The Grounds of Kaapin Jouni – old homestead of a Sámi family

The Grounds of Kaapin Jouni is the old homestead of a famous Sámi family. The most well-known man of the family, Jouni Aikio, better known as Kaapin Jouni (1875–1956), was the "reindeer lord" of his time, the head and patriarch of his family. Before Kaapin Jouni, the site was the home of the founder of the homestead known as Menes-Antti or Karhu-Antti ("Bear Antti"), Antti Juhaninpoika Morottaja (1853–1907). The homestead was established in the late 19th century and has remained occupied ever since. The last member of the founding family moved away from the homestead in the spring of 2004.

The building complex tells the story of the diverse Sámi way of life – particularly the phase when the people began to shift towards fixed dwellings. The Grounds of Kaapin Jouni are important to the Sámi people; the site is part of the Lemmenjoki area's Sámi cultural landscape. To date, there are very few protected Sámi cultural landscapes and architectural sites, which is why the site is also significant on a national scale.

The state purchased the Grounds of Kaapin Jouni in 2002, and the site is situated in its entirety in Lemmenjoki National Park. There are very few sites of cultural historical value in the vast Lemmenjoki National Park. Other historically valuable buildings in the park are found at the old Sallivaara reindeer round-up site the gold-digging area and the small cottage on the Grounds of Matti Musta. The Grounds of Kaapin Jouni are a significant addition to the whole of Lemmenjoki National Park.

A maintenance team has been appointed to the site to manage the restoration, use and maintenance of the homestead and its buildings, with the objective of preserving the area's valuable Sámi cultural history and traditional landscape. The old items and artefacts preserved from the homestead have been inventoried. Under the supervision of the Sámi Museum, the items have been cleaned, photographed and listed as part of the museum's collection. Metsähallitus signed the homestead's inventory over to the Sámi Museum Foundation in the spring of 2008.

• History of the Grounds of Kaapin Jouni, in finnish (julkaisut.metsa.fi).

The sheep take care of the yard. Kaapin Jouni's old settlement area consists mostly of dry and fresh grass and herb meadows, as well as heath meadows. The types of meadows vary like a mosaic, as does the diverse species growing in the meadows. The area has been cleared to be open, and it has been mowed annually. Now, the area is maintained by sheep in the summer.

The meadows are home to the near-threatened species MoonwortBotrychium lunaria and Autumn Moonwort Sceptridium multifidum. There is an abundance of Arctic Bramble Rubus arcticus, Lesser Lesser StitchwortStellaria graminea, Long-leaved Speedwell Veronica longifolia and Goldenrod Solidago virgaurea.

Other notable species include Hoary Whitlow Grass Draba incana, Alpine Bistort Bistorta vivipara globeflower Trollius europaeus, Tall Jacob's ladder Polemonium acutiflorum , and Alpine cinquefoil Potentilla crantzii. The meadows also contain the fragrant sweetgrass Anthoxanthum hirtum.