Salla

The area now called Salla was historically part of Kuolajärvi, one of the Sámi communities of Kemi Lappmark. Forest Sámi families used lands and waters for hunting, fishing and gathering, moving seasonally between resource areas. The winter village served as a meeting place for trade, taxation and the settlement of disputes.

Agricultural settlers arrived from Kemijärvi and Kuusamo in the eighteenth century. Indigenous families remained in the region, and marriages between them and newcomers became more common. These changes took place within a landscape where seasonal knowledge and access to forest and water remained important.