Down in the basement of Hotell Samegården is this small, dusty museum housing a disparate collection of exhibits about Sami culture. Here you can learn the basics about the area’s original inhabitants, the Sami, who carved out a living from the frozen world around them – thanks in no small part to their mastery of reindeer.
Old, black-and-white pictures give an insight into how the Sami lived and worked before the arrival of modern herding tools such as helicopters and snowscooters, which many Sami herders use today.
Information cards take a look at the Sami flag, which you may see flying as you travel around the region. A modern motif that unites Sami people in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia, it was adopted in the 1980s. At its centre is a circle in red and blue, representing the sun on one side and the moon on the other. It also reflects the strong colours of traditional Sami clothing – if you’re interested in seeing traditional dress in all its glory, we’d suggest that you head to the much more substantial Ájtte Museum in Jokkmokk.
The cluttered gift shop inside Kiruna’s Sami museum has a limited selection of local crafts and there’s a useful notice board pointing the way to other Sami-related sights and experiences in the area.
Entry
20 SEK
Sami Museum
Hotell Samegården
Brytaregatan 14
Kiruna
+46 980 170 29
hotellsamegarden.se
Mon–Fri 7am–noon & 1pm–4pm
Last updated: December 2014
