Siida, located in Inari, has now been renovated and expanded to serve the increased activities and visitor numbers

Senate Properties, which is responsible for state facilities, has implemented an extensive renovation and expansion project at the Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida in Inari. The extension was completed in spring 2021, and now the second phase of the project has been completed. It included, among other things, the renovation of workspaces and building services. The renovated Siida will open to the public in June of 2022.

With the renovation and extension, the Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida has gained museum and nature centre facilities that meet the current technical and functional requirements. The renovated and expanded Siida building will serve the increased activities and visitor numbers even better.

“In the second phase, which has now been completed, the personnel workspaces have been renovated, the lobby has been expanded, and repair and renovation measures connected to construction, HVAC and electricity have been carried out. Special attention has been paid to ensuring good indoor conditions, to lighting, acoustics and safety solutions, as well as energy efficiency”, says Miikka Teppo, Construction Project Manager at Senate Properties.

Sakela Rakennus Oy, the contractor for the renovation, handed over the premises to Senate Properties on 25 March 2022. Senate Properties was the client of the construction project. Work will continue in the outer areas during the coming summer of 2022.

In addition to the renovation and extension, the Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre at Siida have been planning a new joint main exhibition. The exhibition called “Enâmeh láá mii párnááh – These lands are our children” sums up the main messages of topics related to nature and culture. Construction of the exhibition is underway, and the exhibition will open to the public on 1 June 2022.

“We cannot wait to move to the renewed Siida. From the point of view of customer service, we are very satisfied with the facilities, as the renovation will enable us to better serve the growing customer flows. Also, modern technology installed in the exhibition space enables a better visitor experience. Our staff has participated in the design process of the workspaces, and as a result, the Siida building offers workspaces for various needs”, Eija Ojanlatva, acting Museum Director, and Pirjo Seurujärvi, National Park Superintendent say cheerfully.

 

A protected site of Senate Properties

The Siida building has not been officially protected, but Senate Properties has defined Siida as an unofficially protected site, which means that the building will be managed and repaired according to the same principles as officially protected buildings.

“In the building, the entrances and lines of sight have been kept open and the main views are highlighted in the building. Original surfaces, such as concrete floors, have been preserved and restored in the building. The site’s design language has also been preserved, and rounded corners are an essential part of it. Among the furniture, the auditorium benches were refurbished for use”, says Miikka Teppo.

The Board of Directors of Senate Properties made an investment decision for the project in December 2019. The Sámi Museum Foundation is Siida’s main tenant, and it further sublets the premises to the Northern Lapland Nature Centre of Metsähallitus and Restaurant Sarrit.

 

Further information:

Miikka Teppo, Senate Properties, tel. +358 40 180 0929, miikka.teppo(at)senaatti.fi
Eija Ojanlatva, acting Museum Director at The Sámi Museum Siida, +358 40 167 6145, eija.ojanlatva(at)samimuseum.fi
Pirjo Seurujärvi, National Park Superintendent at Metsähallitus / Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida, +358 40 012 5782, pirjo.seurujarvi(at)metsa.fi

Sámi remains to be reburied in August

The last Sámi remains excavated from cemeteries in the Sámi homeland will be reburied in Inari and Utsjoki after the Sámi Church Days on 7–8 August. The deceased were laid to rest with funeral rites at the time of their burial, and the reburials will take place in a church ceremony following the order for the burial of the dead. The remains have been stored at the Sámi Museum Siida since 2001.

The Sámi remains will be interred at the cemetery on Vanhahautuumaasaari Island in Inari on Sunday 7 August 2022, and at Mantojärvi in Utsjoki and the Orthodox cemetery in Nellim on Monday 8 August 2022.

Events

On Sunday 7 August 2022 at 15.00, an event will be held in Inari at the lávvu reserved for the Sámi Church Days, where the programme will include telling the history of the remains. The reburial will take place at the cemetery on Vanhahautuumaasaari Island in Inari, where the remains and members of the funeral procession will be transported. At the lávvu, attendees will watch the reburial via live stream.

The events will continue on Monday 8 August 2022 at 10.00 in Utsjoki, where the remains will be reburied at the old cemetery at Mantojärvi. A coffee and discussion event for the funeral procession will be held in the churchyard.

The Skolt Sámi remains will be buried at the Orthodox cemetery in Nellim on Monday 8 August 2022 at an event starting at 15.00. A coffee and discussion event will be held for the members of the funeral procession at the Nellim clubhouse.

All of the events will be streamed live.

The reburial is an event that affects the entire Finnish and Nordic Sámi community. Similar events have been held earlier in the Sámi Homeland: on Vanhahautuumaasaari in Inari in 1995, in Alta, Norway in 1997, in Neiden, Norway in 2011 and in Lycksele, Sweden in 2019.

Committee responsible for the arrangements

The Sámi Museum Siida has set up a committee to handle the arrangements for the reburials. The members of the committee represent the Sámi Parliament (Leo Aikio, Anu Avaskari, Vuokko Hirvonen), the Skolt Sámi Siida Council (Hanna-Maaria Kiprianoff), the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (Tuomo Huusko, Erva Niittyvuopio), the Sámi Work Committee of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (Veli-Pekka Lehtola), the Orthodox Parish of Lapland (Jaakko Vainio), the University of Helsinki (Hanna Snellman), the Ministry of Education and Culture (Hanna Kiiskinen) and the Sámi Museum Siida (Minna Lehtola, Eija Ojanlatva).

Background

In 1995, the remains of 95 Sámi were returned to the cemetery on Vanhahautuumaasaari Island in Inari from the anatomical collection of the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Helsinki. At that time, the initiative for the reburial came from the Church Council of Inari Parish.

However, there were still other Sámi remains in the collection, and a committee established by the university took inventory of them. In 1998–1999, the committee discussed questions related to the ownership of the extensive collection of human skeletons collected in the 19th and 20th centuries and the principles of using the remains for research purposes. With regard to the Sámi remains, the committee also worked together with the Sámi Parliament.

As proposed by the committee, the Sámi remains in the anatomical collection of the University were repatriated to the Sámi homeland in 2001, to the Sámi Museum Siida in Inari. The Sámi Museum has stored the remains of 172 deceased persons appropriately since their repatriation. As agreed, permission to examine the remains has not been granted during that period.

Inquiries:
Eija Ojanlatva, Deputy Director of the Sámi Museum Siida, tel. +358 40 1676 145, eija.ojanlatva(at)samimuseum.fi

27 000 exhibition visitors at Sámi Museum and Nature Center Siida in 2021

Like everywhere else, the Covid-19 pandemic can be seen in the number of visitors in The Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Center Siida.

In 2021 a total of 27 400 people bought tickets to the exhibitions, which is 30 % less than in 2020, and 57 % less than the pre-pandemic year of 2019. The pandemic hasn’t been the only explanation to this drop in visitors, as Sámi museum and Nature center Siida was closed all of May, and in this ongoing winter season our opening hours have been shorter than on previous years.

The renovation of Siida-building started in June 2021, and all exhibitions were in the Sámi museum’s open-air museum. Open-air museum visits take place outside, rain or shine, which has affected the appeal to buy a ticket and visit the open-air museum. During autumn 2021 lighting was installed in the open-air museum. Sámi museum and Nature Center Siida’s new exhibition will open on June 1st, 2022, after which you can visit both inside and outside exhibitions.

Like on previous years, the busiest season of 2021 was during the summer months, with July having the most visitors all year. 75% of visitors were Finnish, whereas in the pre-pandemic year of 2019 only 39% were Finnish.  Out of all the foreign visitors most were from Germany.

When comparing different ticket types sold, we can see a clear trend of group travel changing into solo- or family travel. This trend could already be seen before the pandemic, but covid has clearly emphasized this change. People clearly want to travel safely with only their closest family.

In the Sámi Museum’s Skolt Sámi Heritage House in Sevettijärvi there were 832 visitors in 2021. The Heritage House is open only during the summer season. The Heritage House and the Open-Air Museum on its grounds contain information on Skolt Sámi history and display the living and construction methods from two different eras.

Sámi Museum and Nature Center Siida to be Celebrated on June 1st, 2022

The opening of Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Center Siida’s new exhibition Enâmeh láá mii párnááh – These lands are our children, will be postponed until the beginning of June 2022.

Nä

We will be celebrating the new joint exhibition and the new and improved Siida on the 1st of June, side by side with the beginning of the reindeer herding yearly cycle. By moving the opening, we want to make sure, that our exhibitions are finished with care and thus will serve our guests in the best possible way.

Before the opening of the new exhibition, Siida’s exhibitions are in the Sámi Museum’s open-air museum, and ticket prices are reduced. Also, all guided tours take place in the open-air museum, until the new exhibition has been opened.

Sámi museum’s customer service, ticket sales, Siida Shop, Metsähallitus’ customer service and tourist information will serve in a temporary building on the grounds of Siida, until the end of the renovation and from April 1st onwards in the renewed lobby in Siida.

Restaurant Sarrit serves within Siida’s opening hours.

 

We are open

In winter 2021-2022 (Open-Air Museum, customer services, restaurant):
October 1st 2021 to March 31st 2022, Mon to Sat 10am to 4pm (closed on Sun)
*Christmas 2021: 24.12. 10-14, 25.12. 12-16)
April 1st to May 31st 2022, Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm (closed on Sun).

In summertime 2022 (renewed Siida):
June 1st to September 30th, every day from 9am to 6pm.

 

Located in Inari, Siida houses the Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre as well as Restaurant Sarrit. The Sámi Museum Foundation is responsible for operations at Sámi Museum. The Northern Lapland Nature Centre is part of Metsähallitus’ national network of nature centres.

More information: Head of Sales and Marketing Minna Muurahainen, +358 405816434, minna.muurahainen(at)samimuseum.fi

 

Homecoming Jubilee celebrates the repatriation of museum artefacts

The Sámi Museum Siida will celebrate the homecoming of the Sámi collection from the National Museum of Finland by arranging an open celebration on Thursday, 9 September 2021, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Restaurant Sarrit, in the Sámi Museum and Nature Centre Siida in Inari.

The Sámi collection of the Finnish National Museum will come to Inari this autumn, and now is the time to celebrate. The return of the collection, or repatriation, is a result of years of cooperation between the National Museum and the Sámi Museum Siida. The Sámi collection of the National Museum of Finland comprises over 2000 items that were collected in 1830–1998. The Sámi Museum will place the collection in its new collections unit that was completed in the spring of 2021. The repatriation, the new collections unit and Siida’s renovation will enable us to do new kind of communal collection work and artefact research.

At the jubilee, there will be a photograph show of the items, and some of the actual artefacts can also be viewed on the spot. In addition, our cooperation partners will extend their greetings, and local Sámi artists will perform. The occasion will be held in Finnish and Sámi.

We will follow the valid coronavirus restrictions during the celebration, so there is a limit to the number of people that can participate. Come to Siida only if you have no coronavirus symptoms. We recommend that you wear a face mask in Siida.

The Homecoming jubilee will be streamed. If you are not able to come to Siida, you can arrange your own nice communal event, for example in your own livingroom.

The Sámi Museum Siida is delighted to welcome everyone to the celebration. At Restaurant Sarrit coffee will be served.

 

Further information:

Repatriation:  Anni Guttorm, Curator, tel. +358 400 891 860, anni.guttorm(at)samimuseum.fi

Event organised by: Pia Nikula, Audience Development, tel. +358 40 621 2663, pia.nikula(at)samimuseum.fi

Siida’s old main exhibition is making way for a new one

The extension project of the Sámi Museum and the Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida has come to an end and the renovation project will begin. Siida’s old main exhibition will be dismantled, and space will be created for a new exhibition where culture and nature will be combined into a single entity.

 

The over 20-year-old main exhibition of Siida has been popular. The Sámi Museum and Nature Centre Siida would like to thank the exhibition team and the actors behind the previous Siida main exhibition for their fine work.

More than one million visitors have experienced the spirit and atmosphere of Sáminess, as well as Sámi and Northern Lapland nature in the praised exhibition. The exhibition will now be reformed from floor to ceiling. Content is always the most important matter in an exhibition, but outdated exhibition technology will also be completely reformed. In the future, it will be easier to maintain, update, and add new information to the exhibition.

 

Useful parts of the old exhibition will be preserved.  After conservation, the collection items are returned to collections or to a new exhibition. The fur and plumage of taxidermy animals are subjected to light maintenance. Some of the props will also continue in guidance use, in nature and museum education, in the outdoor museum, as well as in changing exhibitions.  After the dismantling of the old exhibition, the renovation of the exhibition hall begins. The surfaces are refurbished, and the ceiling gets a new paintwork, after which a new exhibition can be built.

 

Starting from May, the Siida building will be closed for the renovation period.  As of 1 June 2021, the customer service of the Sámi Museum and Nature Centre Siida, Siida Shop, Metsähallitus’ customer service and tourist information will operate in temporary facilities in the area of Siida.  The Sámi culture can be explored at the outdoor museum, which will serve as an exhibition and visiting site during the renovation.

 

These lands are our children

 

Siida’s new exhibition is called “Enâmeh láá mii párnáh – These lands are our children”, according to the Inari Sámi poem written by Matti Morottaja from Inari. The name of the exhibition summarises the most important messages of nature and cultural topics.

 

The cultural contents of the exhibition reflect on how the past lives in us – each of us has a diverse heritage of different eras, which we utilise when adapting to changes around us. The nature perspective highlights climate history, specifically after the last Ice Age, and also speculates what will happen to the climate in the future. Nature topics are discussed through the conservation areas of Northern Lapland, their different habitat types, and the species living in them.

 

The principal architect of the new exhibition is Harri Koskinen from Friends of Industry Ltd. The manuscript for the cultural section was prepared by professor Veli-Pekka Lehtola. Outi Pieski serves as the artistic director of the cultural section. The manuscript of the nature section is by biologist Matti Mela.

 

The renewal of the cultural section of Siida’s main exhibition is financed by Kone Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation/Museum Vision, the Ministry of Education and Culture subsidy, and Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation. Muittut, muitalusat – the story of the Sámi by the Sámi, an Interreg project related to the renewal of the exhibition, is also under way at the Sámi Museum. Metsähallitus received the funding for renewing the nature section of Siida’s permanent exhibition from the government’s amending budget.

 

 

Further information:
Museum Director Sari Valkonen, tel. +358 40 767 1052 or sari.valkonen(at)samimuseum.fi
Project Manager Eeva Kyllönen, tel. +358 40 5709382 or eeva.kyllonen(at)samimuseum.fi

National Park Superintendent Pirjo Seurujärvi, tel. +358 400 125 782 or pirjo.seurujarvi(at)metsa.fi
Project Manager Kirsi Ukkonen, tel. +358 400 479 986 or kirsi.ukkonen(at)metsa.fi

 

On the renovation of Siida on our website: https://siida.fi/en/siida-will-be-renewed/

Located in Inari, Siida houses the Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre as well as Restaurant Sarrit. The Sámi Museum Foundation is responsible for operations at Sámi Museum. The Northern Lapland Nature Centre is part of Metsähallitus’ national network of nature centres.

The Siida building that opened in 1998 will be extended and renovated, with the new parts housing the Sámi Museum Collections Unit and the restaurant. The joint permanent exhibition of the Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre will be renewed. We will serve customers during the whole renovation process. The extended and renovated Siida and the new exhibition will be opened in June 2022.

Year 2020 was the year for domestic tourism in Siida

Sámi Museum and Nature Center Siida had 80 000 visitors in 2020. From these, 39 000 bought tickets to the exhibitions. In addition to exhibition visitors there are customers of Siida Shop, restaurant Sarrit, Inari tourist information and Metsähallitus customer service. The number of total visitors dropped 34 % and there were 39 % less exhibition visitors than the previous year.

The year 2020 had a great start at Siida. January 2020 broke records, but by the end of February the effects of Covid-19 started to show. On March 17th Siida, like all museums and nature centers in Finland, closed it’s doors for two and a half months. Summer was a success thanks to domestic travelling. Like previous years July was Siida’s busiest with over 8000 exhibition visitors. After the busy vacation months of summer, autumn and the last months of 2020 were quiet.

Sámi Museum and Nature Center Siida has always been an international destination. Year 2020 was clearly a year for domestic travel, as 66 % of exhibition visitors were domestic. On previous years on average 60 % of guests have been foreigners. The number of Museum Card visits grew almost double that of the previous year. In 2019 Siida registered 2 700 Museum Card visits, and in 2020 this number was 4 400.

Sámi Museum Siida’s Skolt Sámi Heritage House in Sevettijärvi had 990 guests in 2020. This year the Heritage House was open over a month less than previous years, in relation to this the number of visitors remained the same as before.

All in all Siida offered safe and high quality services despite the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to the permanent exhibitions, the temporary exhibitions “Inari Sámi Handicraft of the Past and the Present”, “Changing winter”, “Everyday life of the North – how do the animals of the North live”, “Teno”, “Preserving Sámi Heritage”, “Albma olbmot – Real People”, ”Wild light”, “Sámi seremoniijat – Sámi ceremonies”, and “Karen Jomppanen: A Creative and Experimental Artisan” brought compelling content for visitors. Many of the guests from the past winter and summer also paid a visit to the open-air museum to get to know Sámi building heritage and livelihoods.

Siida buildings expansion project started in May 2020 as planned. The construction site hasn’t affected visiting Siida. In a little over six months the expansions for the new collections unit and restaurant wing have reached their full height and building on the inside is well on its way. The project is moving in schedule and the new facilities will be finished in spring 2021. In summer 2021 begins the renovation and renewal of Siida-building and it’s permanent exhibitions, which will be ready in spring 2022. During the renovation, exhibitions will be in the atmospheric open-air museum.

Sámi Museum and Nature Center Siida together with restaurant Sarrit want to thank all customers for the past year.

More information:

Head of Sales and Marketing Minna Väisänen, 0405816434, minna.vaisanen(at)samimuseum.fi
Sales and Marketing Assistant Taija Aikio, 0404847329, taija.aikio(at)samimuseum.fi

The website of Muittut, muitalusat project has been published!

The website of the project Muittut, muitalusat – The Story of the Sámi by the Sámi, run by the Sámi Museum Siida, is now available at www.muittut.com.

The Muittut, muitalusat project is developing a new Sámi museum language for Sámi museums in Norway, Sweden and Finland by using three different pilots that are associated with Sámi culture. The best implementations will be integrated into the exhibitions of the Sámi museums.

The website offers general information on the project: what its purpose is and how we expect to reach its goals. And what is the story behind the project logo? The most recent news and the upcoming events linked with the project will also be published on the website.

The website is now available in English. In the early 2021 the website will also be published in the seven Sámi languages used in the project, and Norwegian and Swedish.

In addition to the three Sámi museums, the project partners also include the University of Lapland and the Luleå University of Technology. The project period is 1.1.2020–30.9.2022, and the funding for the project comes from the Interreg North Programme.

 

More about the project:

Eeva-Kristiina Harlin, Project Manager, eeva-kristiina.harlin(at)samimuseum.fi

Minna Lehtola, Project Secretary, minna.lehtola(at)samimuseum.fi

 
 

Siida in Inari is undergoing extensive changes and renovation

The Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida located in Inari village centre is undergoing big changes and renovation. The extension work is under way and the renovation of the current building will begin in spring 2021. The joint permanent exhibition of the Sámi Museum and the Nature Centre will also be renewed during the extension and renovation work.

The Siida building, which has been home to the Sámi Museum, Northern Lapland Nature Centre and Siida’s restaurant for more than 20 years, is currently being extended. Modern collection facilities with room also for the Sámi objects returning from the National Museum of Finland will be built for the Sámi Museum in connection with the current main building. New and more functional facilities for the restaurant will be built into a separate wing. The extensions will be completed in summer 2021.

The renovation of the current Siida building will begin once the extensions have been completed. In the renovation process, Siida’s lobby will be extended and the personnel will get new work facilities. The current permanent exhibition will be taken down and a new exhibition will be built in its place. Just like before, Siida’s new main exhibition will be a joint one of the Sámi Museum and the Nature Centre and combine the cultural and nature-related content into one exhibition.

Siida’s new exhibition will be named ”Enâmeh láá mii párnááh – These lands are our children” after the poem Enâmeh láá mii párnááh written in the Inari Sámi language by Matti Morottaja from Inari. The name of the exhibition summarises the most important messages of the cultural and nature topics. The knowledge of Sámi traditions has been carried in people’s memory from one generation to another through changes in nature and society. The landscape around us contains the marks left by millions of years. What kind of nature will we leave to future generations?

Museum Director Sari Valkonen from the Sámi Museum explains that the cultural content in Siida’s exhibition is based on reflections on how the past lives in us – a diverse legacy of different eras lives in all of us and helps us adapt to the changes around us. The new exhibition is the Sámi Museum’s story about the Sámi. The Sámi community will also be engaged closely in the exhibition work.

National Park Superintendent Pirjo Seurujärvi from Metsähallitus explains that, from the point of view of Nature Centre Siida, the new exhibition will highlight especially the history of climate since the last ice age and reflect on what will happen to climate in the future. Nature topics are discussed through the conservation areas of Northern Lapland, their different habitat types and the species living in them. We care for biodiversity and the cultural heritage, and our work will bear fruit across generations. The new exhibition will highlight this work in an excellent way, Seurujärvi continues.

The principal architect of the new exhibition is Harri Koskinen from Friends of Industry Ltd. The project managers of the new exhibition are Kirsi Ukkonen from Metsähallitus and Eeva Kyllönen from the Sámi Museum. Darja Heikkilä is the museum’s exhibition coordinator.

The renewal of the cultural section of Siida’s permanent exhibition is financed by Kone Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation/Museum Vision and Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation. Muittut, muitalusat – the story of the Sámi by the Sámi, an Interreg project related to the renewal of the exhibition, is also under way at the Sámi Museum. Metsähallitus received the funding for renewing the nature section of Siida’s permanent exhibition from the supplementary budget.

Further information:

Museum Director Sari Valkonen, tel. +358 40 767 1052 or sari.valkonen@samimuseum.fi
National Park Superintendent Pirjo Seurujärvi, tel. +358 400 125 782 or pirjo.seurujarvi@metsa.fi
Project Manager Kirsi Ukkonen, tel. +358 400 479 986 or kirsi.ukkonen@metsa.fi

 

Located in Inari, Siida houses the Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre as well as Restaurant Sarrit. The Sámi Museum Foundation is responsible for operations at Sámi Museum. Northern Lapland Nature Centre is part of Metsähallitus’ national network of nature centres.

The Siida building that opened in 1998 will be extended and renovated, with the new parts housing the Sámi Museum Collections Unit and the restaurant. The joint permanent exhibition of the Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre will be renewed. We will serve customers during the whole renovation process. The extended and renovated Siida and the new exhibition will be opened in April 2022.

Sámi Museum continues its community activities through virtual meetings

The Sámi Museum Siida is a communal museum. It has a plan of arranging community meetings in the areas of collection and exhibition work both in the Sámi Area and elsewhere in Finland. During the Covid-19 period, the meetings are arranged virtually, using remote access facilities. The first virtual meeting will be an Inari Sámi Language Night on Thursday, October 8th 2020, which focuses on items from the Finnish National Museum that were collected in the Inari region in 1902.

Communal activities are part of the Sámi Museum Siida’s core operations, including meetings, workshops, seminars and cultural nights. The community the Museum directs its activities at consists of the Sámi population, but also other people. The objective and purpose of the operations is to bring the Museum closer to the so-called ordinary people. Communal activities open the doors to the world of museums: a personal connection brings the Museum and its involvement in the sphere of shared cultural heritage closer to people’s everyday lives and history. As a memory organisation, the Museum works as the memory of the community.

The Sámi Museum has planned to have communal meetings in different parts of Finland. In addition to the Museum’s permanent staff, communal activities are carried out by Ulpu Mattus-Kumpunen, the community coordinator of the Muitát project funded by the Kone Foundation, communal interpreter Heini Wesslin and “the museum friends”, or contact persons, of different regions that will be appointed in the autumn.

In February 2020, a day on interactive learning was arranged in Siida together by the Museum, the Sámi Education Institute and the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. During the day, students and teachers of Sámi crafts and conservation learned about the special features of Sámi objects, artefact research, conservation and repatriation processes; there were also workshops in which these themes were looked at together with the staff of the Sámi Museum.

The Covid-19 period has prevented the Museum from carrying out its communal activities as widely as planned. Meetings are now mainly arranged as virtual meetings, with the aim of having the contact persons of the community meet the important people in their lives safely. Additional public meetings and trips are avoided.

In the meetings, the artefacts and the photographs of the Sámi Museum’s collections play a central role. Objects from the Sámi Museum’s collections and the items that will be repatriated by the Finnish National Museum are presented to the community, to be identified and looked at. The objectives of these activities include making the Sámi cultural environment visible. For the Sámi, nature is a library and archive that reflects our shared memory. Using photographs, we reminisce about the meaning of places from the point of view of livelihoods, dwelling sites and sources of inspiration for narratives and handicrafts. Some of the results of these communal activities will be presented in the new main exhibition of the Sámi Museum and Nature Centre Siida.

Communal operations are part of the Sámi Museum’s project Muitát – From Repatriation to Revitalisation Using Sámi Museum Practices. In this project, the Sámi Museum studies actively what kind of communal ways of working are practical and give results. The best practices will be applied as new Sámi museum practices. The community aspect also plays a central role in other projects dealing with the renewal of the exhibition (the Museum Vision project and Muittut, muitalusat -Interreg project) run by the Sámi Museum presently.