With the museum Siida in the village of Inari, it is a center of Sami culture.
Unlike most of other Sami groups, Inari Sami didn't historically practice large scale reindeer husbandry. The more descriptive feature of Inari Sami culture was fishing and hunting. Fishing lost its importance because Lake Inari was being overfished in 20th century. The main hunting game was Finnish Forest Reindeer, but their numbers collapsed in 18th century. Inari Sami practiced yearly moving between winter and summer homes, though this practice disappeared quite early.
Inari Sami mythology had some same Gods as Finnish mythology did. Most important of them was Äijih, who had similar characteristics as Finnish Ukko had. Other Gods included Piäiváž and Čäcialmai. Holy sites of Inari Sami (Sieidi) were often located in islands of Lake Inari. Most important of them was Ukonsaari. Only men were allowed to go into these holy sites, though women could go in if they dressed as men.
The Inari Sami costume is seen as important part of Inari Sami identity, and it has been used in Inari area uninterruptedly. The background of both women's and men's costumes is black or dark-blue with red, yellow and green used in the decor. Traditionally there was winter garment (peski) which was made out of reindeer coat, but it has largely been replaced with modern snowmobile suits.
The trilogy His Dark Materials by the English writer Philip Pullman, which takes place in an alternative world somewhat similar to our own, features a prominent character, Serafina Pekkala, who is a witch queen from a tribe near Lake Inari. A character in The Snow Queen, a fantasy novel by the American author Mercedes Lackey, enters the Underworld and comes across a group of villagers from Inari. A thriller written by Gavin Lyall (1965, The Most Dangerous Game) acts in and around Inari
