Utsjoki

Utsjoki lies in northern Lapland, where the Utsjoki River joins the Teno amid fells and wooded valleys. A Sámi village was recorded here in 1551. People gathered seasonally to fish, trade and attend to community affairs; their movements linked inland winter grounds with the coast and its summer resources.

A wooden chapel was built beside Lake Mantojärvi in 1700. After the border arrangements of 1747 placed Kautokeino in Norway and Utsjoki in Sweden, Utsjoki and Inari formed a parish of their own under the diocese of Turku. The priest was initially expected to stay in Utsjoki during winter and move to Inari in summer as Sámi families travelled towards the coast. Church gatherings also brought occasions for baptisms, marriages, court business and the payment of taxes.