Sami Cultural Experience

OVERVIEW

Get a genuine look at daily life in an indigenous Sami village and learn how these once nomadic people have adapted to modern times. The Sami culture is the oldest throughout much of northern Norway, yet it is changing, especially as the younger Sami move into more urban areas. The village of Máze remains traditional as you will discover while interacting with the Sami residents in a tepee known as a lavvo. When the Sami were nomadic, the lavvos could easily be moved from location to location. While you sit on reindeer hides around an open fire, your hosts will describe many of their traditions, how they herd reindeer and how the reindeer fur is used for clothing. The Sami will also perform a distinctive chant-like style of singing known as a joiking. Although missionaries and state officials once tried to suppress joiking as a threat to assimilation, it survived.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Visit the riverside village of Máze and spend time with the indigenous Sami people there.
• Gather around a fire in a Sami tepee, learn about their culture and snack on reindeer jerky.
• Hear the almost lost art of joiking, the expressive chant-like style of Sami singing.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.