I found this great article about “saamenpuvut” – the national dresses of the Saami people, who are indigenous people living in Northern Europe in the Nordic parts of Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia – and decided to translate it since there is fairly little information available about the nations in English. The article can be found here in Finnish.
The saamenpuku is a dress that its every wearer has a personal relationship with. Here are 13 suits and 13 stories.
Anna, 28
I’ve been going through an inner struggle of whether I should dress really traditionally and according to all of the norms. However I still want to be proudly Skolt and allow my own personality to show through.
Traditionally the hair of Skolt women shouldn’t show from under the headdress, but I didn’t feel comfortable with that. So I have decided that I want to feel at home in my dress.
I have never seen snowflakes in anyone elses dress. They feel personal because of my last name. I decided that would be my trademark from now on and that all of Saami dresses would have snowflakes from now on.
Oula, 24
We use Saami dresses a lot as performance outfits on our bands geeks. They wear out quite quickly – they can get stains and tear while touring around. Especially the audiences in Central Europe find our suits to be spectacular, because they have never seen Saami dresses before.
My suit is a traditional Utsjoki (the northernmost city in Finland) suit, but a small “risku” [a piece of jewelry used on a womans scarf] is a new thing for men. I thought that hey, I could use it as well!
When I put on the Saami dress I feel like I am representing more than myself. In the suit I represent my area, my family and the Saami language. That is something I do not take lightly.
Maria, 21
I studied sewing the Saami dress in the training centre of the Saami area at the same time when I was in high school. It’s good that I know how to make Saami handcrafts, because it promotes Saami culture. These are skills that must be cherished and passed on to future generations.
As my diploma work I wanted to make a modern Saami dress for and Utsjoki woman, using a bit more unusual materials. When I found this fabric with small sequins and flower embroidery the idea was born. I also made the “risku”. I think it fits the altogether look, because the ornament is also modern.
I feel a bit like an outsider when I go to a party without wearing my dress when everybody else is wearing theirs. The suits bring unity.
Anniina, 31
Many times I’ve heard that you should always wear a scarf with a Saami dress [applies to women]. Without the scarf on my shoulders I feel a bit bare. Is it because the surrounding culture expects me to wear a scarf? I’m a feminist and I want to make my own choices. Right now, in this photoshoot and in this gákti I want to present myself with no scarf.
I have made dozens of Saami dresses and of course I recognize them. I know how to make Saami dresses even in my sleep and I know how to teach the skill to others.
This Karasjoki and Utsjoki dress is made using collage fabric, that has been printed on, and the lower part of the helm is denim and cotton. I made this dress as a festical gákti for Ijahis Idja, but I haven’t used it much since. It felt too white for the polar nights.
The Saami dress is the most visible part of the Saami culture. It’s a part of a tradition that binds us all to previous generations and to the fact, that we still exist. I still want to be a part of this group, so leaving the scarf out is a bit worrying for me.
Uula, 4 years old
I wore a blue gákti for the Saami national day. It’s nice.
Jussa, 18
My suit is an Inari Saami suit, but it also shows influences of the Partako style from the Northern end of the Inarilake. A traditional Inari Saami suit would be black, with a zig-zag pattern on the collar.
I got this suit for my confirmation ceremony. Everybody else in the church was wearing albs, but we Saami people got to wear our national suits. I thought that was great, because the suit was more decorative.
At my uncles wedding in Helsinki [capital of Finland far South] I was the only one with a Saami dress. I was proud of my dress.
Rita, 21
I have lived my whole life in the South, but my mom hails from Utsjoki. I had a Saami dress as a child, but I didn’t really wear it at parties.
I moved to Lapland [North Finland] one and a half years ago. Only here I have learned to use the Saami dress.
I made my dress from start to finish last autumn. It’s a traditional example of an Utsjoki dress, but I chose colours that are a little less traditional, because I like them. Gray, lilac and mustard yellow.
Sammeli, 20
I was supposed to go to an event in a Saami dress after this one autumn celebration thing, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I looked for it everywhere in my home and after a week I became convinced, that someone must have nicked it.
The suit was missing for months. On the Saami national day on February the 6th I found it stuffed in a bag inside an opening table. The gákti, sisna shoes, belt and everything. I sighed out of relief.
You don’t ski everyday to watch over the reindeer anymore these days. That kind of culture is gone. There should be more days within a year when it would be okay to use a Saami dress. Every Sunday for instance?
Riikka, 19
Over the last autumn and winter I wore the Saami dress a lot. The Saami youth section of the Saami government had this project called Ofelaš, when I toured around the schools of Lapland to tell people about what being Saami means. I got to be visible and represent the Saami people. The questions were sometimes a little funny: Do you wear Saami suits all the time? You speak Finnish?
As kids we were once in Helsinki’s city centre as a group wearing our national costumes. It was unpleasant, when total strangers took pictures and stared at us. Nowadays people are more tolerant than before and know more about our culture.
Traditionally the Inari Saami suit is black, but mine is white. My aunt sewed it for me for my confirmation ceremony. My risku is bought from Norway, where there is much more of wider a collection of different silk scarves and fabrics.
Ville-Riiko, 21
My suit is traditional and it has nothing additional to it. The piece of jewelry on my collar is a trout. I’m not from a reindeer-owning-family, so the fish fits just fine.
Even though most Saami people have a Saami dress, only few have a Skolt dress. In my own high school graduation ceremony I was especially proud to bear my Saami dress. I was the first one to do my matriculation exams on Skolt Saami as a native tongue. That was so cool.
Sara, 23
This is my first Skolt dress. It was exciting to design it with my grandma and it stirred up a lot of emotions within me. Violet is my favourite colour, and I have designed the patterns the pearl decorations myself.
At first I would have wanted a light gray dress with purple pearl embroidery, but my grandma said that gray was too grimm for a dress. Skolt clothing is supposed to be colourful and the only occasion for a gray dress would be a funeral.
A Skolt dress is one way to bring out your own character and identity as a Skolt. When I put the dress on, I feel connected to other Saami people.
Nothing pisses me off like seeing somebody wearing a fake Saami coat as a joke. It’s like a punch against my face.
Sunna, 21
I’m comfortable being in this dress – it’s beautiful! My golden Utsjoki dress reminds me of my own personal success and the good moments, I’ve experienced with my friends. I know the person who made the dress, my friend made the belt and I got the risku from my ahku [northsaami for grandmother]. All of that brings more meanings to the dress. My dress is so personal to me that is difficult for others to understand.
This suit was for my high school graduation ceremony. It was a great day. My dad made a speech in our high school, and I cried. Three relatives from my moms side came to the party surprisingly in their North-Ostrobothnia national dresses. It felt like they were honouring my celebration in a special way.
I remember when I was a little girl and my dad helped me put on the silk scarf and tie the embroided laces around my shoes. When I learned to do that myself I was so proud. I want to pass Sami culture forward. I try to talk Saami with my brothers two children and hope that they would also wear the Saami dress someday.
Linda, 21
This is my grandgrandmothers from the 1970′s. I got this from my grandma a few years ago and my mother remade some Utsjoki parts for the dress. Still it’s amazing how well the dress has survived the test of time. My grandgrandmothers sister made this dress for her 70th birthday. When I first put the suit on, it just slipped on me. It’s rare for the suit of another to fit someone else. My grandgrandmother and me are wilted from the same tree [Finnish expression].
I am proud to wear this dress. I have never seen any fabric like this. At my friends party their grandmother suddenly realized that this was my grandgrandmothers dress. She remembered seeing it on her some decades ago!
Only yesterday I read a good quote: “Respect, what you have, and be proud of it.”
Original article: “Minä ja saamenpuku” in Uusi-Inari
Pictures by: Antti Sepponen Original text: Vilma Ruokoski
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