Iriadamant

The Iriadamant were a community, also described as a cult,^[1] that lived in northern Finland from 1991–1993. The residents of the community were mainly French and Belgian but dressed in Native American costumes.^[2] The group arrived in Finland with the support of Professor Erkki Pulliainen of the University of Oulu with the intention of "studying living in nature" and learning self-sufficiency. In the fall of 1991, the group founded a camp near Kittilä. Although of European descent, they were referred to as "Kittilä's Indians" (Finnish: Kittilän intiaanit) or "lifestyle Indians" (Finnish: elämäntapaintiaani). When the camp was first established, it was generally viewed in a positive light.^[3]

By the beginning of 1993, the attitude had changed. Professor Pulliainen soon called off the relationship when it became clear that no research was being done at the camp. According to newspaper reports, the conditions were miserable, cold, dirty, and residents lacked food and healthcare. Campers were accused in the newspapers of, among other things, abusing children.^[4] It was revealed that the group was mainly dependent on external food supply. The founder of the Iriadamant, Pierre Maltais [fr], usually did not live in the camp but in a hotel in Helsinki. The movement was more and more widely regarded as a "green feather show" created by an eco-cult, in which the leadership deceived the outside world and its members. The Iriadamant were deported from Finland in 1993. The community disbanded soon after.^[2]