Suksipallo

Suksipallo (in German: Skiball ) is a sport that was used in northern Finland until the middle of the 20th century and is no longer practiced today . Especially among the Sami it was a pastime in the winter months that also offered training for the harsh winter. Two teams compete against each other on skis on an extensive field . The aim is to push a ball made of reindeer leather with the help of the skis over a line made of sticks in the opposing field. Suksipallo was only widespread in Lapland and especially in the narrowly delimited area between Kuusamo, Rovaniemi and Inari . In the open-air museums there, information boards and exhibits remind of the tradition of Suksipallo.

Suksipallo is described in the museum of local history in Kuusamo as a “mixture of skiing and soccer”, while Johannes Scheffer's travelogues from the 18th century describe it as the “wild skiing race of overconfident men for a reindeer ball” (for example: wild ski race between over-motivated men around a reindeer ball). The injury rate seems to have been quite high among the players; in any case, Heikki Ylikangas et al. a. Suksipallo as an example of how raw behavior in the history of Finland is also reflected in its leisure activities. There were no rules regarding fouls , which should have been accompanied by rude tackles and often painful injuries.

literature

• Johannes Scheffer: The history of Lapland: shewing the original, manners, habits, religion and trade of that people. Ecco Print Editions, 2010. ISBN 978-1-140-72172-7 (first edition R. Griffiths , 1751)
• Heikki Ylikangas , Petri Karonen, Martti Lehti: Five Centuries of Violence in Finland and the Baltic Area. Ohio University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8142-5062-9 and ISBN 978-0-8142-5062-4

Web links

• Kuusamon kotiseutumuseo , the local museum in Kuusamo