- Jan 25, 2009
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Sami people are very fascinating when considering the many ways that they have managed to survive in the times they have lived in.....I can't say that I know much on this subject, but after moving to Sweden I did become aware of the Sami people.
eudaimonia,
Mark
One of the most fascinating things about them as a people is their concept of time - as another wisely pointed out when saying the following:
Sami knowledge was based on experience in that knowledge was not obtained from a book or taught in classroom, but rather it was accumulated through repeated experiences of particular situations. Sami time was based on the cycles of nature, particularly the yearly cycle of the reindeer. Western time is based on scientific calculations and observations. From the sundial to the atomic clock, time relies on such measurements as the rotation of the earth to the number of oscillations of a particular atom. These finite measurements of time contrast drastically with the changeable calendar of the Sami. The Western concept of time is not a product of experiential learning but rather a shared careful observation made by a relative minority of the population.
Without a watch or clock, most Westerners would be unable to offer what they would consider an accurate estimate of the time. In Sami culture, knowing minutes and hours was not nearly as important as knowing what natural phenomena were occurring and which were to follow. For a people whose lives depended on nature completely, knowing when the reindeer migrate and when the salmon spawn was obviously of a higher importance than knowing the exact second, minute and hour of a particular moment in time. Specific days of the week were also part of the Sami calendar until the introduction of Christianity and the specific holy days associated with the religion. In order to understand the traditional Sami concept of time, the Western concept of time must be forgotten. In a world where Nature is ruler, Natures time is all that matters. One cannot predict the specific moment when reindeer herds migrate or ptarmigan chicks hatch; it changes from year to year, season to season. In a culture based entirely on Nature, time is relative to physical conditions, not necessarily the position of the stars or the planet, much less the oscillations of an atom.
Without a watch or clock, most Westerners would be unable to offer what they would consider an accurate estimate of the time. In Sami culture, knowing minutes and hours was not nearly as important as knowing what natural phenomena were occurring and which were to follow. For a people whose lives depended on nature completely, knowing when the reindeer migrate and when the salmon spawn was obviously of a higher importance than knowing the exact second, minute and hour of a particular moment in time. Specific days of the week were also part of the Sami calendar until the introduction of Christianity and the specific holy days associated with the religion. In order to understand the traditional Sami concept of time, the Western concept of time must be forgotten. In a world where Nature is ruler, Natures time is all that matters. One cannot predict the specific moment when reindeer herds migrate or ptarmigan chicks hatch; it changes from year to year, season to season. In a culture based entirely on Nature, time is relative to physical conditions, not necessarily the position of the stars or the planet, much less the oscillations of an atom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPiKAhhEHXA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?t=128&v=kaEFGGDYWa0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXffVjusbdY
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