Saernieprieve – Dávvirat Duiskkas –skïereden/golken 2023
November 8-9, Dávvirat Duiskkas (DD) organized its first workshop with a public event at Saemien Sijte South Sámi Museum and Cultural Center in Snåase/Snåsa. Participants were staff from Sámi and German museums. The topic was chosen by Saemien Sijte itself: Ethical considerations in the management and dissemination of Sámi drums and other sacred objects and reflected the fact that the Freavnantjahken gievrie/Folldal drum was returned from Meininger Museen in Germany to Saemien Sijte shortly before.
Colleagues from GRASSI Museum in Leipzig, Museum Europäischer Kulturen in Berlin, Ájtte Swedish Mountain and Sámi Museum, and RiddoDuoattarMuseat were invited to take part in the workshop, physically or digitally, and to share their knowledge and expertice along with Saemien Sijte’s own staff. With Freavnantjahken gievrie Saemien Sijte has two drums in their holdings. Both are on display in the new exhibition that the workshop participants visited. Meininger Museum and Siida Sámi Museum in Finland were prevented from coming. Dr. Maren Goltz was going to give a lecture on Freavnantjahken gievrie’s German history. However, Goltz hopes to give her lecture at a later date. Similar to the organization of DD’s factfinding trips to Germany, the Sámi museums in Norway were invited to participate with a representative. The breadth of the group contributed to good discussions and great learning.
The workshop was followed by an excursion to areas associated with Freavnantjahken gievrie and a visit to the newly established Sjeltie Sámi Cultural Park at Maajehjaevrie/Majavatn. “Sjeltie” means church place but also market or assembly. For a long time, the chapel at Majavatn was an important meeting place for the South Sámi and also a center for the Sámi ethnopolitical movement through the meetings organized by the Norwegian Sámi Mission. The excursion was led by Sigbjørn Dunfjeld, a previous museum leader of Saemien Sijte and now the chairman of Sjeltie’s board. At Sjeltie we had lunch and learned among other things about the foundation’s work.
While the workshop took place on a Wednesday, the evening of Thursday was dedicated to a public event. Both the workshop and the public event were streamed. The topic for the public event was South Sámi cultural heritage in German Museums.[i] Dávvirat Duiskkas shared information on the status of the project while curator at Saemien Sijte, Lisa Dunfjeld-Aagård, showed photographs and reflected on some of the South Sámi objects she has seen on DD’s factfinding trips to Germany. After the presentations, the floor was asked about their points of view. Despite minimal advertising – for natural reasons most of Saemien Sijte’s focus had been directed towards Freavnantjahken gievrie’s homecoming few days before – a considerable number of visitors had come. Some had driven all the way from Maajehjaevrie/Majavatn (130 km). The audience expressed heartfelt gratitude for the work done by Saemien Sijte and Dávvirat Duiskkas.
Jïjnjh heelsegh
Cathrine Baglo
