SAMISK FOLKEDAG
ISSUE 4
Wall Scuplture above our bed! ICE DOMES Ice Hotel, Tromso, Norway
Norway is dazzling. With its 55000 islands with its uppermost, north of the Arctic circle, and 1700 named fjords dotted along the 57000km-long Norwegian coast. With a backdrop of epic landscapes, it is a seafaring nation inspiring enchanting folklore with a heritage of exploration and conquering brutal Vikings.
It is also home of the Sami people. The Sami are the descendants of nomadic peoples who had inhabited northern Scandinavia for thousands of years with a rich culture intertwined with optimising survival in challenging conditions. Their culture, fast disappearing but protected, remains full of unique knowledge to live in harmony with (extreme) nature and animals. In Norway, it is decreed that only the Sami can keep Reindeer. And in fact Reindeer is critical to their survival.
Samisk Folkedag is the Sámi National Day, celebrated on February 6th, anniversary of when the first Sami congress was held in 1917 in Trondheim, Norway.
In this issue, I was curious to understand how communities can live so well in such extreme conditions.