FIRST NATIONS SAMI

I am a First Nations Sami. My father was born in the Kola Peninsula OF northern Finland/Russia. His mother – my grandmother was a Sami. His father was of Finnish origin. My father immigrated to Canada in the early 1950’s in order to find a better lifestyle for his family. I was born in Sault Ste Marie a few years later. My father was very proud of his Sami heritage. We spend many happy hours on Saturday’s sitting in his net house along the Fraser River. While he repaired his nets he would tell me stories and adventures of his life growing up in Lappi.

We moved to the west coast of British Columbia when I was about 6-7. He missed being by the sea, and didn’t want to work in the underground mines of Ontario. He became a commercial fisherman. He befriended the First Nations fishermen. He had only a small boat, that he converted to drum fishing.

Here are some of his Fishing Tales:

TALES OF A SEA SAMI – PETER MOON