Unpredictable Life Zigzags on the Way to Kola Sami/Saami

I want to be sure to tell the story of how I came close to the Sami, who still represent a veritable mystery for many generations of anthropologists, historians, and scientists, even in our modern times.

In a conversation with my brother's friend, a name of a so-called local shaman was mentioned. She subsequently visited this shaman looking for help. Thus, it became one of my unpredictable life zigzags that led me to the "rediscovery" of Sami. Also, I have read a lot about this mystic northern tribe. Sami/Lapps, as an ethnic group, almost disappeared in the archives of history on the Kola Peninsula.

On the phone, I spoke with a woman who claimed to be a shaman. I asked her if she could look at my brother's Akashic records. I never mentioned his name and circumstances. She asked me to call later because to see the past, present, or future, she needed time. A couple days later, she proved something that I already knew myself or that I had learned from my friends-that my brother's mother-in-law kept the will and stole (with the help of her neighbors) everything they could before his son came to the funeral. It was nothing new to me, but it was good to hear that she was able to tell me this accurate information. She was upset by the actions of an old woman and her neighbors.

One day, she mentioned her son's trauma. His neck was broken after he tried to jump into a pool that was nearly empty, and he almost lost his ability to move. Somebody intentionally almost drained the pool completely before his fifth jump. He couldn't see the level of water in the pool from the height of the trample, particularly because the room was partially dark. Many young people visited a pool in the long Pole days, and he was among them. The accident should have rendered him dead, but perhaps his lineage has to continue.

Like many of the Sami people, Olga learned the art of shamanism in early childhood and unleashed it when the former USSR collapsed and people had their first opportunity to taste freedom. She needed to support her family at the hardest time of the "perestroika." Her help as medicine woman to her son was useful in the beginning, but later it became hard for both of them. His wife divorced him immediately after tragic accident. He was left to be with his family and close friends. That part, I learned from his mother.

While we had chats, she never shared details of where her family lives and what her place truly was in the Sami community. I tried to learn more about the ancient tribe. The stories about Sami had mystified me as long as I could remember. I did research and learned a lot, and even many years ago, I tried to visit their settlements.

Olga lived in an area that was sheltered by government. To be here, you have to be invited. Otherwise, it is hard and dangerous to travel to this region without permission. Almost all of the working population living here are part of security system operating strict labor campuses or maintenance work at the local mines.

Most prisoners working in the mines died sooner or later from tuberculoses and other diseases as a result. The environment in this part of the world is a ravenous killer in its own right. Many people before "perestroika" arrived to this Pole region to earn a valuable northern salary by working as miners or at the gigantic government plants. While some sooner or later returned to the mainland, others stayed forever in this mystic land of the unknown.
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