Skolt Sámi Heritage House exhibition

The Sámi Museum also has a summer destination at the Skolt Sámi Cultural Centre in Sevettijärvi, where the Skolt Sámi Heritage House is located. The Heritage House and the Open-Air Museum on its grounds contain information on Skolt Sámi history and display the living and construction options from two different eras. There’s also a small museum shop at the Skolt Sámi Heritage House

The Skolt Sámi Heritage House comprises an authentic Koltta homestead and its outbuilding. The exhibition located inside the house tells about the life of the Skolt Sámi in the past and now. There is an Open-Air Museum on the grounds of the Heritage House. The buildings have been built on the basis of literary sources and word of mouth. The displays include homes, a storehouse, a smoke sauna and a traditional Skolt Sámi root sewn boat.

Free admission
Summer 2026 opening hours: From June 23rd until September 26th, Tue-Sat 11-17. Closed on Sun and Mon.

Contact
Nuõrttsaa’mi Ä’rbbvuõttpõrtt – Skolt Sámi Heritage House
Sevettijärventie 9041, 99930 SEVETTIJÄRVI
tel. +358 (0)400 373015
email: kolttaperinnetalo(at)samimuseum.fi

Siida´s Open-Air Museum

Our Open-Air Museum has much to view. The museum area’s trail is approximately 800-metres-long and in the shape of a reindeer herder’s lasso. Along the trail visitors can view around 50 buildings and structures, which are grouped by their cultural area and their intended use. The displays tell about the cultural heritage, built heritage and livelihoods of the three Sámi cultures in Finland.

The Open-Air Museum’s trail is accessible by wheelchair and with a pram in summer and autumn. The area is protected under the Antiquities Act. To avoid erosion of the delicate surroundings, please stay on the marked, gravelled trails.

Opening hours

The Open-Air Museum is open according to the Sámi Museum’s opening hours and the prevailing weather conditions.

When visiting the Open-Air Museum in the winter, please take into consideration the prevailing conditions and proper clothing. You can find tips on suitable clothing for winter time on the Visit Finland website.

Mobile guide

The mobile guide provides additional information on the Open-Air Museum’s history and displays. Archive photos, videos and recordings bring the twelve Open-Air Museum displays to life. The guide is available in Northern Sámi, Finnish and English. You can access the mobile guide’s materials via QR codes found at the Open-Air Museum or have a look at the Open-Air Museum’s mobile guide here.

Main exhibition

Our main exhibition links Sámi culture and northern nature to one another forming one whole, which offers a vivid and visual experience as well as an abundance of information. The exhibition was co-produced by The Sámi Museum and Metsähallitus.

The exhibition Enâmeh láá mii párnááh – These lands are our children explains and interprets the layers of the landscape through the Sámi concept of cultural environment. According to it, nature and culture are closely linked. The landscape around us is also formed over millions of years from an entity shaped by nature.

Our exhibition was named after a poem written by Inari Sámi Matti Morottaja.

In the Sámi cultural environment, connections to the land and the environment are built through memories and traditions. The knowledge of Sámi traditions has been carried in people’s memory from one generation to another through changes in nature and society. In the cultural contents of the exhibition, we consider how the past lives in us. A diverse heritage from different eras lives in all of us, allowing us to adapt to changes around us.

In the nature section of the exhibition, we encourage our guests to reflect on changes in our climate and what will happen to the climate in the future. The exhibition highlights climate history after the last Ice Age and 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.

We care for biodiversity and the cultural heritage, and our work will bear fruit across generations.

The renewal of the cultural section of the exhibition is financed by Kone Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation/Museum Vision, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Interreg Nord and Lapin Liitto. Metsähallitus received funding for the nature section of the exhibition from the supplementary state budget.

Open-Air Museum

The Open-Air Museum: A Journey Through Sámi Heritage

The Siida Open-Air Museum brings to life the vibrant cultural heritage, architectural history, and traditional livelihoods of the Sámi people in Finland.

Following an 800-meter trail—shaped like a reindeer herder’s lasso—you will discover nearly fifty historic buildings and structures. These exhibits represent the three distinct Sámi cultures in Finland, showcasing their unique built heritage and way of life.

Explore Ancient Dwellings and Traditions

From intricate hunting traps and winter sledges to complete homesteads, the museum offers a deep dive into the Sámi past:

Tirro Farm: The heart of the museum, representing the 19th-century lifestyle of “house-dwelling” Sámi.
Mirhamintupa (The Myrrh Hut): A historic courthouse moved from the Inari-Kittilä border. Look closely at the walls—they are covered in signatures and inscriptions left by people awaiting their court sentences over a century ago.
Movable Architecture: Explore a variety of traditional structures, including transportable pole tents, lean-tos, storage sheds, and turf buildings.
The Exhibition Hall: Visit this indoor space to view specialized boat and sledge exhibits.

A 10,000-Year Legacy

The museum grounds are more than just a display; they are an ancient monument. Human habitation at the junction of Lake Inarijärvi and the River Juutuanjoki dates back to the Mesolithic Stone Age, nearly 10,000 years ago.

Excavations on this site have unearthed fire pits, hut foundations, ceramics, and tools. These “multiperiodic” layers of history tell the story of hunter-gatherers who thrived here through the Stone, Metal, and Iron Ages.

Our History: Protecting a Changing Culture

Founded in 1959 by Sámii Litto (Finland’s first Sámi association), Siida was born out of a need to preserve a culture under threat. Following the devastation of the Lapland War, which destroyed 90% of Inari’s buildings, the Sámi people grew concerned that their traditional tools and way of life would vanish.

With the help of students from the University of Turku, the museum opened in 1963 as the first Sámi Museum in the Nordic countries. It remained exclusively an outdoor museum until the modern Siida building was completed in 1998.

Visitor Information & Guidelines

Because the museum is located on a protected archaeological site, we ask for your help in preserving this delicate environment:

Stay on the Path: To prevent erosion of the ancient soil and vegetation, please remain on the marked, graveled trails.
Accessibility: The trail is accessible for wheelchairs and prams during the summer and autumn seasons.
Pets: To protect the site and local wildlife, pets are not permitted in the Open-Air Museum.
Preservation: The area is protected under the Antiquities Act. Please respect the structures and artifacts.