Arjeplog blasphemy trial of 1687
The Arjeplog blasphemy trial of 1687 took place in Arjeplog in 1687 against two Sami, Erik Eskilsson and Amund Thorsson, who were put on trial accused of blasphemy for being followers of Sami shamanism during the Swedish Christianization of the Sámi people in the late 17th century. Their case was a notable one and is often referred to in Sami history. During this period, the Sami widely practiced two religions simultaneously; they attended High Church Lutheran worship at the local Church of Sweden parish, while maintaining at least some elements of the Sami religion at home. Erik Eskilsson, as well as Thorsson, belonged to the more wealthy Sami in Norrbotten and thereby felt more secure due to the taxes they could afford to pay to the crown. During a Lutheran sermon, when the minister denounced the Sami religion, Eskilsson and Thorsson commented that they found the hostility to the Sami religion strange, and that they would obviously not abandon the faith of their ancestors. Afterward, the minister visited them in the company of several Lutheran Sami. He defaced the pagan altar and confiscated the Sami drum by the use of violence. Eskilsson and Thorsson followed him and retrieved the drum.