a North Sámi song from M. A. Castrén's manuscripts, from Otto Donner, Lappalaisia lauluja (1876)

Matthias Alexander Castrén (1813–1852), the Finnish linguist, wrote this song down in North Sámi without saying where, when or from whom he had it. Otto Donner printed it from Castrén's manuscripts in 1876, judging from its language that it belongs with the northern dialect of Finland, and printed beside Castrén's text a reading of it in the Sámi of Utsjoki, made with the Utsjoki Sámi Aslak Laiti; the English follows that reading. The singer warns intruders off the land and its hunting place, telling them what the earth and the wilderness will do to them; then turns from a god who looks past the people though they gather antlers and bones for him and smear him with fat, and goes far away with them to seek a good god, to try whether they can make one at a certain stone, and to win a hunting place.

Translation

Wicked people cry,
with ugly voices they shout.
You use your voices in our places,
you shall not go many steps
over these boards.

The creeping things of the earth soon
shall dig out your places (your eyes?),
and the peäduk of the wilderness carry you off,
when you begin
to open the doors of our huts.

Let them stay shut,
stranger, the houses:
we are the inhabitants of this land,
you are ragged dwellers,
wanderers of the rough land.

We have hatred against you:
you tear apart and scatter
our hunting place.
We live with few goods
because of your hunting.
You have many children of thieves,
we have many dwelling places.

Now I mean to set out travelling;
you too set out travelling
to another place. When you come
beside a fitting stone
you shall fall asleep,
then I shall see
when you are sleeping.

Stones roll before me,
wild reindeer run behind me.
Do not get up before
those stones
come right up against you;
then get up and take a look.

I have already brought many wild reindeer
and made their feet fast,
and they make no more headway, travelling
away from before you.
Take [?] a big stone
and a white stone.
Bears are brought to you;
you clear them away.

A bigger band we have seen,
and from beside our god they seize
hụöđđuit, coins,
gold and silver;
he gives them to his own.

We have served only him,
and those have not done him
anything for his good.
We gather for him
wild-reindeer antlers and bear bones,
and he [?] them.

Now we may well
grow angry with our god,
when he looks past us,
and we take our antlers away.
We have smeared him
with bear fat
and with wild-reindeer fat.

Far away we go.
And we seek ourselves a good god,
then we find a bountiful god,
when we know how to serve him,
when we know how to honour him.

We settle now and look at
a certain stone for ourselves;
there we stay a short while
and now we sleep, to try
what kind of place it is,
if we gain so much
that we manage there, for ourselves,
to make a god.

We sleep a short while,
then surely they come
here to us.
Then we take stones in our hands,
when we see it coming near,
then we let fly with a fine bow
and shoot with shank-bone arrows,
each one whatever he snatches.
And now we win ourselves a hunting place.

Colophon

Translated from the Sámi of Otto Donner, Lappalaisia lauluja (Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 1876), no. 24. Donner prints no title; the English title is taken from the song's pivddu sadjāmek, "our hunting place" (line 18), and pivddu saji, "hunting place" (line 83). Donner took the song from M. A. Castrén's manuscripts in Helsinki University Library; Castrén gave no place, date or informant, and Donner judges from the language that it belongs with the northern dialect of Finland. Donner printed both Castrén's text, in Castrén's spelling, and a reading of it in the North Sámi of Utsjoki that he made with the Utsjoki Sámi Aslak Laiti. The English is translated from that Utsjoki rendering, which is the Source Text below; Castrén's older form is printed after it. Donner printed a Finnish translation after each song; it was not consulted. The text used is the Project Gutenberg transcription of Donner's book, with the Sámi lines proofed against the Sámi of his German edition, Lieder der Lappen, 1876.

Words were checked in J. A. Friis's Ordbog over det lappiske Sprog (1887), in the Sámi–Norwegian glossary of his Lappiske Sprogprøver (1856), and in the Good Works Library's North Sámi word list. Friis gives divrre (tiurrīk) as an animal, insect or creeping thing, and roggat as to dig, scrape or hollow out; where Donner prints säjīt, "places", he offers čelmīt?, "eyes?", and the English gives both. Mæcce (mǟtsi) is the wilderness or outland, and fiello a board or plank. Amas is strange or foreign, so amas olmai is "stranger"; the same word is also the conjunction "lest", the other possible reading of line 12. Asse (ässik) is one who dwells settled in a place, as against the nomad; orro (orruk) is one who stays in a place; ramsas (printed ramsjas) is ragged or torn; kibbel, which Friis marks as a word of the Swedish side, is uneven or tussocky ground; and a vagjolægje (vadjulädjik) is a wanderer. At ramsjas and Kibbel (lines 14–15) Donner's German edition prints a question mark in place of each word; both words stand on the same lines of Castrén's older form, and the English follows them. Gaikkot is to tear and bidgit to scatter or tear apart. Suola is a thief, and Friis notes that it also names the wolf. Fierrat is to roll and ruottat to run, above all of draught animals; godde is the wild reindeer. Guoskat is to touch or come against, and njeigga "straight at, right up against". Goastat is to make headway, to get anywhere. Erit ragjat is to clear away or get rid of. Lutte is "at, by". Aive is "only". Dajdet with an infinitive is "may, perhaps". Dal is "now"; at line 67 both forms print it tal, without the long vowel of tāl and the older form's taal at lines 55, 70 and 83. Bagjel is "over and past", so a god who bagjel gæčča looks past his people. Vuoiddat is to smear or anoint, and buoidde is fat. Valljas is "rich in provisions, having plenty", here "bountiful". Nokkat is to fall asleep or to sleep, and nokkastet to doze; gæččalet is to try or test; buktet is to bring and also to manage to do; gælle (kelli) is "surely". Bigjat is to put or set and also to send (Friis's mittere, sende); with a bow the English reads it "let fly". Vuorgo is the lower bone of the foreleg of a reindeer or a cow, so vụörggu ńuolain are shank-bone arrows. Ješ gutteg (jieš kuttik) is "each one, each for himself".

Two words are read from context. Čirguk (line 1), whose nearest entry in Friis, čirgot, means to spurt or squirt, is rendered "cry" from the parallel čurvuk, "they shout", in line 2. Happit (line 82) is rendered "snatches" from Friis's related hapadet, "grab at", and happetet, "be quick to seize a chance". Two are left in Sámi: peäduk (line 8), a word of the wilderness and the subject of tolvuk, "they carry off", perhaps beasts of some kind but not found in the dictionaries; and hụöđđuit (line 46), named with coins, gold and silver, and likewise not found. At line 50 tat, "that", stands with läk, the form of "are" that goes with a plural subject, and Castrén's older form has the plural tak, "those"; the English follows the plural. At line 40 Donner prints a lone question mark where the older form has the word vedset, and the English prints [?]. Line 54 reads Ja son tait?, "and he them?", with the question mark after tait and no verb, where the older form has Ja son tait kousi; the English prints "and he [?] them" and does not guess what he does with them. Donner's other words in parentheses are spellings of the same word and are not repeated in the English. Ibmel is written with a capital in the Sámi; here it names a god for whom the people gather antlers and bones and whom they smear with fat, and whom they leave to seek a good one, so the English writes "god".

No English translation of this song is known to us.

© 2026 Tianmu Anglican Church. This English translation is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: you may share and adapt it for non-commercial use with credit to the Good Works Library, tianmu.org. The source text keeps its own terms. For other uses, see Rights and Reuse.

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Source Text: (untitled; from Castrén's manuscript)

The Sámi text as printed by Donner (1876), no. 24, in the Utsjoki rendering by Donner and Aslak Laiti, from the Project Gutenberg transcription, proofed against his German edition.

Pahas olbmuk čirguk,
Fastīs jienain čurvuk.
Jienait adnībättit mīn paikkīn,
Äppit kalga ollu laukīt jottīt
Tai fiellui padjil.

Ǟdnam tiurrīk farga
Kelgik tīn säjīt (čelmīt?) roggat,
Ja mǟtsi peäduk tolvuk tīn,
Ko tī riebmabättit
Mīn kōđītǟmik uvsait läkkut (lǟkkutit).

Tiktit orrut kidda,
Amas olmai, viesuit (viesuk),
Mī läp tām ǟdnam ässik,
Tī läppit ramsjas orruk,
Kibbel ǟdnam vadjulädjik.

Vašši mīst lä tīn ala,
Tī kaikkupättit ja piđgipättit
Mīn pivddu sadjāmek.
Orrup utsan kālvuin
Tīn pivtui tītti.
Tīst lä ǟdnak suola mānak,
Mīst lä ollu orrum sajīk.

Mon tāl aigum vụölgīt jottīt,
Tī maita vụölgīt jottīt
Nuppī sadjai ko tī poattīpättīt
Vuogās keäđgi kuorāst,
Nokkastit kalgapättet,
Te mon oáinam,
Ko tī läppit óađđīmin.

Fīrrik keäđgik mu oudast,
Ruttik koddīk mu mangīst.
Allīt likku oudal,
Ko tak keäđgik
Kuskik tīn njäigga,
Likkit tälli keäčastit.

Mon läm jo ollu koddīt puktam
Ja piddjam jūlkīt kidda,
Äige sī koasta ǟnip jottit
Tīn oudast ēriti.
Valdīt ? stuorrās keäđki
Ja vilgis keäđki.
Kuoučak puktujik tīn lusađek,
Rādjapättit tī tait ēriti.

Eänip joaukku mī läp oáidnam
Ja tak tōppuk mīn Ibmīli lut
Hụöđđuit, ruđait,
Kollīt ja silpait,
Son adda tait jiečaiđi.

Mī läp su palvalam äivi,
Īge tat läk takkām sudńi
Maidīgen pūrīdis.
Mī čokkip sudńi
Koddī čōrvīt ja kuouča täutīt,
Ja son tait?

Mī tāl taitip (täidip)
Ibmīlǟmik ala suttat,
Ko son mīn paddjil käčča,
Ja valdīp ēriti čōrvītǟmik.
Mī läp su vụöittam
Kuouča puitīguin
Ja koddī puitīguin.

Kukkas mannap mī ēriti.
Ja otsāp ältsimek šiega Ibmil,
Te mī kaudnap valljas Ibmil,
Ko mī mättip su palvalit,
Ko mī mättip su kudniattit.

Assup tal ja kaččup (keäččup)
Muttom keäđki ältsimek (älcisǟmik)
Tast orrup oánikis aiki (äiki)
Ja nokkap tāl käččalit,
Maggar paikki tat lǟ,
Jụös mī tam mađi fidnip,
Ko mī puktip tast ältsimik (ältsisǟmik)
Ibmil rākkađit.

Nokkup oánikis aiki (äiki),
Te tak kelli pōttik
Tasa mīn lusa,
Te valdup keäđkīt kieđaidassamek (kieđaidassasǟmik),
Ko mī oáidnip tam póattimin lakka,
Te mī pidjap čāppa taukīn (täukīn)
Ja vụörggu ńuolain pāčip (pǟčīp),
Jieš kuttik mait son happit (häppit),
Ja vụóitup ältsimek tāl pivddu saji.

Source Colophon

Otto Donner, Lappalaisia lauluja (Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 1876), no. 24, in the Utsjoki rendering by Donner and Aslak Laiti. Public domain. Text from the Project Gutenberg transcription of the book (PG #73262, 2024), proofed against the Sámi lines of Donner's German edition, Lieder der Lappen (1876; Internet Archive identifier liederderlappen00unkngoog). Donner's line numbers, printed at every tenth line, are left out. Donner divides the song into four parts with printed rules (— — —), after lines 35, 43 and 61; the longer parts are divided further here, at the same places as the English. Donner's question marks at lines 7, 40 and 54 and his variants in parentheses are kept as printed. At lines 14 and 15 the German edition prints a question mark where the Project Gutenberg transcription has ramsjas and Kibbel; the Source Text keeps those two words, which also stand on the same lines of Castrén's older form.

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Older Form as Printed by Donner

Castrén's text in his manuscript spelling, as Donner printed it, from the same transcription, proofed against his German edition, divided at the same places as the Source Text; Donner's line numbers and a short note of his at line 34 are left out.

Pahas olmuk ciurvuk
Fastes jenai sjurvuk
Jenait adnibetet mijn paikkiin
Eppet galga ollu laukiid jottet
Tai fjelluid pagjel.

Adnam tæirik forga
Kalkit tijn sait roggat
Ja mætsi pädok tolvot tijn
Ko tii riemabettet
Miin kotinämek uvsait läkkotet.

Tiktet orrot kidda
Amas olmai viesok
Mi läp tam adnam assek
Tii läpped ramsjas arrok
Kibbel ädnam vadjolädjek.

Vasse mist lä tijn ala-ttet
Tii kaikkobet-ttet ja pidgibet
Miin pivdo sajamek.
Orrop utsan katvuin
Tiin pivtoi titi
Tiist lä ädnak suola maanak
Miist lä ollo orrom sajit.

Mon dat aigom vulget jottilet
Tii maita vulget jottilet
Nubbe sadjai ko sii poattebetat
Vuogases ketke kuorast
Nokkastet kalkabettet
Te monje oidnom
Ko tii läppet oaddemen

Firrek kelkek mo oudast
Ruttak goddek mo mangest.
Ället likko oudal
Ko dak ketket
Kuskek tīn niiga
Likket talle kätsastet.

Mon läm jo ollo koddijt puktam
ja pidjam julkit kidda
Eige sii koasta äneb jottet
Tiin oudast eriti.
Valdet vedset stuoras ketke
ja velges ketke
Guotsak puktujek tijn lusadek
Radjebettet tij tait ereti.

Anep joukko mii läp oinam
Jo tak toppuk mijn Jubmeli lut
Huodduit rudait
Kollijt ja silbait
Son adda taiki jetsäidi

Mii läp su palvalam aive
Eike tak lä takkam sunje
Maidengen puurejtes
Mii sjokkip sunje (sjokkip)
Kodde tjorvijt (sjorviit) ja guoktsa tavtiit
Ja son tait kousi

Mii taal taitep
Ibmelämek ala sullat
Ko son miin padjel-kätsa
Ja valdet eriti tjorvitämek
Mii läp tu vuittam
Guovtsa puitiguoim
Ja godde puitiguoim.

Kukkas mannap mii eriti
Ja otsop altsemek sjega Ibmel
Te mii gaunop valias (ja arvos) Ibmel
Ko mii mattep su palvalet
Ko mii mattep su kudnettet

Assop tal ja kätsop
Muttim ketke altsimek
Tast orrop onekes aike
Ja nokkap taal kätselet
Maggar paikke tat lä
Jus mii tam made fidnip
Ko mii puktik tast altsenak
Ibmel raakkadet.

Nokkop onekes aige
Te tak kalle poattek
Tasa miin lusa
Te valdop ketkiit kiedaitassamek
Ko mii oinep dam poattemen laakku
Te mii pidjap tabba taujiin
Ja vuorga nuolain patsop
Jes kuttek mait son happet
Ja vuidup altsemek taal pivdo saji.

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