Fwiffo:
Certainly! I would love to do a series of posts about this.

The Sami are a nomadic "indigenous" people who throughout history have survived in northern Scandinavia by hunting, trapping, gathering, and fishing; with elk and reindeer providing the resources for food, clothing, tools, etc. It was animal furs that primarily attracted the Viking traders (Hall, 2007). The Sami are quite peaceful and humble, and it may be because of this their relationship with the Vikings was one of “mutual toleration” (Hall, 2007). In many areas, the Sami paid “tribute” (taxes) to Viking chieftains (and merchants, most notably the famous Viking merchant Ottar) and would do so without resistance. The taxes were primarily in the form of hides, feathers, whalebone, and rope made of whaleskin and sealskin (Ferguson, 2009).

The Vikings, however, are a complete contrast to the Sami. It goes without saying their very name is synonymous with war, violence, bloodshed, and raiding. One only needs to look at their gods (particularly Odin, Thor, and Tyr) to see what war meant to them. War was glorified in every aspect of their lives, including song and poetry (and their games). Viking life revolved around the war-band which consisted of a self-styled “king” and his men (Clements, 2005).

Tablut is a game that is the playing out of a battle or war. In my opinion, this type of game does not depict the Sami at all. It is the Vikings who were obsessed with violence and war, not the Sami. So while I see friendly play between Sami and Viking (both lovers of games), I do not see the Sami inventing this game of war.

Sources:
Hall, Richard. The World of the Vikings. Thames & Hudson, 2007. Page 32.
Ferguson, Robert. The Vikings. Penguin Books. 2009. Page 152.
Clements, Jonathan. The Vikings. Running Press. 2005. Page 52.