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 Content is always the most important matter in an exhibition, but outdated exhibition technology will also be completely reformed.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.