The Sámi are the only Indigenous people of the European Union, with a history spanning thousands of years, including in the Helsinki region. Sámi culture is present in Helsinki in many ways. Strong family ties, Sámi languages and Sámi culture connect the community, while life in the city also raises questions about identity, how it is shaped and how connections to one’s roots can be maintained.
The Our shared village exhibition, which opens at Helsinki City Museum on 6 November, explores the lives of Sámi people in Helsinki today. The exhibition materials have been produced and selected by Sámi people living in Helsinki, who have also shaped how they are presented.
The curatorial team consists of Aimo Aikio, Laura Feodoroff, Helmi Hagelin and Mari Gauriloff. The exhibition’s designers, architect Eveliina Sarapää and graphic designer Lotta Hagelin, are also Sámi.
The exhibition grew out of a documentation project in which Sámi people themselves determined what should be preserved as part of the city’s collective memory. The project highlighted themes such as connections to multiple places, passing Sámi languages and culture on to future generations and preserving them, as well as the importance of taking action in wider society to advance these issues.
The exhibition also explores urban Sámi identity, everyday life and celebrations, as well as the history of the Sámi in the Helsinki region. Portraits by photographer Marja Helander reflect the diversity of Helsinki’s Sámi community.
– The right of the Sámi to decide on matters concerning themselves is enshrined in the Constitution of Finland, but even that does not always guarantee that this will happen, notes Gauriloff, and continues:
– In this project, the Sámi have been responsible for both the content and the implementation. The museum’s role has been to support us in this endeavour. This is a groundbreaking concept in the history of museums, and we hope it will spread even further, Gauriloff says
– Promoting diversity is not just about the content we produce, but also about how it is produced. Cooperation with the Sámi community helps us to develop community-led approaches that take the community’s own voice, expertise and perspectives into account from the very beginning, says Elisa Sarpo, Senior Planning Officer at Cultural Services.
Contemporary Sámi art at Cultural Centre Caisa
On 30 October, Cultural Centre Caisa will open Litnát, lahka – Gently, Firmly, an exhibition by Kirsi M. Paltto and Jouni S. Laiti exploring universal experiences such as grief, intimacy, love and alienation.
The artists, who live in Inari and are originally from Utsjoki, have created installations and sculptures inspired by the techniques and materials of duodji, or Sámi handicrafts. Their works combine materials such as burl, wood and horn with wool, textiles, rusty steel and other industrial materials.
Sámi culture on the concert stage
The Giitu – Kiitos musical performance will take place at the Savoy Theatre on 6 November, serving as the opening concert for the Our shared village exhibition. The highlight of the concert will be the world premiere of a new work bringing together Ulla Pirttijärvi’s joik tradition, the Norwegian ensemble Áššu and the Helsinki-based Ilma Vocal Ensemble. The concert is organised in collaboration with the Savoy Theatre and Helsinki City Museum.
Sámi music also features in the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra’s programme. The Encounters Club at Musiikkitalo will welcome Ánnámáret, also known as Anna Näkkäläjärvi-Länsman, on 22 January. Her music brings the Sámi joik tradition into dialogue with contemporary musical expression. Admission to Encounters clubs is free.
The programme as a whole forms part of the City of Helsinki Cultural Services’ diversity vision. Its guiding principle is that people from all walks of life in Helsinki should not only be able to see and experience culture, but also have a say in how their own cultures, experiences and stories are represented. The aim is to work together with communities to create space for their own art, knowledge and voices.