Handicrafts

Traditional handicrafts, duodji, are made from materials that are easily available locally. Reindeer leather and hides have been used to make clothes and footwear as well as cradleboards for babies. More recently, wool and silk sourced from elsewhere have also been used to make clothes. Reindeer antlers and bones were turned into utility and decorative items, and so were pine, spruce and birch wood. Jewellery worn with Saami clothing has been made from silver.

Handicrafts used to be for personal use, but these days they are mainly produced for sale. Traditional materials, designs and methods are still honoured, but adapted to meet today’s requirements. In duodji, the beauty and the purpose of the item are in balance. The Sámi Duodji label attached to a product guarantees that the product is a genuine Saami handicraft item and not a copy, which are also sold.