting metaphors are there in Scripture if we only look for them! There are also traditional Saami stories that can be used to explain the Gospel. Preachers often refer to contemporary things but most of the time they are taken from what happens in the Swedish context rather than the Saami. In a Saami context that does not work so well.[8]
“Preachers often refer to contemporary things but most of the time they are taken from what happens in the Swedish context rather than the Saami. In a Saami context that does not work so well”
Indigenous worship - a gift to the whole Church
The development of an indigenous way of worshipping, an indigenous theology, and an indigenous ecclesiology is not only imperative if we want to see a living church among the people, but its’ importance goes further. It also enriches the whole worldwide Church. Different cultures give different perspectives and images of God. One example is the way many indigenous people look at earth and creation. In western theology, creation theology started to be talked about as late as the 1980’s. And not even then we really understood how all of creation is valuable in itself, and that we are an integral part in the creation network. Creation is not something we could own, according to many indigenous peoples, among them the Saami. To be a Christian and talk about salvation while exploiting creation is not trustworthy. We have much to learn from indigenous theologians in this respect.
Together, our understanding of God and of the Gospel becomes more complete and powerful. If we do not allow this diversity we not only exclude indigenous groups from the Christian community, but we also deprive ourselves of a richer Christian life. The diversity in ways of worshipping is reflecting the diversity in God’s creation and in God himself.
So let us allow the diverse indigenous ways of praising God, of preaching, of using symbols, and the speaking of other languages, enrich our spiritual life.
Gerard Willemsen is a European Christian Mission missionary based in Sweden
Endnotes
[1] Sarivaara, et al (2013), “Who is Indigenous? Definitions of Indigeneity” in European Scientific Journal, Volume 1, pp.369ff., https://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/2317/2190, Swedish Development Forum https://fuf.se/en/magasin/europas-enda-urfolk-bor-i-sverige/ , the official Truth Commission https://sanningskommissionensamer.se/en/about-the-indigenous-sami/ and the official information site of the Saami Parliament in Sweden https://samer.se/ . All accessed 09/10/25.
[2] International Labour Organisation Convention 169, 1989, https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C169
[3] Memory (2025), ”Thinking indigenously: applying an old missiological principle in the new Europe”, Vista 47, https://vistajournal.online/latest-articles/thinking-indigenously accessed 09/10/25
[4] Ibid.
[5] Hughes, Dewi (2001), ”Castrating culture”, Paternoster Publ., Cumbria
[6] Lindmark and Sundström, Eds. (2016), De historiska relationerna mellan Svenska kyrkan och samerna, 2 vol. Artos.
[7] Vladykina (2021), “The Udmurt Pantheon and the Udmurt worldview. Sator, vol 22, 05 pp. 141-150
[8] Willemsen (2009), ”Gud i Sápmi”, Vulkan.