The economy of the Kola Sami in the second half of 18th century (based on the materials of statistical statements)

Abstract

The topic of the article is at the junction of such topical areas of historical science as the history of mass sources and regional history. The subject of the study is the economy of the Kola Sami in the second half of the 18th century. The object is the statistical statements of 1764, 1784 and 1785. The first two statistical statements were introduced into scientific circulation relatively recently, and the third became known at the beginning of the 20th century. The analysis of these sources allowed us to identify some aspects of the economic development of the Sami people population of the county: the leading branches of the Kola Sami economy were fish and animal husbandry, the proportion of which could vary depending on natural and climatic conditions; the Kola Sami cannot be called traditional reindeer herders, since reindeer husbandry was represented in the form of a medium-sized cattle breeding farm, performing mainly food and transport functions; another subsidiary occupation was animal husbandry, which was not widespread due to the inability to keep cattle in large numbers; agriculture also did not play a big role in the economy of the Kola Sami, since natural conditions and a semi-nomadic lifestyle did not encourage them to this occupation.