Tråante – The Sami jubilee

There have probably never been more Sami people together in one place anywhere in the world, than i the Norwegian city of Trondheim last week. The Sami are the people of the North, the only people in Europe recognized as an indigenous people, and they came from all the four countries where the Sami lives. That is from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Their common nation is Sápmi.

The occasion was Tråante 2017, a celebration marking the 100 years that have passed since the first congress for the Sami people. That meeting was held in Trondheim between February 6th and 9th in 1917. Everyone was welcome of course, regardless of cultural background. But it was fascination to see so many Sami people with all their different national costumes, all over town.

During the celebration there will be a certain focus on democracy, justice and diversity. Tråante 2017 is also meant to give people better understanding about the Sami people; their culture and history during this centennial.

Nils-Anders og Per Maguns Appfjell, fra Brurskanken Rein, Helgeland in Nordland county. Their families are reindeer herders and they are also selling their own products, made of reindeer meat in different traditional ways.

There were many concerts in the opening week, among them Kalle Urheim from Tysfjord. Urheim mix modern music and old Sami traditions from his region, which is lulesami region. There were also a lot of different exhibitions, and I will recommend to join some Tråante events anywhere in Sápmi this year.

From the exhibition of the Norwegian photographer Torgrim Halvari. He has travelled to all the four countries in Sápmi, to make the collection: 100 Sámi Portraits. In this picture, Ida Marie Bransfjell, photographed in front of her own portrait. Bransfjell is a Sami politician represented in the Sami parliament, and also the project manager of Tråante 2017.

Traditional Sami houses, one for storage, at the Sverresborg cultural museum in Trondheim. This house, a gåetie, was built by Daniel Mortensson in the 1800s, and transfered to the museum in 1934. The Sami were then nomadic, and this gåetie was used in winter times.

There are more photos from Tråante 2017 on this link.

And there are some from the Sami fashion show in Trondheim last week on this link.

Link to my own exhibition, Båatsoe, a documentary of the South Sami reindeer herders, shown in a gallery in Trondheim now, and in two ther galleries later this year: https://bentehaarstad.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/baatsoe-living-with-reindeers/