The Sámi may be the first, or aboriginal, people of the post-Ice-Age Arctic Alpine region—northernmost Fennoscandia and northwestern Russia. No clear evidence exists that proves they were the first settlers, but neither is there evidence or even claims that any other people were the first. From early times, the Sámi have influenced, and been influenced by, languages, traditions and practices of the other peoples of the North. The chapter offers a brief history and discussion of the modern Sámi people, both in traditional Sámi territory and in the urban centers of Mainland Scandinavia. It also describes and samples some varieties of the Sámi language in Norway, Sweden, and Finland.