Luttojoki Skolt homestead

The Skolt homesteads were used in the 1940s. They were protected as Urho Kekkonen National Park was established.

The Skolt homesteads are managed by Metsähallitus Parks and Wildlife Finland. Parks & Wildlife Finland has carried out renovations of buildings at the homesteads, most recently in 2013–2014 and 2017.

The buildings along the River Luttojoki at Oskarinkoski rapids were the winter dwellings of the Semenoff family. The buildings located on the shore of Lake Oskarinjärvi were used by the family of Iivana Semenoff, possibly round the year. The summer settlement of the Semenoff family was located on the shore of Lake Kotajärvi in Suomujoki 12 kilometres away.

The family travelled to the winter settlement on the River Luttojoki by boat already in late August and returned to their summer settlement in May. The dwellings were used by the Semenoff family and Oskari Fofanoff, the son-in-law of Outas Semenoff, in 1946-1948 after they had been evacuated from Petsamo.

The Skolts of Suonikylä were later settled permanently near Lake Sevettijärvi. The buildings of the Skolt homestead were constructed in keeping with old traditions, making them valuable in terms of building history and the Skolt heritage.

In Lutto winter village by Oskarinkoski rapids lived Oudas (born in 1876) and Natalia (born in 1873, née Gerasimoff) Semenoff and their daughter Maria and son Pietari (‘Peätt’, born in 1921) with his wife, Helena (born in 1924, née Fofanoff). Oudas and Natalia’s daughters' sons, Ontrei and Eljas, were also part of the family. On the eastern shore of Lake Oskarinjärvi lived Oudas Semenoff’s son Iivana (‘Uts-Evvan’, born in 1908), with his wife Eufrosinia (born in 1908) as well as their three daughters and son. The western shore of the lake was home to Oskari Fofanoff and his wife Akilina (née Semenoff) as well as their four children.

There were two houses on Lake Oskarinjärvi, which are currently in poor condition. Only a few layers of logs are left of the third house. There are also storage pits and huts near the houses.

When Finland ceded Petsamo to the Soviet Union in the Second World War, the Semenoffs and Fofanoffs lost the areas that traditionally belonged to them, as did many other Skolt Sámi families. Petsamo had been the traditional homeland of the Skolt Sámi. During the war, the Skolts were evacuated to the Finnish side of the front. After being evacuated during the Lapland War, they were no longer able to return to their former homes. Along with the ceded areas, Skolt families lost their homes, reindeer herds and other property, and some of their relatives were left on the Soviet Union side of the border.

The Semenoff and Fofanoff families initially settled as close as possible to their former homelands near the eastern border along the Suomujoki and Luttojoki Rivers. They built a winter settlement for themselves on the banks of the Luttojoki River, near the mouth of Suomujoki. The dwellings of the summer settlement were built only 12 km from the winter dwellings on the shore of Lake Kotajärvi in Suomujoki. There were also summer settlements on Lakes Ahvenjärvi, Aittajärvi and Ruohojärvi as well as the Luttojoki River. After a few years, the Semenoff and Fofanoff families moved away and settled permanently in Sevettijärvi.

Oskarinkoski Skolt homestead is located upstream on the Luttojoki River, 300 metres from Oskarinjärvi homestead. In addition to residential buildings, Oskarinkoski homestead has a smoke sauna, earth oven, two cellars and a toilet. The homestead also had pens and shelters for sheep. A storage hut and remains of other huts can be found at the Skolt homestead. Separate storage platforms were built for hay and lichen.

Hay for the sheep was collected from three different places. The best one was a meadow with tall grasses at the mouth of the Suomujoki River, one kilometre downstream the River Luttojoki, marked by a birch grove on the northern bank of the river. The meadow had previously been used by Raja-Jooseppi, or Joosef Juhonpoika Sallila, who lived further downstream on the Luttojoki River. After Jooseppi died in 1946, the hay meadows were used by the Skolts.

The winter settlement was a ‘village’ of two families; in addition to the Semenoffs, the Fofanoff family settled on the Luttojoki River. The families arrived at their winter settlement by boat in late August and netted fish under the ice throughout the winter. Reindeer husbandry also played a role in their livelihoods, even though a significant proportion of their herds had been left behind in their former homeland. There was no reindeer fence at the winter settlement. The grazing was good, eliminating the need to feed the reindeer. Only a handful of reindeer were kept tethered at the homestead. In addition to reindeer, the Skolts had sheep.

The buildings were protected by a decree in 1985. Visitors are not allowed to enter the buildings, apart from the toilet, which can be used by all hikers.

The following buildings and structures can be found at the Skolt homesteads of Luttojoki (Oskarinkoski and Oskarinjärvi):

1. Oudas Semenoff’s cabin at Oskarinkoski
   • This cabin with two rooms is located on the eastern shore of the Luttojoki River. The house was built with notched logs, which were carved smooth on the inside. The family of Oudas and Natalia Semenoff spent their winters in this building in 1946–1948.

2. Cabin at Oskarinkoski
   • This cabin was the winter dwelling of Iivana (Uts-Evvan) and his wife, Eufrosinia, in 1946–1948.

3. Sheep pen at Oskarinkoski
   • The Semenoffs’ sheep pen

4. Smoke sauna at Oskarinkoski

5. Earth oven at Oskarinkoski

6. and 7. Cellar at Oskarinkoski

7. Toilet at Oskarinkoski

8. Barrier

9. Information board at Oskarinjärvi

10. Cabin at Oskarinjärvi
    • The cabin housed Oskari Fofanoff's family of six. (Iivana Semenoff’s family lived on the other side of the lake.)

11. Outbuilding at Oskarinjärvi

12. Outbuilding at Oskarinjärvi

13. Hut for sheep