The language of education at the school is Northern Sámi, and as many of the students don't speak Sámi, the the first year of studies has an intensive program of Sámi language studies, so that later on, all students continue to study in Sámi. Because Irina is finishing her studies in what she calls "the wood, bone and antler program", we get mostly to see the premises for this three-year long study program. When studying Sámi handicrafts, one can either choose soft materials - such as fabric, or hard materials such as bone, or jewellery and silverwork. The first classrooms we saw were for fur, leatherwork and sewing. Next to them was a room reserved for processing reindeer skins and bones, where we saw some cleaned bones drying on a table. The students process all their materials from beginning to the end - for example, when they require tools for processing skins and bones, they make the tools themselves in the metal workshop. Knife blades and other metalworks are also made in this way.

Irina came to Inari because she wanted to become an artisan and to live in Lapland. In Inari she has learnt to make both utensils and decorations from wood, metal and reindeer. An artisan uses almost everything of a reindeer that is not used for food - the antlers, skin and even the hooves. Recently, a teacher from Yakutia in Siberia visited the Centre teaching the students how to carve bones. The artworks carved by the teacher out of mammoth bone are shown together with students' works in the lobby of the school. Because mammoth bone is too precious to be either sold or bought the students have carved their works out of reindeer bone. It is less dense and therefore not as good for carving as mammoth bones, but despite this the students have created magnificent pieces of art with only one week's training.

The wood from Lapland is also very suitable for carpentry and handicrafts, because of its hardness and density. It is a pity that almost none of this wood is refined for furniture. In the Educational Centre of Sámi Area students are shown how to make drinking cups, knife handles, ladles and the like, even boats have been made during the evening courses. Because everything produced here is artistic handicraft, the products are naturally quite expensive. On the other hand the craftspeople gives a certain guarantee to their products through his craftsmanship and the unique quality of the item. It can also be seen in the silver chains and rings made in the jewelry workshop or in the handsewn reindeer fur shoes.

- Satu

Saamelaisalueen koulutuskeskus SOGSAKK/The Educational center of Sámi Area

Weaving workshop

Jewerly making

Jewelry workshop

Carvings

Knives, made by students

Little devil

Needle holders, made from bone

Carvings on display

Little elephant!

In the lobby: Students' work

Irina at her workbench

Knife and sheath 100% made by Irina. The sheath and hilt are made from reindeer antler.

The knife and sheath

Ladle carved by Irina

Photos: © 2005 Greenpeace/Dave Walsh