Sami at the Centre, February 3 and 4, 2018
Thank you for your help with Sámi Culture and Design
The Scandinavian Cultural Society wishes to thank everyone who shared their precious artefacts and who helped with the Sámi event February 3rd and 4th. It was such a success. Everybody said so. It was the powerful feeling of community that people most noted. Our American visitors particularly remarked on that. Perhaps it is a Sámi thing, but it is also just Scandinavian.
Indeed, support came from every direction. Our own members and groups such as the Swedish Cultural Society and the US Pacific Sámi Searvi were everywhere, working hard. Wherever a hand was need it was there, quietly reaching to help. Leena in our office sent everyone on her list a note about the show. It took only 34 emails between me and Lloyd Binder in Tuktoyaktuk to make arrangements for his best reindeer meat. It came in plastic bags but those were wrapped in a green hide, dripping hairs. Very authentic. An Air Canada Cargo pilot personally put that meat into Poul Erik’s hands with apologies for accidently shipping it back to sender when we didn’t answer our phone. Like some other things, it may taste better if it crosses the Arctic Circle twice. Dave Buckman caught or otherwise acquired the fish. Gunnar Jensen and his wife spent over four hours slicing reindeer meat (and his finger) into 1/8 inch thick pieces and then came back the next day to spend an equal amount of time helping cook it. Didn’t it taste great? The lavvu went up and down safely so our children had that wonderful place to spend their day. Poul Erik slept in it for two nights, guarding. The dinner was cooked and served in a kitchen as hot as the ovens. The fish might have baked if we just set it on the counter. Even recalcitrant microphones and laptops kept going, though sometimes that trick took a Group of Seven. Each of over 100 articles on display was fetched, marked down, tagged, set into a safe spot to be admired, and most important, returned to its owner.
You liked the show. At least 30 of you told me so personally and no doubt many others in the SCS got similar messages. The presenters and award winning films worked well together and gave us pretty fair view of Sámi life then and now. Nobody went home early. It was an outstanding example of our whole community working together to make something special. That is just what we do at our Scandinavian Community Centre.
Here are links to some items from the weekend that were of particular interest to many participants.
Sámi National Anthem Whitehorn translation
Carolyn Thauberger on behalf of
Poul Erik Rasmussen, President,
Scandinavian Cultural Society
