Vuontisjärvi The village of Vuontisjärvi having 183 inhabitants is situated about twenty kilometres east from Hetta, on the banks of Vuontisjärvi Lake.
Vuontisjärvi became well known in 1870, thanks to "Rovan Niku". Niku decided to dig a ditch from the lower half of the lake to his meadow, because his field wasn’t producing as much hay as those by the river. His act was foolish however, since once the water found a new route from which to flow, it soon became out of control, flooding out and causing Vuontisjärvi Lake to lose over 6 metres of water. Much sandy soil and several barns and pine trees were also lost under the torrent of water. The event was spoken about by villagers for a long time after, and it was a source of great loss to a village, where life depended upon of fishing and farming.
Vuontisjärvi has long been a typical nature livelyhood region. In addition to livestock management, fishing and winter willow grouse hunting are practised, with the northern half of the village still providing a good setting for these activities. On the outskirts of the village there are a few reindeer farms, which tell people about one of Enontekiö’s important sources of livelihood, namely reindeer herding.
The Lapland War destroyed Vuontisjärvi completely, so there are no longer any old traditional buildings remaining. The village now includes a combination of post-war one and half story houses with yards and fields in between for farming purposes. Some of the accommodation is situated on the former lake bottom. The new modern buildings have been either built in the outskirts of the old village, in the forested area or connected to old yards, so that the traditional image of the village is well preserved. The open village view affords magnificent views over the Ounas-Pallas fells.
In spite of the relatively young buildings, there have been inhabitants in Vuontisjärvi for a long time. Wild reindeer pits, by the old river in Kurkkiorova, provide evidence of stone age hunting methods. Old Lappish dwellings have also been found within the village.
Sights in VuontisjärviVuontisjärvi Lake:
Once a large lake, the water level dropped significantly in 1870, due to local man Niku and his ditch. You can still see the border of the old water level.
Hietamella:
Barren sand dunes, which dominate the village landscape.
Talvadus:
Reindeer separation paddock, 6 km from Peltovuoma.