Saara Sulkala, 2026
Kárášjohka 5.5.
Good morning, Buorre iđit! It was the first morning of our Rievdan trip in May. We had arrived to Kárášjohka the evening before and we were about to start our art workshops with 10th graders at SDG. The air was filled with a bit of excitement and maybe some nostalgia because it was about to be the last time for us to gather with these students and their teacher. The most joyful and unexpected feeling for me was the moment of the realization how rich of languages my trip was about to be. People communicated through different languages with us (English, Norwegian, Sámi and maybe some Finnish) all the time and we always ended up understanding each other one way or another.
In March the students started to do the animations and this day we were supposed to finish the ones that were still in progress. Some of the students worked with sound and text- effects and the rest of the group made movie posters. In the end of the workshop we had a short movie premiere where we discussed about their posters and saw the completed animations. We came into a conclusion that only a few sound effects can make huge impact on a video! As a last thing together, we headed to Min ája to sit by the fire and eat pizza to thank for all the past moments together.
In the afternoon we had some spare time to visit Sámediggi and we were lucky enough to have a small tour inside. Our guide was speaking mostly Sámi and I understood only the parts that were translated but it was very interesting to hear some conversation in new language. It really made me focus on that moment. We saw some artworks and we visited inside the conference room as well. I felt myself privileged to experience all of it! As a memory we had some copies of proverbs. There was this one proverb that really resonated for me on this trip:
“Go beallji sakŋida, beassá gullat ipmašiid” = “An itchy ear means wonders you’ll hear.”
(Text from artwork on the pillars in the Sámediggi walking hall. Artist: Kristin Ytreberg.)
Vuohčču 6.-7.5.
Next day we had two art workshops at Vuohčču school. Animation with 7-9 graders and textile workshop with kids from preschool to third grade. Theme of the textile workshop was to think about the important things of their everyday lives and they ended up making artworks about dogs, nature, football and video games. In the end of workshop everybody attached their patches to the peace of a branch for the later installation.
In the afternoon we started to prepare the luovvi! This was a two day project. First we saw a short presentation about the luovvi history and drank a cup of coffee. We saw some lovely pictures and heard some stories from the villagers. Next we headed outside and peeled a lot of birch branches and we assembled the luovvi for the first time. In September we are going to see it finished with all the other projects!
On the last morning of our trip we had a moment together at school cafeteria. We watched all the animations together and saw some pictures. The animations were such entertaining but also had very powerful messages in them! At Vuohčču everybody talked mostly Finnish but the elder villagers also spoke Sámi. It made me think of the theme of change in languages through the years. Finnish wasn’t always the majority language there but despite that, the revitalization of Sámi speaking is also active. For example they also teach in Sámi language at Vuohčču school. Our trip made me also think about communicating through art. The things that are not said with words but still bringing people closer to each other and creating understanding of one and other. It’s not always even about the statements. Sometimes the language of art doesn’t have to have a clear message. It makes you listen the whispered thoughts and seek for the hidden meanings.