Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Destination Norway: Experience Trøndelag
Left: Visitors can try lasso throwing. Above right: Antlers and other artefacts are on display at the museum. Below right: Kids can interact with a wooden replica.
The people of eight seasons Saemien Sijte, the Southern Sami Museum and Culture Centre is an important meeting place for anyone interested in Sami life and culture. By Pernille Johnsen | Photos: The Southern Sami Museum and Culture Centre
The Sami are the only indigenous people of Scandinavia and thus the northernmost indigenous people of Europe. Strengthening the understanding of Sami culture and history, which is a significant part of Norwegian identity, is the primary objective for the museum in Snåsa. The museum covers four counties and has the national responsibility for the south Sami cultural heritage.
Eight seasons The museum is open all summer and is a great destination for visitors of all ages, including families with children. Activities range from a Sami wood shop exhibition to lasso throwing, and visitors can test drive a wooden snowmobile. “Sami culture is passed on by oral tradition, so every visitor will have ample time with a knowledgeable guide on a tour with the chance to ask questions,” explains Susanne Lyngman, curator of the museum. 66 | Issue 89 | June 2016
The museum hosts screenings of Åtte årstidenes folk (The People of Eight Seasons), an animated film serving as an introduction to Sami life. “The work involved in keeping reindeer is divided into eight distinct sections of the year,” Lyngman continues. The film is screened in a traditional ‘Gamme’, a type of hut complete with a fire, daily at the museum. Reindeer make an important part of Sami culture and the animals roam free throughout the year. The reindeer meat is one of the healthiest meats, proteinpacked and low in fat, containing plenty of vitamin C as well as minerals and far less heavy metals than other types of meat.
celebration is already well underway in terms of planning, and visitors can expect a wide range of events. Saemien Sijte will arrange a festival, Tjaktjen Tjåanghkoe, in September 2017 in Snåsa. The Centre hosts a number of events, ranging from an annual celebration of the Sami people on 6 February, to meetings, courses and several theatre productions. For every new exhibition there is an opening ceremony, and the museum continuously reinvents itself by putting on four or five new exhibitions every year. There is a great deal to show and tell about Sami culture, so the exhibitions cover a wide range of fascinating subjects.
100th anniversary 2017 is an important year in Sami and Norwegian history. It is the 100th anniversary of the first Sami gathering, which took place in Trondheim. The
For more information, please visit: saemiensijte.no