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.