In this cross-border excursion, our destination is Norwegian Kautokeino - one of the main cities of Saami people, last aborigines in Europe. It’s located about 3 hours from Levi.

We will first visit famous Silver gallery & workshop JUHLs, then go visit a local Saami reindeer camp for the authentic experience. 

Silver gallery JUHLs is a life's work of Frank and Regine Juhls. It all started in the 1950s when the couple began to take on work repairing Sami silver jewelry, none of which had been made by the Sami; it had found its way north through trade. The silver gallery building is full of surprises, such as the little hen and sheep barn, separated from the exhibition only by a glass wall. One room is devoted to the Juhls couple's travels in Afghanistan where they found a nomad culture that bore many similarities to the Sami culture. A small wing is also a museum for old objects that were discarded in the fifties and sixties, when plastic and steel came into vogue. It contains costumes, cheese-making molds and bone spoons — old items that no one needed any more. The silversmith also works in the building.

Regine Juhls also learnt the silversmith's craft, although for her, silver was a means of artistic expression and her Tundra series is regarded as a modern classic. Her jewelry features light, fragile, organic and imaginative lines, inspired by the vegetation and light of the tundra, and landscape of the Finnmark plain.

After visiting Juhls silver gallery you will go to a local Saami reindeer herder’s camp and get a taste of life of Saami people: you’ll sit on the snowmobile sledge and take a ride to the “back yard” of Saami, to the local forest wilderness camp. Here everyone gets a chance to choose his/her own reindeer, which you will use in the first part of competition: racing in a circle driving reindeer sleds. The second part will be lasso throwing. Lucky winners of 3 first places will be awarded prizes. Then you’ll be invited inside a tradition Saami home – teepee “laavu”, where you will sit around the open fire, taste a traditional meal made by a local Saami family and hear some master’s storytelling and joiking performance of young Saami girl. 

11 hours

Sirkka, Finland