Outside of Scandinavia, Germany has Northern Europe’s largest Sami collection in its museums.
Through a project funded by the German Foundation for Lost Arts, three Sami museums from Sweden, Norway and Finland have examined parts of the collection and eight craftspeople have made their own interpretations of the crafts they selected.
– I chose to sew a ládjogapir, horned cap, and here I found a red one. I have been interested in it for a long time and it turned out that it was here in Berlin, says craftsman Anniina Turunen and continues:
– There is so much old craftsmanship here and this project has meant a lot to me.
“Warms my heart”
Eeva-Kristina Nylander, researcher at the Sámi museum Siida in Finland, has also appreciated being part of the work.
– It warms my heart to see the exhibition. I feel happy that the old craft here far away from Sápmi is now joined by the new craft, she says.
Although this part of the project ends with the exhibition, the work is far from over.
– More research is needed on the collectors who were up and collected the objects. We will also start a discussion with the museum about what we can do going forward, says Elisabeth Pirak Kuoljok, museum director at Ájtte.
Open until next year
The exhibition in Berlin is open until January 2025. Then the idea is to bring it to Sápmi.
– We have a dialogue with the craftsmen from the Swedish side and the hope is in any case to get an exhibition of their creations, says Elisabet Pirak Kuoljok.
The long-term plan is to bring about a handover of parts of the collection to Sápmi over time. But it is a job that takes time.
– MEK’s museum director has said that the final goal should be a handover and that is where we are all working now, says Eeva-Kristina Nylander.