Education
Olaus Sirma went to school in Duortnus, and later attended University of Uppsala further south in Sweden.
Olaus Sirma went to school in Duortnus, and later attended University of Uppsala further south in Sweden.
His most well-known work is the poem Moarsi favrrot, which Henry Wadsworth Longfellow alluded to in his poem "My Lost Youth". Sirma was one of the few Sámi students at Uppsala who did not come from the Sámi schools of Liksjoe or Biŧon. Following his education, Sirma served as a priest from 1675 until his death in Eanodat.
Olaus Sirma translated the catechism of Johannes Gezelius to his native Kemi Sámi, a now extinct Sámi language.
He applied to have it printed in 1688 and in 1716, but did not receive funds. The book was printed only in 1913.