Helja Pasma

1826 – Bicentennial of the border demarcation

The Savio Museum /

Deanu ja Várjjat Museasiida/Tana and Varanger Museumssiida/Teän da Va’rjjel Mu’zeisiida (DVM/TVM) have planned several seminars and lectures on topics related to the border demarcation in 1826. The plan is to shed light on the history before, around, and after the border demarcation.

The four museums in the museum siida are each planning various lectures and seminars related to this topic, and there will also be joint events. A seminar is planned for the end of May, more info to come, as well as a conference in November/December 2026.

In 2026, the Savio Museum will focus on John Savio’s family and genealogy. You will be introduced to some of his predecessors who lived in Sør-Varanger before 1826. There will be a gallery of people that can be seen in the exhibition at the Grenseland Museum. The Savio Museum also offers lectures on John Andreas Savio (1902-1938) that take as their starting point the life and work of the Northern Sami artist, and through that illuminate the history of Sør-Varanger from a Sami perspective. We take a journey back in time through written sources, historical milestones and events that are worth noting. In what context did John Andreas Savio live, and how can his art tell us something about our society today?

This lecture will be available at the Barents spectacle in February 2026, and can also be booked by contacting the museum director at the Savio Museum.

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Jođus – Savio in Motion

The Savio Museum /

Plans are underway for a new exhibition of John Savio’s artworks at the Munch Museum in Oslo. Jođus – Savio in Motion (working title) is a project that will exhibit just under 100 known and unknown works by the Northern Sami artist John Savio (1902–1938); through various themes, the story of Savio and his art historical influence will be explored and elevated on Sami terms and with a Sami horizon of understanding as the curatorial starting point. In this way, the exhibition shows how Savio was a groundbreaking artist who today must be considered a distinctive voice within Nordic modernism and a lasting inspiration for contemporary Sami artists. The approximately 100 artworks that have been selected are intended to touch on relevant themes from different perspectives. There will be works in different techniques and with different motifs. The exhibition will also be accompanied by new Sami architecture and a soundscape, which together with the images will bring out new dimensions of the art.

The artworks have now been transported to Oslo for processing, conservation and treatment before the exhibition can be launched.

The exhibition opening is at MUNCH on December 4, 2026. Read more about the project on MUNCH’s website, https://www.munch.no/en/exhibitions/john-savio/

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This is happening at Ä´vv

Ä´vv Skolt Sami Museum /

Extended museum opening hours Thursdays in even numbered weeks À10.00 – 20.00

(23.1., 5.2., 19.2., 5.3., 19.3., 16.4., 30.4., 28.5.)

Handicraft evenings Thursdays  À 17.00 – 20.00

(23.1., 5.2., 19.2., 5.3., 19.3., 16.4., 30.4., 28.5.)

Bring your own work or try something new with us. Handicraft evenings are open for everybody and free of charge!

Theme Saturdays À12.00 – 16.00

(31.1., 28.3., 25.4., 30.5.)

Last Saturday of the month: 31/1 Theme handicrafts, 28/3 Theme easter. Different themes – always waffles! These Saturdays are open for everybody and it is free entrance! 

Sunday, 22.2.: Open museum. In Cooperation with Pikene på broen: Barents spektakel 2026 The border crossed us. More info is coming

Week 11: In connection to GiisáǨei´ss, Saami cultural festival in Sør-Varanger

Extended opening hours with crash-courses in skolt saami and kadrill. More info is coming.

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Temporary exhibition Neiden boat!

Ä´vv Skolt Sami Museum /

The exhibition is based on the importance of the Neiden river for the local population and the vital role of the boat in making use of the river and the area’s resources. Neiden’s collective society memory and the memories of time witnesses are made visible through the replicated boat and the remains of the old boats.

The aim of the project is a reconstruction of the Neiden boat and the continuation of the traditional knowledge as well as documenting and communicating its value.

The exhibition, which opened on March 15, will be open throughout May 2025. During the exhibition period, there will be a naming competition – what should the boat be called? The newly built boat will be tarred and launched onto the river this summer.

Neiden, Njauddâm in Skolt Saami, is a small village with a unique culture and history. The settlements are located on both sides of the Neiden River, Njauddâmjokk in Skolt Sami, within an area of 16 km up to the Finnish border. The settlement continues on the Finnish side and the village there is called Näätämö, Njauddâm.

This melting pot of Skolt Saami, Russian, Finnish (Kven) and Norwegian cultural traditions resulted in the unique Neiden boat, among other things. The boat is an open river boat type, originally built in wood. It is specially designed for fishing and other purposes on the Neiden River, under the special conditions that characterize this waterway.

Neiden Helselag has taken the initiative to bring the Neiden boat back into the light. Ä ́vv Skolt Saami Museum has supported this in order to preserve traditional methods for building and use that was developed through generations. The collaboration to obtain information about the boat has been ongoing since 2019. The copy building has been carried out by boat builder Arne Terje Sæter, Kasavi As from Tromsø and apprentice Ben Arne Sotkajærvi from Vaggetem. The apprentice was engaged to ensure the continuation of the traditional knowledge. The new boat was completed in November 2024.

The project’s long-term aim for the Neiden boat is for it to be in use in its right element, namely the Neiden river, and become a visual part of today’s local environment. In the spring of 2025, the boat will be tarred and launched onto the river. The boat will be used in an outdoor exhibition when it is taken up from the river in the autumn. A boathouse will be set up for this purpose, exhibition storage during the winter months. The ten prints with pictures and texts from the temporary exhibition are printed on waterproof material and will also be a part of this.

The project is financed by Riksantikvaren, Finnmarkseiendommen and Forbundet Kysten. Neiden Helselag is the project owner. The museum’s role has been to facilitate the production of copies by making the workshop available as well as administrating the project.

Arne Terje Sæter/Kasavi has documented the construction process on his own Facebook page “Nordlandsbåt” in addition to the museum’s own page. The apprentice has also contributed with information through his channels.

https://www.facebook.com/nordlandsbaat

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“Skrevet i Stein” (Written in Stone) by Marte Lill Somby is this year’s summer exhibition at Várjjat Sámi Musea – Varanger Sámi Museum

Common news, Varanger Sami Museum /

Viewing period 22 June – 31 August 2024

The 2024 summer exhibition is a strong exhibition about a difficult topic and we are proud to be able to present it to our audience.

“Skrevet i Stein” is an ongoing project about Sami women who have experienced violence in close relationships in Sápmi.

It can be psychological, physical or sexual violence and abuse.

In this art project, Somby wants to focus on women’s mental health in Sápmi. You as a girl, woman, lady or áhkku can get a voice in the form of a word and a stone.

Violence is a problem all over the world. The percentage of women exposed to violence in Sami communities is markedly higher than in the rest of society. It is the Sami women’s stories that she now wants to convey in their own words.

The exhibition will open on Saturday 22 June at 3pm. Bures boahtin! Welcome!

“Skrevet i Stein” (Written in Stone) by Marte Lill Somby is this year’s summer exhibition at Várjjat Sámi Musea – Varanger Sámi Museum Read More »