Early settlement history

The first pre-historic settlements were established in Kainuu in the final stages of the Ice Age around 10,000 B.C. 
Man was dependent on nature for a long time after the emergence of the first settlements and his ways of life were shaped accordingly. In those days people usually settled in shoreline areas where large open places were available without people having to clear them first. In addition, lakes and rivers provided an easy passage from one place to another.

People moved a lot in the Stone Age, as seasons and hunting trips forced them to change location frequently.

The introduction of iron in Finland changed people's everyday lives much more than copper and bronze had done. Edged weapons made of iron were much more durable and practicable than bronze ones. Iron was found in a much broader area than copper, and when people learned how to make weapons and tools out of it, they were no longer dependent on imported metal.

In the Peace Treaty of Pähkinäsaari in 1323, Kainuu was left outside the borders of Sweden. The borderline determined in the Treaty did not hold, because the Finns extended their hunting journeys to Kainuu, for instance, where they also established permanent settlements. The resulting conflicts led to vast military action, or 'raider wars' as the Kainuu people called them, between Sweden and Russia in the late 16th century. In the Peace Treaty of Täyssinä in 1595, which marked the end of the wars, Kainuu was made part of the Kingdom of Sweden-Finland.