Afanasyeva, A. Forced relocations of the Kola Sámi people: background and consequences / by Anna Afanasyeva. - Tromsø: University of Tromsø, 2013. - 82 p.: ill., map, portr.

55 poisoning, homicide and suicide. 170 He argues that the reason for such statistics are caused by the inability of Sámi individuals to adapt to the new order of society. He underlines that maladjustment of community members was accompanied with feelings of hopelessness and indifference towards their lives and health. Besides, Kozlov mentions the poor emotional state towards their ethnic affiliation among younger Sámi generations in the 1980’s. He discusses ethno- psychological research conducted in value orientations among Sámi pupils of the boarding school in Lovozero, which noted their emotionally-negative attitudes to their own ethnicity. 171 Table 5: Mortality rates among the Sámi people of Kola Peninsula in 1958- 2002. 172 1958- 1959 1965- 1969 1970- 1974 1975- 1979 1980- 1984 1985- 1988 1998- 2002 Mortality (total) 31 64 77 128 92 50 98 In general per year (approx.) 16 13 15 26 18 13 20 From external reasons (suicide, murder, accident) (%) 22,6 34,4 50,6 51,6 52,2 34,0 22,4 In comparison with the Russian population (%) 10,5 13,7 14,6 15,1 14,6 10,7 14,3 My informants told me that destructive behavior had predominantly affected male members of the community. The table above doesn’t present the gender division in numbers, but most of my informants stated that mostly men were affected by destructive behaviors. The relocation specifically affected men as they had always been involved in reindeer herding before the relocations and after the relocations those who had been involved in traditional activities lost their previous jobs. The cooperative farm in Lovozero had restricted number of working places mostly occupied by the local herders. Men who were previously involved in reindeer herding were left outside the traditional activity they were used to be engaged in. Many of them didn’t have a formal education and it was problematic to find a different kind of job than herding. The situation of the lack of housing was also a factor, which left many people in despair (lack of housing 170 Kozlov 2008: 80. 171 ibid: 92. 172 Kozlov 2008: 79.