This essay has been a literary study where the purpose has been to provide insight into Sami settlements focusing on the so-called stalló foundations. Based on previous research, questions that have been considered have touched on who or whom the builders of the stalló foundations are, what uses they have had, and what period the stalló foundations may have dated. The delimitation has been to limit the period from about zero to about the 17th century. The material in this essay consists of books and scientific articles. After a thorough analysis of the previous research, a separate discussion has also been conducted. The result showed a disagreement about who is the builders of the stalló foundations as well as whether the stalló foundations have been part of a moving or permanent settlement pattern. However, much suggests that the stalló foundations have a Sami origin, and that there may be regional differences and natural geographic conditions that may have affected the use of stalló foundations. Finally, the stalló foundations appear to have a total time span in the period 500 to 1900 AD, but most of these have been used during the Viking Age and a bit in the Middle Ages.